UCLA HC Says Bruins Are 'Most Non-Talked About No. 1 Team' Ever Ahead of UConn Game

UCLA head coach Cori Close doesn't believe her team is getting the attention befitting its on-court success this season.

"We've spent more time as No. 1 in the country all year long, and we were the most non-talked-about No. 1 team in history," she told reporters Thursday ahead of the Final Four. "But I can't complain about that because I think it allowed our team to stay focused on the right things."

The 34-2 Bruins are the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA tournament, and they've spent 14 combined weeks as the top-ranked team in the Associated Press Top 25 poll.

UCLA is nonetheless a 7.5-point underdog to UConn at DraftKings Sportsbook.

"This is this year's UConn's team, not the last 10 or 20 years of UConn teams, and this is our UCLA team," Close said. "And I have a lot of confidence, both mentally and physically and tactically, in this UCLA team. I think it's going to be a great battle."

Implied in the coach's assessment is that the Huskies aren't the dominant force they once were. The Huskies boast a great trio with guards Paige Bueckers and Azzi Fudd and forward Sarah Strong, but their fallibility was made clear in their losses to Notre Dame, USC and Tennessee.

UCLA, meanwhile, went 13-2 in Quad 1 games, and it avenged those two defeats to USC by beating the Trojans in the Big Ten title game. In junior center Lauren Betts, the Bruins might have a big who can nullify Strong's presence inside.

Still, the trouble with calling your squad "the most non-talked-about No. 1 team in history" is that you better back it up. Otherwise, a loss for UCLA will mean the perceived disrespect was somewhat justified.