UCLA is heading to the NCAA Tournament! Though the Bruins have had an up and down season, the NCAA committee has deemed them worthy of a spot in the Big Dance as they take the #11 seed in the South Region. UCLA will be facing #6 SMU this Thursday, March 19 in Louisville, Kentucky. The winner of this game moves on to face the winner of #3 Iowa State and #14 UAB on Saturday.
Duke tops the South Region! Here's the whole thing: http://t.co/htNanm2rbJ pic.twitter.com/KlCwW7SGBY
— SB Nation (@SBNation) March 15, 2015
UCLA had managed to get into the tournament with a 20-13 record that ended with two wins over crosstown rival USC and a close loss to Arizona in the Pac-12 semi-finals. Though they struggled on the road, the Bruins did have a few signature wins as they beat Utah and Oregon at home and Stanford on the road.
Along with the Bruins, three other Pac-12 teams made it to the tourney in an unusual fashion. Though the committee usually likes to spread teams throughout the bracket, #8 Oregon is in the West Region with #2 Arizona, while #5 Utah is in the South with the Bruins.
As the for the overall #1 seeds, in order, it is Kentucky, Wisconsin, Duke and Villanova.
As for the South Region, here is what UCLA will be facing:
UCLA Bruins
#1 Duke vs #16 North Florida or Robert Morris
#8 San Diego State vs #9 St. John’s
#5 Utah vs #12 Stephen F. Austin
#4 Georgetown vs #13 Eastern Washington
#6 SMU vs #11 UCLA
#3 Iowa State vs #14 UAB
#7 Iowa vs #10 Davidson
#2 Gonzaga vs # 15 North Dakota State
For the full bracket, click HERE.
In a weird way, this is a bracket that UCLA has a lot of ties to. Georgetown features former UCLA center Joshua Smith. The Bruins have already faced Utah, UAB and Gonzaga this season as well as Stephen F. Austin in last season’s Big Dance. St John’s head coach Steve Lavin used to coach UCLA, just like current SMU head coach Larry Brown. Now if only those ties can help them.
It will take a lot of focus and grit to get passed this field, especially with the likes of Duke, Gonzaga and Iowa State in the mix.
Stay with Go Joe Bruin as we bring you more on UCLA’s trip to the Big Dance in the coming days.