Odds say bet on Bruins in West

The odds, the season, heck even karma, would all seem to favor UCLA winning the school’s 12th national championship.

The Bruins have made it to the last two Final Fours. Each time, they lost to eventual national champion Florida (in the 2006 title game and in a 2007 semifinal).

With 11 titles in 17 Final Four appearances, it would appear that UCLA’s time has come if it can make it to San Antonio.

“Going to the Final Four two years in a row was nice,’’ junior guard Darren Collison said. “But we lost. I’m not going back to the Final Four just to lose again.’’

The Pacific-10 Conference is regarded as one of the tougher leagues this season. The Bruins (31-3) won both the regular-season and conference tournament titles.

At the end of the regular season, UCLA defeated Stanford and California. Both victories resulted from fortuitous officiating decisions in the final seconds.

“To win a championship, sometimes you have to be a little lucky,’’ said 6-9 freshman Kevin Love, who averages 17.1 points and 10.6 rebounds to lead the Bruins. “A lot of people are talking about those calls. But I think that will give us extra incentive to prove that we really are a legit team, a legit contender to win the title.’’

In 2007, UCLA’s Final Four journey went through Sacramento and San Jose. In 2006, the Bruins played in San Diego and Oakland. To reach this year’s Final Four, the path would include stops in Anaheim and Phoenix.

UCLA’s lock-down defense and efficient offense make the Bruins the kind of team that will be difficult to defeat.

While Duke is the West Region’s No. 2 seed, UCLA’s biggest challenge might come from Connecticut.

The Huskies spent the last two-and-a-half months battling through the rugged Big East Conference. When the Huskies won the national championship in 1999 and 2004, they advanced from the Phoenix Regional.