One of UCLA athletic director Dan Guerrero’s basic expectations for his coaches is to compete for Pac-12 Conference championships.
Ben Howland won the Pac-12 regular-season title in his final season as the Bruins’ coach, but his teams had backslid enough by then that Guerrero felt compelled to make a change. Howland’s resume included three consecutive Final Four appearances as well as two losing seasons and no trips past the first weekend of the NCAA tournament over his final five seasons.
Steve Alford’s record heading into his sixth season at UCLA is one that suggests the Bruins may need to play deep into March to solidify his standing.