UCLA Men's Basketball Bracketology Roundup: Feb. 22

Sorting through March Madness bracket projections from ESPN, CBS and other key outlets to see where the Bruins could end up.

March Madness is three weeks away and the Bruins have won three straight games, possibly strengthening their seed in the process.

No. 12 UCLA men’s basketball (20-5, 12-4 Pac-12) began February on a low note, dropping back-to-back games to Arizona and Arizona State and another to USC. However, as the month nears a close, the blue and gold have won three straight games and four of their last five.

The first official check-in from the NCAA selection committee on Saturday had the Bruins slotted in as the No. 14 overall seed and No. 4 seed in the Midwest, but there have been several results since that already shook that up.

Heading into March, before the matchups are made official, here is where UCLA has been projected to land in brackets from experts across the internet.

ESPN - Joe Lunardi

West Region

No. 1 Gonzaga (Automatic Qualifier)
No. 16 UNC Wilmington (Automatic Qualifier)/New Orleans (Automatic Qualifier)

No. 8 Colorado State
No. 9 Notre Dame

No. 5 Alabama
No. 12 North Texas (Automatic Qualifier)

No. 4 UCLA
No. 13 South Dakota State (Automatic Qualifier)

No. 6 USC
No. 11 Creighton

No. 3 Wisconsin
No. 14 New Mexico State. (Automatic Qualifier)

No. 7 Boise State (Automatic Qualifier)
No. 10 North Carolina

No. 2 Texas Tech
No. 15 Long Beach State (Automatic Qualifier)

Pac-12 (3): No. 1 Arizona, No. 4 UCLA, No. 6 USC

A week ago, UCLA was projected as a No. 3 seed by ESPN, but now the Bruins have dropped despite winning their last three games, due in large part to the NCAA’s announcement on where they stood midway through the weekend. Back in the West region with Gonzaga, a third matchup between the West Coast foes looms.

South Dakota State has been an upset candidate in the past March Madness tournaments, and in this bracket, UCLA would have to face off with the Jackrabbits in the first round. Never facing off against one another before, the Bruins could have a fresh matchup to launch their next prospective tournament run.

In the second round, Alabama would have a chance to rematch UCLA after falling to the Bruins in last year’s Sweet 16. The Bruins have played North Texas once and won once against the Mean Green, defeating them by 15 in 1988.

The rest of the bracket provides interesting matchup possibilities. USC would be a rivalry game within the tournament, but it would have to take place in the Elite Eight. UCLA has dropped five straight to North Carolina – not having beat the Tarheels since 2000 – while new Big West favorite Long Beach State has already fallen to the Bruins twice this season.

CBS Sports - Jerry Palm

East Region

No. 1 Kansas
No. 16 Cleveland State/Colgate

No. 8 Colorado State
No. 9 San Fransisco

No. 5 Houston
No. 12 North Texas

No. 4 UCLA
No. 13 New Mexico State

No. 6 Arkansas
No. 11 Indiana

No. 3 Villanova
No. 14 Toledo

No. 7 Iowa State
No. 10 Murray State

No. 2 Kentucky
No. 15 Montana State

Pac-12 (4): No, 1 Arizona, No. 4 UCLA, No. 6 USC, First Four Out: Oregon

Projected into the East region with Kansas at the top, UCLA would encounter a likely difficult path out of the region and into another Final Four. The two teams have played five times in March Madness, including three times in the 1970s, once in 1990 and most recently in 2007, and UCLA actually managed to come out on top all five times.

In the eight contests between UCLA and New Mexico State, the Bruins have defeated the Aggies every time, boasting a heavy historical upper hand.

Houston made the Final Four last season – albeit on the opposite side of the bracket as UCLA – facing off against Baylor and losing. The Bruins and Cougars could make must-watch television in a second-round pairing.

UCLA has its fair share of history versus its projected peers in the East region. UCLA has had varied results against Kentucky in recent years, most notably getting saddled with a Sweet 16 loss to the Wildcats in 2016. But earlier this season, UCLA defeated Villanova, already having an advantage on the possible Big East champs.

USA Today - Shelby Mast and Scott Gleeson

Midwest Region

No. 1 Auburn
No. 16 Texas Southern/New Orleans

No. 8 Xavier
No. 9 Murray State

No. 4 UCLA
No. 13 New Mexico State

No. 5 Alabama
No. 12 SMU/Michigan

No. 3 Texas Tech
No. 14 Montana State

No. 6 LSU
No. 11 North Texas

No. 7 Colorado State
No. 10 Notre Dame

No. 2 Purdue
No. 15 Texas State

Pac-12 (3): No. 1 Arizona, No. 4 UCLA, No. 6 USC

In this projection, the Bruins are placed in the Midwest region with Auburn as the No. 1 seed. UCLA has never lost against New Mexico State, but in the second round, both Michigan and Alabama could be looking for revenge.

Defeating the Crimson Tide and Wolverines in the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight in 2021, respectively, UCLA could face off against two teams with strong reasons to try and knock off the higher-ranked Bruins.

Coach Mick Cronin has a storied past against Xavier and their fans – spending 13 years as Cincinnati's coach and as a main rival to the Musketeers throughout his time in the midwest. Former Bruins’ forward Shareef O’Neal now plays for LSU and could have a reunion with his UCLA teammates should they face off against each other in March.

Sports Illustrated - Kevin Sweeney

East Region

No. 1 Kansas (Automatic Qualifier)
No. 16 Colgate (Automatic Qualifier)

No. 8 Seton Hall
No. 9 Wake Forest

No. 4 UCLA
No. 13 Vermont (Automatic Qualifier)

No. 5 Houston (Automatic Qualifier)
No. 12 Iona (Automatic Qualifier)

No. 3 Illinois
No. 14 New Mexico State (Automatic Qualifier)

No. 6 USC
No. 11 San Fransisco

No. 7 Iowa State
No. 10 Miami

No. 2 Kentucky (Automatic Qualifier)
No. 15 Cleveland State (Automatic Qualifier)

Pac-12 (4): No. 1 Arizona, No. 4 UCLA, No. 6 USC, Next four out: Oregon

For the second time in the recent NCAA tournament projections, the Bruins are in a region with Kansas as the top-seeded team.

The blue and gold have only ever played against Vermont once, defeating the Catamounts by one in 2003. Former UCLA coach Ben Howland made his Bruin debut that night, and forward Ryan Hollins sank the game-winning free throw to put UCLA ahead with just over four seconds left.

Houston and Iona both could create issues for UCLA in the Round of 32. Houston made the Final Four just a year ago and Iona will have some upset potential with Rick Pitino as its coach. Cronin spent time with Pitino as an assistant during his years at Louisville before becoming the head coach at Murray State.

Already set to play the Trojans to end the regular season on March 5, the Bruins could play their crosstown rivals for the third or possibly fourth time this season should they face off in the Pac-12 tournament as well. UCLA has yet to defeat USC since Cronin took over as coach.

Follow Royer on Twitter at @thebenroyer
Follow All Bruins on Twitter at @SI_AllBruins
Like All Bruins on Facebook at @SI.AllBruins
Subscribe to All Bruins on YouTube

Read more UCLA stories: UCLA Bruins on Sports Illustrated
Read more UCLA men's basketball stories: UCLA Men's Basketball on Sports Illustrated