The firing of Steve Alford, after a 15-point home loss to Liberty on Dec. 29 was justified. The Bruins needed a spark, and the coaching change provided it. UCLA responded with a 22-point victory over Stanford and a 15-point victory over California. The Bruins have enough talent to win the Pac-12, which is the conference of chumps this season, and part of the reason the league is down is Oregon’s demise.

The Ducks (9-5) have lost star freshman Bol Bol for the season because of a left foot injury. The 7-foot-2 Bol, who averaged 21 points and 9.6 rebounds in nine games, was projected to be a top-five pick in the NBA draft. Bol was shooting 52 percent from 3-point range. Dana Altman is an outstanding coach, but he might not be able to salvage this mess.

The play: UCLA, +4.