NCAA Tournament: UCLA Basketball’s Path Through the Big Dance

The UCLA Basketball team has a very interesting seeding, one that could match them up with Kentucky and North Carolina en route to the National Championship.

I am just going to say it… the UCLA Basketball team received a tough draw and getting to the Final Four is going to take some extreme effort.

Will UCLA stumble, or can they go they distance? That depends on who they will come across along the way.

Let us tand a look at each weekends potnetial brackets:

Round of 64 and 32

In the first round, UCLA will face #14 Kent State while #6 Cincinnati takes on the play-in winner of the #11 Kansas State/#11 Wake Forest game.

Kent State went 22-13 this year which was topped off by winning the 2017 MAC Tournament Championship over #1 Akron. Though they have won 9 out of their last 10 games, they have not seen a team like UCLA. They beat Texas, who is not in the tourney, and lost to Oregon State, which Bruins fans know what kind of talent was on that team.

It is a crap shoot with who will come out of the other side of this mini-bracket, though Cincinnati looks to be the best team to come out of this game. They were 2nd in the American Conference with a 29-5, 16-2 record, but lost badly to #1 SMU.

Unless they are caught completely off-guard, UCLA should win the weekend and head to the Sweet 16 for the third time in four years.

Sweet 16 and Elite Eight

In the other mini-bracket, which would face UCLA’s, #2 Kentucky takes on #15 Northern Kentucky while #7 Dayton takes on #10 Wichita State in Indianapolis. Though Wichita State would be a good pick to “shock” Kentucky, the Wildcats should be the victor, setting up another showdown with UCLA.

It is going to be very hard to beat Kentucky for the second time this year and the third consecutive time in the last two seasons. But it will not be as hard as then having to take on the likely survivor from the top half of the South Region, North Carolina.

It is questionable how a 7-loss team can be a #1 seed, but it does not change the fact that they are dangerous. I can see UCLA advancing, but I can also see Alford’s team failing to make it past the Sweet Sixteen. Hopefully they Ball out and get to the Final Four.

Final Four and Championship Game

If the Bruins were not already beaten up from their regional semis and final, then they are going to take a few more body blows if they make it to the Final Four. The only good thing the Bruins have in their favor will be that the Final Four will be in Phoenix, just a short plane ride away.

The South Region winner would take on the West Region winner. Out of the South, the two likely candidates will be #1 Gonzaga and #2 Arizona. How about that? If I had to guess, I would say Arizona comes out of this Region, which means the Bruins and Wildcats would meet for a fourth time this season. Arizona has UCLA’s number, but the Bruins have beaten the Cats.

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It is possible UCLA gets revenge. They have to, especially if they want to make it to the National Championship Game.

Out of the East Region, #1 Villanova and #2 Duke seem to be the likely picks for the Final Four. In the Midwest, #1 Kansas, #2 Louisville and #3 Oregon could all come out as the regional winner.

The point here is not to try an project the Final Four contestants, but show what the Bruins have to face in the Championship Game, pending they make it that far. All of these teams would be a brutal match-up.

Even though UCLA was given 12/1 odds to win the National Championship, actually doing it seems like a Herculean task. Sure, winning six in a row for any of the teams in the tournament is going to be difficult, but UCLA seems to have an incredibly tough draw.

Next: UCLA Basketball: Bruins Give Their Take on the NCAA Tournament

It is what it is. Take it one game at a time.