Inevitability: by guest blogger Bill Plaschke

The hearts of Bruin Nation are broken.

Again.

A campus waits until next year.

Again.

Ladies and gentlemen, NCAA basketball's Philadelphia Eagles.

Ben Howland as Andy Reid.

Guided the almost good enough to within reach of excellence.

But failed. 

Kevin Love as T.O. 

The new guy, probably only around for one season, meant to get the team over the top.

But couldn't.

Darren Collison as Donovan McNabb.

At the helm for each of the team's runs, who's efforts the team couldn't live without.

But weren't good enough.

So in the end, the Bruins are empty-pawed

Yes, they won the PAC-10 regular season title.  Yes, they won the PAC-10 tournament.  

Nothing.

Ask those Eagles what they remember about their runs toward the Super Bowl four straight seasons, and to a man they'll tell you it was coming up short.  

Ask these Bruins what they'll remember about this season, and to a man they'll tell you it was coming up short.  

They won't remember the overtime win against Stanford.

They won't remember the win against Cal to end the season.

They won't remember edging out Texas A&M or Western Kentucky's comeback in the tournament or cutting down the nets n Phoenix.

They'll remember failure.

The UCLA Bruins; college basketball's New York Yankees.  

Built to win every year.

This year.

Like those New Yorkers in pinstripes, UCLA expects to contend every season.  

Even when talent argues with reason.  

Like those New Yorkers in pinstripes, anything less than a title is failure.

But the Bruins had the talent this season in Love, Collison, Shipp, Westbrook, Mbah a Moute. 

All year we heard UCLA fans scream that Howland getting this team to San Antonio would not be enough, given the weapons compiled this season in Westwood.

In the end, it is not.

These Bruins are more Eagles than Patriots.

More Yankees than Red Sox.

More failures than winners.