On March 30, 2013, Alford signed a seven-year, $18.2-million contract to become the head coach of the UCLA Bruins,[7] joining a program that has won a record 11 national titles.[11] He replaced the fired Ben Howland, who was coming off a blowout loss in the first round of the 2013 NCAA Tournament after UCLA had captured the Pac-12 Conference regular season title with a new up-tempo offense. Overall, he won four conference titles and reached the Final Four three straight times (2006–2008) with the Bruins.[12][13] Alford had a 5-7 NCAA Tournament record,[14] and had only advanced his teams beyond the first weekend of the tournament once before, when he led his Cinderella squad from Southwest Missouri State to the Sweet 16 in 1999.[7]  UCLA tasked Alford with reviving their offense, connecting with a new generation of players, and rejuvenating its fan base.[7][11] He accepted the UCLA position just three days after he had signed a 10-year extension at New Mexico.[15]  At UCLA's introductory news conference, Alford was questioned about his handling of Pierce in Iowa, and he stated that he did "everything that [he] was told to do."[8] Criticism grew over his hiring, especially over his handling of Pierce.  Two weeks after his hiring, Alford apologized for declaring Pierce's innocence "before the legal system had run its course. This was inappropriate, insensitive and hurtful, especially to the young female victim involved, and I apologize for that."[8]