PHILADELPHIA — Every season has its own story. That’s the case for most college basketball programs. Players come and go. Coaches come and go. Even players that return morph into something different year to year.

But something about UCLA’s 2021-22 season didn’t seem that way. At every turn, this year’s Bruins were attached to the 2020-21 squad that went from the First Four to the Final Four.

Every player returned from that run., and words like “experience” and “expectation” relentlessly followed UCLA throughout a season that was just as relentless in its own right, riddling the Bruins with injuries, an emergency plane landing and a COVID-19 outbreak that kept them from the court for three weeks.

“It’s been wild since Chris Smith went down (in January 2021), to be honest with you,” UCLA coach Mick Cronin said. “I mean, the COVID has been horrible for our world, but for our injuries it’s been crazy. But I told the guys, it’s a great life lesson. You don’t make excuses, you get better, find a way to fight through it. We always give our best effort.”

That they did.

UCLA’s season ended in a 73-66 NCAA Tournament loss to eighth-seeded North Carolina in the Sweet 16 on Friday night at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia.

Even in the last press conference of the year, after the 35th game had concluded, questions about last year’s Final Four run were used to connect this year’s 27-8 season, which earned UCLA the No. 2 seed in the Pac-12 Conference tournament and the No. 4 seed in this year’s NCAA Tournament.

“They’ve restored UCLA to the national scene. You can’t let people say, ‘… you didn’t win it all this year, your season is not a success’. That’s ludicrous,” Cronin said Friday night. “Although, I came to UCLA to get a 12th title and I’m not going to leave until I do.”

Cronin’s quest for that 12th national title will continue after he recently signed a new six-year contract through the 2026-27 season. For now, here’s how this past season played out and how the near future might go for the Bruins.

HIGHLIGHTS

The Bruins opened the season ranked No. 2 in the AP Top 25 and never dropped lower than No. 17 this season. UCLA took down No. 4 Villanova 86-77 early at Pauley Pavilion, won at Marquette (67-56) after a cracked windshield to their airplane forced an emergency landing in Denver, and took down top-ranked Arizona 75-59.

UCLA advanced to the Pac-12 Conference tournament final, but lost 84-76 to Arizona for a second time this season.

Of course, the Bruins won NCAA Tournament games over Akron 57-53 and Saint Mary’s 72-56 in Portland, Ore., respectively.

Jules Bernard and Jaime Jaquez Jr. joined the 1,000-point club this season.

Tyger Campbell, Johnny Juzang and Jaquez earned first-team All-Pac 12 honors. Jaquez Jr., Myles Johnson and Jaylen Clark were named to the five-man All-Pac-12 Defensive Team.

LOWLIGHTS

UCLA had a showdown with Gonzaga in November, a No. 2 versus No. 1 matchup in Las Vegas that did not go well for the Bruins in a 83-63 loss.

A 20-point loss is pretty low, but the lowest point of the season came in the team’s trip to Arizona. After the loss to the Wildcats, freshman center Mac Etienne was caught on video spitting on Arizona fans as he entered the tunnel. He was cited by police, but was allowed to travel home with the team.

The drama spilled into the team’s triple-overtime loss to Arizona State 48 hours later.

The Bruins’ lone home loss this season came in the form of an 84-81 overtime defeat to Oregon.

WHO’S GONE?

Hard to say. No UCLA player is officially through their eligibility.

Everyone can return if they want – with the COVID year the NCAA granted all athletes – but players like Jules Bernard, Cody Riley, David Singleton and Myles Johnson are all seniors. It’s possible they decide not to continue with the Bruins.

WHO’S ON THE FENCE?

A majority of the roster, really.

We will see what go-to players like Johnny Juzang and Jaime Jaquez Jr. do. The NBA ranks could sway Juzang and Jaquez away. Both have appeared on NBA draft boards in various places in the second round.

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WHO’S COMING IN?

Mick Cronin’s best recruiting class yet will check in this fall, which includes two McDonald’s All-Americans – 5-star combo guard Amari Bailey of Chatsworth Sierra Canyon and 5-star center Adem Bona of Napa Valley Prolific Prep – and four-star point guard Dylan Andrews of Compress Prep in Arizona.

The athletic and dynamic play of Bailey and Bona will make for entertaining basketball at Pauley Pavilion.