UCLA Men's Basketball Bracketology Roundup: Feb. 8
March Madness is quickly approaching, meaning the Bruins have to sustain a run of consistent victories to solidify a strong seed in the tournament.
No. 12 UCLA men’s basketball (16-4, 7-3 Pac-12) was set up as a consensus No. 2 seed this time last week, but losses to Arizona and Arizona State caused the blue and gold fall drastically in the AP and USA Today Coaches polls on Monday, and the latest projections of the field of 64 have the Bruins in a similarly worsening position.
With a few weeks to go until the seeds and matchups are made official, here is where UCLA has been projected to land in brackets from experts across the internet.
East Region
No. 1 Purdue
No. 16 Norfolk State (Automatic Qualifier)/New Orleans (Automatic Qualifier)
No. 8 Wake Forest
No. 9 TCU
No. 5 Ohio State
No. 12 Iona (Automatic Qualifier)
No. 4 Texas
No. 13 Ohio (Automatic Qualifier)
No. 6 UConn
No. 11 Oklahoma
No. 3 UCLA
No. 14 Weber State (Automatic Qualifier)
No. 7 Iowa
No. 10 San Francisco
No. 2 Kentucky (Automatic Qualifier)
No. 15 Appalachian State (Automatic Qualifier)
Pac-12 (4): No. 1 Arizona, No. 3 UCLA, No. 6 USC, No. 10 Oregon
Switching up the region compared to last week, UCLA has dropped to the third seed and now sees itself with the east with Purdue holding the top spot in that region. In the projected first-round matchup with Weber State, history shows that the Bruins have only ever gotten the better of the Wildcats – three times in fact, with the most recent instance coming in 2013 courtesy of a 23-point effort from Kyle Anderson.
On the path to the 1995 national championship, UCLA defeated UConn 102-96 in a thrilling Sweet 16 contest, but the two storied programs have not played in March since. Oklahoma and UCLA have played once in the past 45 years at 2014’s Battle 4 Atlantis non-conference tournament. The Sooners won by 10 points in the Bahamas, partly because of the Bruins’ poor 9-of-21 shooting from the free throw line.
Kentucky and UCLA could be in line to play in the Sweet 16 in this scenario, just as they did when the Wildcats got the better of them in 2017. Purdue, meanwhile, shares the legacy of John Wooden with UCLA, as the Bruins’ all-time winningest coach played collegiately with the Boilermakers.
South Region
No. 1 Kansas
No. 16 Southern/UNC Wilmington
No. 8 San Francisco
No. 9 Seton Hall
No. 5 Tennessee
No. 12 BYU
No. 4 UCLA
No. 13 Wagner
No. 6 TCU
No. 11 Creighton
No. 3 Houston
No. 14 South Dakota State
No. 7 UConn
No. 10 San Diego State
No. 2 Wisconsin
No. 15 Yale
Pac-12 (5): No, 1 Arizona, No. 4 UCLA, No. 9 USC, No. 11 Oregon No. 12 Stanford
Projected into the South region with fellow blue blood in Kansas as the top seed, fourth-seed UCLA finds itself in a more competitive area of the bracket than previous projections. Slated to play Wagner in the first round, UCLA hosted the Seahawks once at Pauley Pavilion in 2005. Wagner fell just short by two points and could harness the battle from their former contest 17 years prior for a March Madness contest.
Tennessee coach Rick Barnes was rumored for the UCLA coaching job before Mick Cronin was offered the role with the Bruins and the possible round of 32 matchup could be a fascinating battle of different basketball philosophies and alternate timelines. UCLA defeated BYU in the first round of 2021 March Madness – the second game on the path to its Final Four journey.
Besides UCLA’s recent loss to San Diego State, the rest of the region is filled with fresh matchups for the Bruins, with no outstanding past carried through the recent trenches of college basketball.
West Region
No. 1 Gonzaga
No. 16 Yale
No. 8 Wyoming
No. 9 Creighton
No. 4 UCLA
No. 13 South Dakota State
No. 5 Tennessee
No. 12 Seton Hall
No. 3 Texas Tech
No. 14 New Mexico State
No. 6 USC
No. 11 North Carolina
No. 7 Iowa State
No. 10 Colorado State
No. 2 Wisconsin
No. 15 Longwood
Pac-12 (4): No. 1 Arizona, No. 4 UCLA, No. 6 USC, No. 12 Oregon
UCLA returns to the West region in this bracket projection with a looming Sweet 16 game against top-seeded Gonzaga. South Dakota State would await in the first round and the Jackrabbits have had recent upset potential in recent March Madness tournaments. The Bruins have never faced off against the Summit League Conference’s defending champions, but they could in March.
The aforementioned matchup between Rick Barnes and Mick Cronin stays possible, but the Bruins hold minimal history with the Vols. Only facing off once in 1977, the Bruins eclipsed 100 points in a 14-point victory. UCLA fell to Seton Hall in their only head-to-head matchup in 1992.
In the rest of the West, USC is the biggest standout when taking a look at the rest of the projected region, with the Bruins and Trojans never playing against one another in March Madness. They could only meet up in the Elite Eight, but if they did, it would be for a chance to move on to New Orleans.
Sports Illustrated - Kevin Sweeney
South Region
No. 1 Auburn (Automatic Qualifier)
No. 16 UNC Wilmington (Automatic Qualifier)/Norfolk State (Automatic Qualifier)
No. 8 Wyoming (Automatic Qualifier)
No. 9 Loyola Chicago (Automatic Qualifier)
No. 4 UCLA
No. 13 Ohio (Automatic Qualifier)
No. 5 Tennessee
No. 12 Creighton/San Diego State
No. 3 Duke (Automatic Qualifier)
No. 14 Vermont (Automatic Qualifier)
No. 6 Iowa State
No. 11 Oregon
No. 7 Xavier
No. 10 Iowa
No. 2 Houston (Automatic Qualifier)
No. 15 Yale (Automatic Qualifier)
Pac-12 (4): No. 2 Arizona, No. 4 UCLA, No. 6 USC, No. 11 Oregon
All four major brackets have UCLA projected into a region with a different first seed, and this time it is Auburn – the current No. 1 team in the nation. In the first round against Ohio, the Bruins could be facing a Bobcats program that they blew out in 1973 and bested again in 1996.
Tennessee appears again for the third out of four projected brackets to have UCLA in a possible matchup in the second round. San Diego State defeated UCLA just last season and the two squads played in a secret scrimmage during the preseason, sparking familiarity with the Bruins and Aztecs. UCLA lost to Creighton in the semifinals of the Hall of Fame Classic in 2017, but that was the only time the two squads have battled since 1963.
Pac-12 foe Oregon is a possible Elite Eight pairing for UCLA and the Bruins already fell once to the Ducks earlier this season in an empty Pauley Pavilion overtime loss. Duke would also be a possible Elite Eight matchup should both teams make it that far. Coach Mike Krzyzewski is retiring following the end of this season, and the Hall of Famer is 8-2 against the Bruins across his 40-year career with the Blue Devils.
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