NEW ORLEANS -- For once, UCLA is in the headlines for what it did on the court.
That's the way Steve Alford prefers it.
After spending much of the first two months of the season as the sport's center of attention -- mostly because of the fallout from a shoplifting incident in China and the subsequent LaVar Ball-charged airtime it received -- the Bruins closed out their nonconference slate with an impressive 83-75 win over No. 7 Kentucky on Saturday in the CBS Sports Classic that is likely to change the conversation surrounding the team.