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UCLA basketball: 5 best seasons in Bruins history, ranked

By Mike Phillips

21 Nov 2000: Former Coach John Wooden of the University of California in Los Angeles (UCLA) Bruins watches the action during the game against the California State University of Northridge (CSUN) Matadors at the Pauley Pavillion in Westwood, California. The Matadors defeated the Bruins 78-74.Mandatory Credit: Jeff Gross /Allsport
21 Nov 2000: Former Coach John Wooden of the University of California in Los Angeles (UCLA) Bruins watches the action during the game against the California State University of Northridge (CSUN) Matadors at the Pauley Pavillion in Westwood, California. The Matadors defeated the Bruins 78-74.Mandatory Credit: Jeff Gross /Allsport /
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Best UCLA basketball seasons ever
(Photo by Jeff Gross/Getty Images) /

3. 1970-71 UCLA Bruins win the title behind Sidney Wicks, Henry Bibby

Let’s jump ahead a bit in the UCLA dynasty to the 1970-71 team, which is one of the lesser discussed squads because of its timing. Abdul-Jabbar was off to the NBA and Bill Walton was just a freshman, but the core of this team was remarkably good.

Headlined by Sidney Wicks and Henry Bibby, the Bruins got off to a 14-0 start before losing at Notre Dame on Jan. 23, 1971. UCLA responded to the defeat by picking up a win in their very next game at Santa Barbara, the first of what would be 88 straight victories.

This wasn’t as dominant a UCLA squad as the ones that came before it, but John Wooden’s steadying presence on the sidelines was a huge factor. The Bruins squeaked out a few white knucklers down the stretch to finish the regular season with a 25-1 record, including a 14-0 mark in Pac-8 play.

The NCAA Tournament got off to a strong start thanks to a blowout over BYU, but the Bruins needed to gut out a two-point victory over Long Beach State in the regional final. Kansas and Villanova gave UCLA a tough fight in the Final Four, but in the end, the Bruins claimed their seventh national championship in eight years.

This edition of UCLA was pretty good and it got even stronger when Walton was eligible to play in the following year. The core of that Bruins’ team was a key part of the final chapter in the UCLA dynasty, which we will discuss more in a bit.