Excitement among fanbase for UCLA women's basketball rematch against LSU

It was a standout effort from the UCLA women's basketball team as they finished off Ole Miss 76-62 to end the Rebels NCAA tournament run. As expected, the Bruins' opponents didn't go down without a fight, but coach Cori Close and her team did enough to advance.

With Lauren Betts proving to be one of the better frontcourt players in the country, she will be able to exert her dominance against most teams. When the center is getting multiple touches in the paint, her force and scoring ability are simply too much for others to even hope to contend with.

Not only that, but with teammates such as Kiki Rice and Angela Dugalic filling in their roles, UCLA is a well-rounded group that will enjoy matchups against any opponent in the nation. Advancing this far means only tough competition is ahead. Considering the performances they've put on, their overall No. 1 seed status appears to be more than vindicated for the time being.

With one more game in Spokane to go against LSU, those faithful to the Bruins are starting to get excited over a possible trip to Tampa Bay for the Final Four. Beating the Tigers is far from a foregone conclusion, but with how coach Klose has her group playing, it looks like it will take a tremendous effort to prevent UCLA's advancement.

Often, the team with the best player can do enough to progress through March Madness and set up the program to win it all. Lauren Betts is playing at an incredible level, and an opposing frontcourt will need to have an extraordinary day at the office in order to stop her from paving the way to victory.

Fans and media chime in after UCLA women's basketball win

Midway through the third quarter, as the Bruins seized control of the game against Ole Miss, 247Sports site reporter and UCLA beat writer Mike Regalado asked a straightforward question in his GIF. Harking back to the original gladiator, indeed UCLAWBB fans were entertained and look forward to playing their next matchup.

This was illustrated by X account, womensbasketballfan. Last year's Sweet 16 nail-biter saw LSU and UCLA battle it out until the end in a game that coach Close felt her group could easily have pulled out. With revenge on the mind of those remembering their last encounter, the players will look to block any of that narrative out. Instead, living in the moment, they will know that winning and advancing from the state of Washington will mean a trip to Florida. 

Spencer Brown also reminded everyone of who knocked the Bruins out of the tournament last year and pointed out another interesting aspect. With the latest win, UCLA advances to the Elite 8 for the first time in seven years. Reaching it this far is becoming more challenging with multiple programs stepping up in the bracket. For this year, however, many are looking at Coach Close's team to be left standing.

Finally, the UCLA Breakdown and others have strongly endorsed Betts's game. While some were quick to mention a confident Bill Walton and compare him to a now-named Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, the current center is certainly cementing her legacy with the UCLA women's basketball program.