Growing up, basketball was an escape for me.
Every piece of life stress, personal or academic, vacated my mind as soon as I stepped on the court.

This post was updated June 6 at 2:32 p.m.
UCLA’s time in the Pac-12 has nearly reached its end, as its official entrance to the Big Ten is just under two months away.

This post was updated March 31 at 11:19 p.m.
ALBANY, NY — Title hopes surrounded the then-No. 2-ranked Bruins at the beginning of the season.
But in poetic fashion, it was the same sound that sent the Bruins walking in both postseason tournaments that gave them the opportunity to hoist a trophy.

This post was updated March 25 at 10:48 p.m.
Ten minutes stood between an end to the season for UCLA or a trip to Albany, New York, for the chance to play the reigning national champions. 
But a 24-point performance from sophomore guard Kiki Rice punched the Bruins’ ticket and kept her squad’s title hopes alive for another day. 
Backed by a second-half fight, No.

This post was updated March 17 at 7:19 p.m.
With their highest seed in program history, the Bruins will have a shot at claiming their first NCAA title. 
No.

This post was updated March 10 at 10:25 p.m.
LAS VEGAS – It happened twice.
A deadlocked game, one possession remaining with the ball in UCLA’s hand and a pair of seconds on the clock.

Question marks have surrounded both UCLA men’s basketball and No. 7 UCLA women’s basketball since before either of their seasons started. As the former enters the last two games of its regular season and the latter prepares for a conference tournament featuring five other ranked teams, some of those questions still linger.

Every coach’s dream is to build a dynasty program.
A one-and-done national championship win is worthy of hype, but most times, it’s the dynasty programs – the ones with the iconic coaches, top recruiting classes and a brand that lives beyond the ones that wear it – that cut down the nets.

This post was updated Feb. 29 at 11:23 p.m.
Leap Day is considered an unlucky day in some cultures.
Four years ago, on Feb. 29, luck fell in UCLA’s favor as it took down Arizona by a five-point margin.

This post was updated Feb. 29 at 2:31 p.m.
Within the Bruins’ grasp lies a coveted honor in one of the hardest conference tournaments in women’s basketball: a first-round bye in the Pac-12 Tournament.