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Woochifer
Joined: 12/15/11 Posts: 9,123
MWP: #1 UCLA unbeaten going into showdown vs #3 Stan
Posted Wed, Oct 02 5:00 pm
#1 UCLA was expected to be the top contender going into the season. They return several key players from last year's NCAA runner up, and they add #1 overall recruit and Paris Olympian, Ryder Dodd.

Dodd has been hyped as the best American prospect since Tony Azevedo, and so far he has lived up to all of it. Through 13 matches, Dodd has 42 goals, leading the team. He's currently on pace for the 2nd highest single season goal scoring total in program history, and he's only a freshman.

The Bruins will play #3 Stanford for the first time this season over the weekend. Three-time defending champ Cal has fallen off this season and is currently ranked #6. UCLA has already beaten the Bears, and will play them again this weekend.

Coach Adam Wright had the team ranked #1 and undefeated heading into the postseason last year before the wheels fell off in the MPSF tournament and NCAA championship final. This year's squad seems more dominant, and the addition of Dodd seems to have made a difference. Still a way to go before the postseason, but the team looks like they're on a mission.
Woochifer
Joined: 12/15/11 Posts: 9,123
MWP: #1 UCLA locks down #1 seed for MPSF tourney
Posted Tue, Nov 12 3:22 pm
In response to MWP: #1 UCLA unbeaten going into showdown vs #3 Stan (Woochifer)
The Bruins secured the MPSF regular season title and the #1-seed for the conference tournament with a sweep over #7 Cal and #2 Stanford. The win against the Cards avenged the Bruins' only loss so far in the regular season. UCLA will now play #2 Southern Cal to close out the regular season.

https://uclabruins.com/news/2024/11/6/mens-water-polo-2024-mpsf-championship-tournament-tickets-on-sale-now

UCLA will host the MPSF tournament. Absent an opening round upset, UCLA is pretty much a lock for the NCAA tournament, which will take place at Stanford this year.
Woochifer
Joined: 12/15/11 Posts: 9,123
MWP: #1 UCLA beats Southern Cal 16-9 to end reg season
Posted Sun, Nov 17 11:31 am
In response to MWP: #1 UCLA unbeaten going into showdown vs #3 Stan (Woochifer)
Freshman phenom Ryder Dodd scored 5 goals in a dominant 16-9 win over #4 Southern Cal to conclude the regular season schedule. The team appears to be getting hot again at the right time.

https://uclabruins.com/news/2024/11/16/mens-water-polo-no-1-ucla-concludes-regular-season-with-16-9-win-over-no-4-usc

The Bruins are now 21-1 and will host the MPSF tournament starting on Friday at 1:30pm PT. Recall that UCLA went into the conference tournament last season undefeated, but lost in both the semifinal and the 3rd place match. They have a lot to prove, and have been on a mission all season long. Ryder Dodd is the element that UCLA did not have last year, and we will now see if his presence proves decisive in the postseason.

Coach Adam Wright has already won the national championship this year with the women's team after a long drought. Now, we'll see if he can seal the deal with the men's squad.
Woochifer
Joined: 12/15/11 Posts: 9,123
MWP: #1 UCLA loses to Southern Cal in MPSF final
Posted Sun, Nov 24 4:23 pm
In response to MWP: #1 UCLA unbeaten going into showdown vs #3 Stan (Woochifer)
Another year, and another MPSF tournament without a conference title. Last year, UCLA came into the conference tournament unbeaten and proceeded to lose in both the semifinal and the 3rd place match. This year, UCLA was again the #1 seed, but advanced to the championship match. In today's conference final, the Bruins wound up digging themselves a 4-goal deficit in the 1st half and lost to Southern Cal 15-13.

UCLA should advance to the NCAA tournament, but they will need to step things up.
Woochifer
Joined: 12/15/11 Posts: 9,123
MWP: UCLA receives #1 seed to NCAA tournament
Posted Mon, Nov 25 9:52 am
In response to MWP: #1 UCLA unbeaten going into showdown vs #3 Stan (Woochifer)
Losing the MPSF final apparently did not affect UCLA's NCAA tournament positioning. The NCAA selection committee gave UCLA the #1 overall seed while MPSF tournament champ Southern Cal received the #2 seed.

Looking over the bracket, the Committee might have assigned Southern Cal the #2 seed, but they also got the easier glide path to the championship match if you go by the RPI ranking.

UCLA's first round opponent is Salem, which is #24 in the RPI, while Southern Cal plays WCC tournament champ Cal Baptist (#20 in the RPI). However, the potential 2nd round match up for UCLA will be either #4-seed Stanford or Princeton. Stanford is ranked #5 in the RPI while Princeton is #6 (Stanford was selected for the other at-large berth, even though Cal and Pepperdine were both ranked higher in the RPI). Southern Cal would play either #3 seed (#8 RPI) Fordham or Long Beach State (#11 RPI).

The Bruins have been on a season long mission. They are the best team in the country, but now they'll need to prove it.

https://www.ncaa.com/brackets/waterpolo-men/nc/2024
bidabruin
Joined: 11/18/12 Posts: 1,056
Congrats to Men’s Water Polo!
Posted Mon, Dec 09 5:19 am
In response to MWP: UCLA receives #1 seed to NCAA tournament (Woochifer)
National Champions! They beat SUC in the final, 11-8!
Woochifer
Joined: 12/15/11 Posts: 9,123
3 More Years with Ryder Dodd (who almost went to $C)
Posted Tue, Dec 10 4:22 pm
In response to Congrats to Men’s Water Polo! (bidabruin)
#124! And #13 for men's water polo -- and this team might not be done.

UCLA has a generational player with Ryder Dodd, and barring any transfers, he will be a Bruin for the next 3 years. I forgot that Dodd had originally verbaled to Southern Cal, but shortly thereafter switched his commitment to UCLA. How differently things could have played out. Ryder Dodd was the difference maker this year after the Bruins fell short last year as the #1 seed.

Now, Coach Adam Wright has to quickly shift gears and turn his attention to the defending national champion Bruin women's team, who will start their season in less than two months. The women will bring back several of their key players, including a couple of first team All-Americans. Because other top teams have players returning from their year off training for the Olympics, things will be a lot more competitive this upcoming season.