LOS ANGELES (AP) — Former Iowa Hawkeyes men’s basketball Coach Steve Alford has been fired as UCLA basketball coach after six seasons, with the Bruins mired in a four-game skid that included losses at home to Belmont and Liberty. Athletic director Dan Guerrero said today (Monday), that assistant Murry Bartow will serve as interim coach through the end of the season. UCLA is 7-6 and in danger of missing the NCAA Tournament despite a talented roster that includes sophomore Kris Wilkes and freshman Moses Brown.

Alford’s final game was a 73-58 loss to Liberty on Saturday, the worst home defeat in his tenure. Alford called it the most disappointing loss in his 28-year coaching career. Guerrero says former Bruins player and current Golden State Warriors general manager Bob Myers will assist in the search for a new coach. Alford served as Head Coach for the Hawkeyes from 1999 through the 2006-2007 season. He resigned at the end of the season to take a coaching job at the University of New Mexico before moving on to coach at UCLA.