At the start of this season, Cori Close was living what felt like a fairytale. UCLA women’s basketball was flying high — piling up wins, steamrolling through the schedule, and for the first time since 1979, punching their ticket to the Final Four. With a glittering 34-2 record and the 2025 Naismith Women’s College Coach of the Year award in hand, it finally looked like Close was getting the flowers she’d long deserved. But as March gave way to April, that fairytale started to lose its shine, something that even fans call out!
It didn’t unravel all at once — it began with a stinger. An 80-67 loss to USC in early March didn’t just sting because of the rivalry. It slammed the door on UCLA’s Big Ten title hopes and knocked them out of contention for a top seed in the conference tournament. More than anything, the loss felt like a red flag. It wasn’t just a bad night — it was a wake-up call.
Close didn’t try to dodge the truth, either. “We didn’t show up and do our jobs,” she admitted at the postgame press conference. It was raw and honest. But it also raised a bigger question: was the issue just about the players not showing up, or was there something deeper — something systemic — brewing underneath?
Junior guard Kiki Rice had entered the 2024–25 campaign with sky-high expectations. And for most of the season, she delivered. She put up solid numbers — 12.8 points, 3.6 boards, and nearly 5 assists per game — all while shooting an efficient 50% from the field. But when the lights burned brightest in March, something shifted.
In the Sweet 16 against Ole Miss, Rice was mostly quiet, taking a backseat as teammate Lauren Betts went off for 31. Even then, fans brushed it off — stars have off nights, and Betts picking up the slack was seen as a luxury. But then came the Final Four clash with UConn. And it was more of the same.
This time, the fans noticed — and they weren’t quiet about it.
“No one is going to say it…but Kiki Rice has been awful this tourney,” one fan vented online. “I don’t know what happened to her this season, but last season she attacked the basket and wanted to score. She’s consistently playing with her back to the basket. She looks scared. And not fighting the screens.”
No one is going to say it…but Kiki rice has been awful this tourney. Idk what has happened to her this season but last season she attacked the basket and wanted to score the ball. She is consistently playing her back to the basket. She looks scared. And not fighting the screens
— C (@ladieslove_chey) April 5, 2025
Harsh? Maybe. But not totally out of bounds. And it wasn’t just Rice catching heat.
Some fans and analysts have started to question whether Cori Close’s Coach of the Year award was more about narrative than substance. The record was fantastic. The growth of the program is undeniable. But in key moments — when bench rotations faltered, when trust in the supporting cast seemed to vanish, and when their star guard looked completely out of sync — UCLA looked undercooked. Unready.
Still, it’s not all doom and gloom in Westwood.
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