UCLA beat the No. 21 curse last year. The Bruins, however, couldn't do it again this season.
UCLA was ranked 21st in the 2017-18 preseason AP Top 25 and snuck into the NCAA Tournament as an 11-seed, becoming the first preseason No. 21 to make the tourney since 2013.
The Bruins were ranked 21st in 2018-19 preseason AP Top 25 but will not sneak into the tournament as an 11-seed or any other seed. They'll whiff on the tourney entirely for the fourth time since 2010. And in doing so, they are the latest victim of a bizarre curse.
Since 2006-07, only six of 13 preseason Nos. 21 made the tourney (including 2018-19), or about 46 percent, the lowest of any preseason ranking. Only three of the last 10 preseason Nos. 21 have earned a bid.
MORE: Updated NET Rankings
Here's the full breakdown of preseason ranking:
Rank: Preseason ranking
Tourney: Percent of teams ranked in that slot who made the tourney
Seed: Average seed of teams who made the tourney
Wins: Average number of wins for all teams (including those who missed the tourney)
No Wins: Percent of teams who won zero tourney games (including those who missed the tourney)
