SPOKANE, Washington — UCLA’s historic season is rooted in loss. The one to LSU in last year’s NCAA tournament, specifically.
UCLA’s first-ever No. 1 ranking in both the USA TODAY and Associated Press polls, the unbeaten streak that lasted until mid-February, the overall No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament — all of it can be traced back to that disappointing loss to LSU in last year’s Sweet 16.
‘Maybe panic is too strong a word, but we definitely didn’t like the way in which we approached our game with LSU last year, both physically and our tempo and aggression. But, also, mentally in terms of our confidence that we came into the game with,” Bruins coach Cori Close said Saturday.
“This team has earned different levels of confidence and aggression,” she added, “that I think puts us in a better position to be our best.”
UCLA was clinging to a 3-point lead with just under three minutes to play last year, its third-ever Elite Eight appearance within reach. And then the wheels came off.
Fueled by Flau’jae Johnson, LSU went on a tear and outscored the Bruins 14-2 down the stretch. Those two points came on free throws, with UCLA missing its last eight shots.
‘A lot of our learning from last year was from that game,’ Kiki Rice said. ‘I think we felt like last year LSU was the tougher team in that matchup, and a lot of our work during the off-season, just throughout this entire year, has been how can we kind of build that collective toughness to be ready for those matchups and be ready for physical teams, be ready for these kind of environments.”
That newfound toughness will be put to the test Sunday, when UCLA and LSU meet again, this time with a first-ever trip to the Final Four on the line for the Bruins.
“I think everything that we have worked on will prepare us for our game tomorrow, and I’m just really excited for everyone to see that,” Rice said.
There is no shame in losing to LSU. The Tigers won the national title two years ago, and this is their third consecutive appearance in the Elite Eight.
But if you want to be one of the country’s elite programs, as Close and UCLA do, you have to be as tough as you are talented. And not just physically. Mentally, too, able to weather the ups and downs that inevitably occur through a quarter, a game, a season.
That the Bruins weren’t last year was as much on her as her players, Close said.
When she evaluated that game, and all of last season, Close said she felt her players were too mechanical. Being disciplined is one thing, being hamstring by rigidity is another.
“I want a team that plays like an art project, not a scientific formula,” Close said.
She began subjecting her team to chaos at practice. Adding extra defenders. Making several terrible calls in a row. Instructing the male practice players to up their annoyance factor by playing fast and loose with the rules.
“I’m the least favorite coach from pretty much November (on),” Close said. “It had to be my role. I needed to push them out of that comfort zone and create the struggle and adversity that was going to make them learn to be empowered to make their own decisions.”
It has worked, and not simply because UCLA has spent most of the year as the country’s top team. The Bruins have a resilience they didn’t have last year, an edge that, with the exception of their two losses to their crosstown rival, makes them unflappable.
UCLA found itself in dogfights with both Richmond and Ole Miss. Yet rather than crumbling, the Bruins regrouped and dug in, finding a way to assert their will. Lauren Betts, in particular, continues to be a revelation, absorbing loads of contact without flinching and displaying a deft touch for someone who is 6-foot-7.
Her efficiency against both Ole Miss and Richmond was jaw-dropping, missing just four of 33 shots in the two games. She finished with 30-plus points in both games, as well as double-digit rebounds.
‘Lauren Betts is a lot better basketball player. She was good in that game (last year against LSU), but she’s a lot better now,” Close said.
UCLA also has a maturity it didn’t have last year. After its second loss to USC, Rice and Gabriela Jaquez called a players-only film session early the following Monday. The team spent almost 90 minutes dissecting the film and their failings, holding one another accountable and challenging each other to do better.
The result? Five of the Bruins’ six games since then have been double-digit wins. The outlier? A decisive win over USC in the Big Ten tournament championship game that avenged those regular-season losses and solidified their claim on the overall No. 1 seed.
‘The most important thing for us this season is just the growth that we experienced and how much better we’ve gotten as a program. That will continue to lay the ground work and the standard going forward for many years for this program,’ Rice said. ‘Obviously we have aspirations of Final Four and a national title and all of that. But right now we’re just focused on our next opponent.’
Losing to LSU got UCLA to this point. Where the Bruins go from here is up to them.
Follow USA TODAY Sports columnist Nancy Armour on social media @nrarmour.