its new practice facility, the Mo Ostin Basketball Center. The team again struggled defensively. UCLA qualified for the 2018 NCAA tournament, but lost 65–58 to St. Bonaventure in the First Four for the Bonnies' first tournament win in 48 years. It was the first time in UCLA's history that they had been relegated to a First Four play-in game. It was also the first time in the school's four tournament appearances under Alford that they did not advance to the Sweet 16. Another banner was flown over campus, this time reading "Final Fours not First Fours #FireAlford." In 2018–19 in Alford's sixth year at UCLA, he brought in a top-10 recruiting class which included center Moses Brown. He also added assistant coach Murry Bartow to improve the team's defense. The Bruins were ranked No. 21 in the preseason AP Poll, and they started the season 4–0 to move up to No. 17. However, they lost six of the next nine and finished with a 7–6 record in nonconference play, closing it out with four straight losses, the last of which was a 73–58 defeat to Liberty. The 15-point setback was the most lopsided home loss in Alford's tenure with UCLA. Combined with an earlier home loss to mid-major program Belmont, it was the first time the Bruins had lost consecutive home games to non-Power Five schools since 2012–13. Four days after Belmont, they lost by 29 at Cincinnati, their largest margin of defeat since 2014–15. Their offense had grown stagnant. As the losses mounted, Alford increasingly blamed his players. UCLA had not lost four straight since the end of 2015–16, when they finished the season under .500. They had not suffered four consecutive nonconference losses since 2010–11. On December 31, 2018, two days after the Bruins' loss to Liberty, UCLA announced that Alford had been fired. It was the first time the program had made a coaching change in the middle of the season. Alford ended his tenure with a 124–63 overall record and 55–35 in the Pac-12. He guided UCLA to the NCAA tournament four times in five years, including three times to the Sweet 16. However, he failed to win a Pac-12 regular-season title, and his only Pac-12 Tournament title was in his first season. He never advanced past the Sweet 16. He was only the second coach in UCLA's 100-year history to never win a conference regular-season