Haters gonna hate, and in this March Madness tournament, it seems that everyone is throwing shade at UCLA.
From a “bid they didn’t deserve” to “the call they shouldn’t have gotten” it seems like the Bruins are racking up the number of people who want to see them fail.
So riddle me this: Is UCLA feeding off the negativity in order to keep winning?
It isn’t too bold of a question. The SoCal kids spent the better part of the regular season making their presence known by nipping at the heels of their Pac-12 rivals. Heck, they entered the tourney with 13 losses–on, paper they didn’t look like they deserved much love on the NCAA’s big stage. However, after any defeat or too-close-for-comfort win, the Bruins seem to get a bit of a kickstart and rebound to notch a subsequent win.
Saturday was one of those moments, featuring a full-on boost from the 60-59 nail-biter over SMU. Led by Tony Parker’s career-high 28 points and 12 rebounds, UCLA steimied UAB in Round 3. The Bruins outscored the Blazers 52-22 in the paint–heck, Parker matched UAB himself with his 22 paint points. UCLA also shot better than 60% and rebounded 52% of their missed shots. Bryce Alford had another big day with 22 points, while big guns Norman Powell (15) and Kevon Looney (10) continued to roll.
Surely someone has made the argument that UCLA isn’t listening to what negative things have been said about them as the tournament has gotten underway, but we know that they’re smarter than that. Could it be that the Bruins are just that driven to prove their naysayers wrong?
UCLA is still awaiting the name of their next suitor, as the contest between Gonzaga and Iowa doesn’t take place until Sunday night. We will have to wait and see if UCLA’s next matchup will have fewer doubters, or if there will just be more fuel for the fire that is potentially driving them to victories.
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*Section Photo credit to Stephen Dunn, Getty Images; Featured Photo (above) credit to Danny Moloshok, Associated Press
