This post was updated Dec. 3 at 6:36 p.m.

No. 1 UCLA men’s water polo (21-1, 5-1 MPSF) suffered the first loss of their 2023 season just over a year ago in the semifinals of the MPSF tournament. This weekend, the Bruins will have a chance to avenge their previous loss, entering the MPSF tournament with just a single loss on their 2024 record. Before UCLA faces Washington & Jefferson (3-12, 2-6), on Friday in the first round, the Daily Bruin’s men’s water polo beat predicts where they think UCLA will finish in the MPSF tournament.

Ava Abrishamchian
Daily Bruin staff
Prediction: MPSF West Champions

Oftentimes, success is measured by hardware on the walls. However, for most, it is in the blood, sweat, and tears it takes to get there.

For the past two years, the Bruins have suffered setback after setback in championship losses and close near-misses.

This year, that will change.

With a roster stacked with seasoned champions from redshirt junior attacker Chase Dodd to graduate student goalkeeper Garret Griggs, the team is well-equipped to handle the pressure of the MPSF tournament. Despite falters in the previous season’s MPSF match-up, the Bruins have a chance to redeem themselves.

With 10 or more players scoring in a majority of contests, the roster is stacked with a powerhouse of individuals that can follow through till the end. In their most recent game against No. 4 USC, UCLA scored seven straight goals to finish off their 21st win of the season.

The combination of sharp technical skills to target the net have resulted in only one loss during the season. Coach Adam Wright and his team have little to reassess heading into the tournament.

The path to glory for UCLA is crystal clear. With a game against Washington & Jefferson to start the round, the Bruins should expect to dominate. While the toughest challenge may come from California rivals, the blue and gold will be raising the trophy once again.

Lamar Tuker
Daily Bruin reporter
Prediction: MPSF West Champions

After narrowly losing out on the MPSF title last year, the Bruins have two R’s packed into their gear.

Redemption and Ryder Dodd.

This season’s roster is boosted with the presence of Olympian bronze medalist and freshman attacker Ryder Dodd. Accompanying his Olympian older brother, redshirt junior attacker Chase Dodd, the younger Dodd cemented his presence in the Bruins’ starting lineup immediately upon arriving in Westwood.

With a season-high of eight goals in one game, Dodd scored goals in all 22 games across this season. He also was one of the highest scoring players across 17 games.

Last year, the Bruins blitzed Washington & Jefferson – their first opponent in the MPSF tournament – by 21 points, cementing a 25-4 win.

But the Bruins luck ran out in the semifinals against the Trojans. Only making a third of their attempted shots, the Bruins netted nine goals while the Trojans advanced to the finals with 21 points of their own.

This year, the Bruins have only one loss tainting their record, and Ryder Dodd on their roster. Last season’s upset is a thing of the past, and UCLA has a chance to rewrite the script and claim the MPSF West Championship title.

Nicolas Greamo
Daily Bruin senior staff
Prediction: MPSF West Champions

You don’t see postseason magic every week.

On a Friday night about a month ago, I decided to turn on the first game of the World Series and watch as Freddie Freeman smacked a historic walk-off grand slam into the stands.

You might not have been able to hear it over the ecstatic cheers that flooded Dodger Stadium, but UCLA alumnus Randy Newman’s 1983 hit “I Love L.A.,” began to play as Freeman rounded the bases. The song plays after every Dodgers win in their stadium and, as it turns out, after home victories for UCLA men’s water polo.

But the similarities between the two teams don’t stop there. Both are coached by former Bruin student athletes with history degrees in coach Adam Wright and manager Dave Roberts.

And both won their most recent championship before this year in 2020.

Battling it out at home for one last ride, the Bruins, if they’re anything like their MLB counterparts, will cruise through the MPSF tournament. After likely handling a California team with only a single conference win in the semifinals, the team should be well prepared to take on either Stanford or USC in the final, as they’ve done almost all season.

Expect to hear plenty of synthesizers, guitar solos and Randy Newman belting.

And then, expect the Bruins, eager to exorcise last year’s demons and unburdened by the curse of a perfect regular season, to take the fight up north to Stanford’s Avery Aquatic Center and bring another championship back home.

What else can I say?

We love LA.

Olivia Miller
Daily Bruin senior staff
Prediction: MSPF West Champions

The Bruins are going to rule the pool this year at the MSPF Tournament.

UCLA men’s water polo has risen to the top, with a roster that contains dynamic and veteran leadership, with a 21-1 record this season that exhibits their dominance.

Keep your eyes peeled for graduate student goalkeeper Garret Griggs to provide trustworthy goal coverage, after matching a career-high 15 saves in the team’s most recent win over the Trojans. Freshman attacker Ryder Dodd will assume the role of an offensive powerhouse, as the newcomer has been a leading scorer in high-stakes games.

To be victorious, it will be crucial for the Bruins to control their pace early. By halftime, they would be served well by creating a multiple-goal cushion. UCLA will have to press defensively in the fourth quarter to secure victories.

A likely final bracket, possibly UCLA vs Stanford, could start with an early defensive tone with quick counter attacks. The middle quarters will involve a rotation of players with forced outside shots, with UCLA ultimately claiming the MPSF West Championship title.

Una O’Farrell
Assistant Sports editor
Prediction: MPSF West Champions

I felt redundant writing this prediction.

It’s impossible for me to disagree with any of the writers on the men’s water polo beat – we’ve all bore witness to the force that is the 2024 UCLA men’s water polo team – a team that just swept a league-high nine individual 2024 Delfina All-MPSF West accolades.

It might be boring and redundant for me to claim that the Bruins will win it all this weekend – but that’s what I’ve been saying since the very first tournament of their season.

Wright’s roster is deep. So deep that double digit Bruins are regularly contributing to the scoreboard every weekend – allowing the coach to sub out half the pool multiple times throughout the game.

This team doesn’t get tired, they don’t get distracted, and so far this season, they don’t lose – barring the singular match against Stanford they redeemed themselves from less than a month later.

And yes, I’m fully aware that when most Bruin fans discuss the results of this weekend’s “big game,” they’ll be referring to football’s rivalry matchup.

But while the Bruins’ success at the Rose Bowl this weekend isn’t even close to guaranteed, there’s no doubt in my mind that UCLA isn’t bringing home the MPSF West Tournament Championship title Sunday.