UCLA may have their best team in program history this year under head coach Cori Close. The Bruins lost in the Sweet 16 in each of the last two seasons, but the strength of their roster and resume is such that the team is destined to make a deeper run in this year's NCAA Tournament.
The team already made history in 2025 by winning the Big Ten Tournament in their inaugural year in the conference, and they'll have the opportunity to make program history by making their first appearance in the Final Four this season.
Lauren Betts is the star of the show, but she is supported by a slew of six players who contribute between 7.5 and 12.8 points per game. This well-rounded team may not have the star power that teams of the past have had, but the whole appears to be greater than the sum of its parts.
As the Bruins chase history in March Madness this year, it is important to understand the context of how UCLA has fared in NCAA Tournaments of the past.
UCLA All-Time round-by-round record in the NCAA Tournament
First Round: 15-4
Second Round: 9-6
Sweet 16: 2-7
Elite 8: 0-2
Final Four: 0-0
National Championship: 0-0
Below is a list of the team's most recent win and loss in each round of the NCAA Tournament.
First Round: Win vs California Baptist (2024), Loss vs Minnesota (2004)
Second Round: Win vs Creighton (2024), Loss vs Texas (2021)
Sweet 16: Win vs Texas (2018), Loss vs LSU (2024)
Elite 8: N/A, Loss vs Mississippi State (2018)
Final Four: N/A
National Championship: N/A
UCLA has never been a No. 1 seed before this season, let alone the top overall seed in the tournament. Here is a breakdown of how many times the program has earned each seed in their 20 postseason appearances, and the most recent year that they did so.
No. 1: 1x (2025)
No. 2: 1x (2024)
No. 3: 6x (2021)
No. 4: 2x (2023)
No. 5: 2x (2006)
No. 6: 3x (2019)
No. 7: 1x (1998)
No. 8: 1x (2010)
No. 9: N/A
No. 10: 3x (2004)
No. 11-16: N/A
The pressure is on for the Bruins this year as they have ascended into college basketball relevancy in the last decade under Coach Close but do not even have a Final Four appearance to show for it. The landscape has been dominated by blue bloods like UConn, South Carolina, and Tennessee for as long as most fans can remember, but this year, UCLA is the top dog, and they've got to perform like it.