Getting chatty has made UCLA talk of the town

UCLA guard Bryce Alford high-fives the crowd after nailing a three-point basket against USC during the Bruins' 102-70 win at Pauley Pavilion on Feb. 18. (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times)If recent trends persist, the team that doesn’t like to talk can look back on the time it chattered like teenagers carrying on about the latest photo-sharing app as the moment that changed the trajectory of its season.

UCLA had just been throttled by USC on Jan. 25 when the Bruins lingered in their locker room inside the Galen Center. After Coach Steve Alford’s short postgame spiel, his son Bryce, the team’s shooting guard, made sure none of the players left and that the coaches weren’t in the room before…