UCLA is reportedly cutting ties with its coach, Steve Alford, according to reports from Seth Davis of The Athletic and Jeff Goodman of Stadium.
An official announcement could come as soon as Monday.
The move for UCLA should come as no surprise. Alford and the Bruins are 7-6 on the season and in the midst of a four-game losing streak, during which the Bruins have fell at home to Belmont and Liberty. The 15-point Liberty loss on Saturday may have been the final straw, as UCLA was non-competitive in the final minutes and sloppy throughout, turning the ball over 24 times and missing a season-high 22 3-point attempts.
Firing a coach midseason in college basketball is rare, especially so for a high profile program like UCLA. But with the slower-than-expected start culminating with a home loss to Liberty, it was simply a matter of when, not if, Alford would be gone.
Alford was asked about his job security earlier this month and deflected, but his seat was considered warm going into the season. The sluggish start heated it up quickly.
"There's no issue with that with me," Alford said on Dec. 22 when asked about his job security following a UCLA loss to Ohio State. "I just do my job as well as I possibly can and that's what I do every day. I'm a man of God, so I've got an audience of one, and I [show up] every day, work as hard as I can for my guys and at the end of the day, if I know that I've prepared and worked hard, then that's what matters to me."
By cutting ties before Pac-12 play, UCLA brass may be hoping a coaching change could spur a turnaround from the early season woes. If UCLA has one thing on its roster its talent; all five of its starters are former top-100 players according to 247Sports Composite rankings. If the players were no longer responding to Alford and UCLA leadership believes that could change with an interim coach being inserted, this move could prove wise.
Under Alford, UCLA brought in the No. 12, 7, 24, 11, 5 and 6 recruiting classes in the country from 2013-2018. But after winning four NCAA Tournament games in his first two seasons, Alford went 2-3 over the next three seasons in postseason play including missing the NCAA Tournament altogether in 2015-16.
Alford compiled a 124-63 record as the Bruins coach after taking over the program in 2013. He won one Pac-12 tournament title and made four NCAA Tournament appearances, eking into the First Four last season. The Bruins are on pace to miss the Big Dance this season barring an auto-bid by winning the postseason conference tournament.