Commentary

Inside the Bracket: Beware Pac attack

Originally Published: February 13, 2009
By Mike Hume | ESPN Insider

As the final seconds ticked off the clock in Arizona State's 74-67 win over UCLA on Thursday night, the Sun Devils faithful focused their enthusiasm on their foe, jeering them with the chant of "overrated." While the traditional cheer is usually based on a mere 40 minutes of basketball, on this night, the cascading call prompted an interesting question: Just how good are the UCLA Bruins?

On one hand, the Bruins entered the game in Tempe as the No. 6 team in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll and with a track record as a Final Four team in each of the past three seasons. On the other hand, the Bruins sit 19 spots lower in the RPI (25), with no wins against the RPI Top 25 and just a .500 record (3-3) against the RPI Top 50. The Bruins' best win is against 18-6 Cal (RPI 27), and the best nonconference notch in their belt is 14-8 Miami (OH) (RPI 73), and UCLA had to scrape out a five-point victory on its home court.


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