the Bruins' starting point guard in 2014–15. Although he was considered more of a shooter than a true point guard, Alford's son was the team's only legitimate option for the position. The Bruins began the season at 4–0 and ranked No. 22 before losing two of three games at the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament. Beginning with their December loss at home to Gonzaga, the Bruins lost five consecutive games, their longest streak since 2009–10. Losses included a 39-point defeat to No. 1 Kentucky—they fell behind 24–0 and trailed 41–7 at halftime—and by 32 points against Utah. UCLA closed out the regular season with three straight home wins to finish undefeated (9–0) at home in the conference for the first time since 2006–07. The Bruins went 1–1 in the 2015 Pac-12 tournament, but proved most major projections wrong by receiving an invitation to the 2015 NCAA tournament, earning a No. 11 seed. The squad became the lowest-seed UCLA team to ever reach the regional semifinals. They benefitted from a controversial goaltending call and a favorable second-round matchup with No. 14 seed Alabama Birmingham to advance to the Sweet 16, when they lost again to Gonzaga. Fanbase grows restless (2015–2018) In 2015–16, UCLA finished with a 15–17 record, the fourth time the program finished with a losing record since 1948, when John Wooden became the coach. The team missed the NCAA tournament for just the third time in 10 years. The Bruins were eliminated from the 2016 Pac-12 tournament after a 95–71 loss to USC, losing three consecutive times in the same season to their crosstown rivals for the first time in 74 years. One week during the offseason, a plane flew over the UCLA campus on two occasions with a banner urging the school to fire Alford. A week later, Alford apologized for what he called an "unacceptable" season, and he returned a one-year contract extension he had received in 2014. He pledged to never allow their defense to rank outside the top 100 nationally. The following year, Alford led a talented squad that featured three eventual NBA first-round draft picks and five future NBA players. The Bruins finished one game out of first place in the Pac-12, and UCLA advanced to its third Sweet 16 in four years as freshmen Lonzo Ball and T. J. Leaf led one of the top offensive teams in the nation. In 2017–18, UCLA opened