A big early win over Kentucky was followed by eye-rolling losses. Improvement stalled in midseason. As the team neared the midpoint of Pac-12 Conference play, it was nowhere near the top of the standings.
Sound familiar? Similarities abound between this season's UCLA Bruins and the version from two years ago that plummeted into basketball oblivion by losing eight of its last 10 games.
Sophomore forward Alex Olesinski shook his head Tuesday when reminded of the latter team — not because of the similarities but because he believes the current group is nothing like the one that won only two games in February and March 2016.