March Madness: UCLA Vs. Tulsa In a South Region Preview

It is almost game time. The #4 UCLA Bruins (26-8, 12-6 Pac-12) are about to take on the #13 Tulsa Golden Hurricane (21-12, 13-3 Conference USA) in a second round game of the NCAA Tournament. Both UCLA and Tulsa just won their respective conference’s tournaments, which means that both are game ready and on a roll, making this a very interesting match-up.

Taking place in sunny San Diego, on the campus of San Diego State University in the Viejas arena, the Bruins and Golden Hurricane will be playing in game #2 of this South Region match-up. Game #1 features Virginia Commonwealth University and Stephen F. Austin. Game #2 will be played 20 minutes after the conclusion of Game #1, at approximately 6:57 p.m. PT.

For stats and more game information, click on March Madness: UCLA Vs. Tulsa, TV Schedule, Stats and Game Info.

Game Preview

As stated before, both teams are on a roll, winning 3 games in a row in three straight days in their conference tournaments. Although, for Tulsa, that just elongated their win streak, which is now up to 11. The Golden Hurricane are coached by Kansas great, Danny Manning who has them playing really good basketball in his second year in charge.

The main guy that will give the Bruins problems, if allowed, is guard James Woodard who is averaging 15.7 points per game and had 27 in the C-USA Championship against Louisiana Tech. At 6’3″, he is also the team’s leading rebounder with 5.8 per game.

Tulsa has some big guys that can could create problems with the Bruins, especially 6’7″ Rashad Smith who is getting 12.1 ppg and 4.9 rpg.

But does Tulsa have a chance? Only if the Bruin’s defense is non-existant and UCLA decides to mail in this game. But that does not seem to be the case.

UCLA was prepped and ready to show the nation what they are all about. With the Bruins on a big stage, they stepped up and dominated last weekend in Las Vegas. They first destroyed Oregon and Stanford before taking down one of the top teams in the nation, Arizona. That should be the Bruin team we see against Tulsa. A team determined to show that they are once again elite.

Kyle Anderson came alive in the game against Arizona. It appeared as if every shot he took was determined to go in. If he was not doing that, then he was taking it to the hoop and dismantling the Wildcat’s coveted defense. Anderson averages 14.9 ppg, 8.8 rpg and 6.6 assists per game. If Arizona could not stop him, Tulsa will not be able to.

January 26, 2014; Los Angeles, CA, USA; UCLA Bruins guard Jordan Adams (3), guard Norman Powell (4) and guard/forward Kyle Anderson (5) during a stoppage in play against the California Golden Bears during the second half at Pauley Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

But if for some reason they do, Tulsa has to next worry about UCLA’s leading scorer, Jordan Adams who gets 15.7 ppg. Adams and Anderson, along with Norman Powell, were all huge in the Pac-12 Championship. Together they scored 55 of the Bruins 75 points in that game.

With that kind of fire power, as well as the late season production of the Wear Twins, David and Travis, it does not seem likely that the Golden Hurricane will cause a disaster for the Bruins.

Prediction: Tulsa 70 – UCLA 86

Mike W.R.

Twitter: @TheBigDisco