One month ago, the storied UCLA basketball program appeared to be facing an awkward decision: accept a probable bid to the National Invitational Tournament, or sit and stew in Westwood, reflecting on a season of bitter disappointment and off-the-court turmoil.

Then Jaron Rush returned and changed all that.

Written off by many in the national sports media, the Bruins stunned No. 1 Stanford on the Cardinal’s senior night to punctuate a regular season-ending win streak of six games.

Rush, playing in just his fourth game after serving a 21-game suspension for accepting money from an agent, poured in 19 points against the Cardinals, lighting the fuse for his team’s final act surge.

Suddenly, the Bruins went from hopeless underachievers to fiery upstarts, a “darkhorse” team poised to pounce on unwary favorites in the NCAA Tournament.

After squeaking by 11th-seeded Ball State, 65-57, UCLA lived up to its reborn reputation, flattening third-seeded Maryland by 35 points.

“This team came out so focused,” junior point guard Earl Watson said. “Both teams played hard, but before you knew it, we were up by 20 and just kept rolling.”

Early in the second half, the Bruins were shooting 78 percent, embarrassing the usually explosive Terrapins who, chests swelled by an unlikely late season upset win at Duke, were considered by many a Final Four contender.

Head coach Steve Lavin, the only coach in UCLA history to record at least 22 wins in each of his first three seasons, had warm praise for his team.

“What I like about this team is they’re still hungry — a very humble group,” Lavin said. “They just want to get better.”

The catalytic Watson, who considered playing for Iowa State, notched 16 assists and made four consecutive three-pointers against Maryland.

“I have the easiest part,” Watson said. “[My teammates] just hit some big time shots.”

The Bruins, who have only one senior, also hold victories this season over fellow Sweet Sixteen squads Purdue and North Carolina as well as NCAA-qualifiers DePaul and Oregon.

Four players average double figures in scoring, and CBS Sportsline Freshman of the Year Jason Kapono leads the team with 16.3 points per game from his forward position.

Rush, a sophomore, comes off the bench to average 12.9 points and 5.6 rebounds while Watson contributes 11.5 points and 5.9 assists per game.

Six-foot-11 sophomore center Dan Gadzuric patrols the interior and averages 9.8 points and 7.1 rebounds per game.

Six-foot-10 sophomore forward Jerome Moiso leads the team in rebounding, averaging 7.6 boards.

The Bruins’ reversal of fortune has rested on their depth and versatility. They’ve shot a school record 201 three-point attempts, but they also have outrebounded their opponents in 24 of 32 games.

Standing in the center of the Bruins’ road back to the top is second-seeded Iowa State. The Cyclones began the season in the bottom tier of most preseason polls, expected to finish no better than sixth in the Big 12.

As UCLA floundered without Rush, the Cyclones gathered strength, inching, then galloping their way up the polls into the top 10.

“Obviously, we’ll have our hands full Thursday night against Iowa State,” Lavin said, hoping to deflect some attention from the remarkable win against Maryland. “Let’s focus on that.”

The revenge factor — always a powerful motivator in any sport — dwells with the Cyclones, who were doomed by a last-second overtime flip shot by Cameron Dollar in the 1997 Sweet Sixteen, 74-73.

This year’s version of the Cyclones is more diversified and athletic than the 1997 squad and will face the Bruins for the first time as slight favorites.

“Marcus Fizer and the point guard [Jamaal] Tinsley are two good All-Americans in my opinion,” Watson said. “Teams tend to double on Fizer, yet they overlook the other players. I don’t think we will.”

Iowa State has never beaten a UCLA team in six attempts, three of which played out in the NCAA Tournament.

Don’t expect the Bruins to rely on tradition or perceptions of greater talent, however. As a testament to Lavin’s comments, his players display a humility and respect that overshadows their sky-high, lob-and-slam acrobatics.

“Just get the ‘W’,” Watson said, when asked how to follow-up his brilliant second round performance. “That’s all that counts.”