UCLA's NCAA Tournament History

With the UCLA Bruins men's basketball team set to take on Utah State in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, let's take a look at the Bruins' iconic history in The Big Dance.

Nov 12, 2021; Los Angeles, California, USA; A UCLA flag is flown before the game between the Bruins and the Villanova Wildcats at Pauley Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Richard Mackson-Imagn Images / Richard Mackson-Imagn Images

The UCLA Bruins begin their journey into the NCAA Tournament as they are set to take on the Utah State Aggies in the first round, holding the seventh seed in the Midwest region. After a strong first campaign in the Big Ten conference, the Bruins must be prepared for what's to come in round one of the highly anticipated tournament.

Over the years, the Bruins have been a part of 52 NCAA Tournaments -- tonight's contest marks No. 53. In those 52 appearances, UCLA has an all-time tournament record of 115-45, as the program has found many areas of success in the past during this special time of year.

Coach Mick Cronin knows a thing or two about the UCLA basketball program, collecting 137 regular season wins as the man leading the charge for the Bruins. The battle against Utah State will mark coach Cronin's fourth season getting his team to the tournament.

Given the way the Bruins ended their regular season, as well as their early exit in the Big Ten Tournament, UCLA should still be a program to watch down the stretch of the tournament. After all, UCLA has punched its ticket four of its last five times to play in the NCAA Tournament, regardless of the outcome.

UCLA has found much success in the tournament, winning 11 NCAA championships over its historic run as a program. The most recent championship win for the Bruins came in 1995 with a roster possessing Ed O'Bannon, George Zidek and Cameron Dollar, led by head coach Jim Harrick.

The closest that UCLA has gotten to earning its way back to the championship game came back in 2023 when the program cracked the Sweet 16. With new faces leading the way for the Bruins in junior Tyler Bilodeau and sophomore Eric Dailey Jr., perhaps these young stars will write some new history in the program's legacy.

Utah State finished its season with a 26-7 record, whereas UCLA finished its campaign with a 22-10 record. The Bruins will be playing with nothing to lose after a solid first season in the Big Ten, but it wouldn't hurt to add NCAA 2025 Champions to their resume.

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