UCLA’s path to the Final Four requires getting through the tough Sacramento 2 Region
· Yahoo Sports
There was much debate leading into Sunday’s NCAA Tournament bracket reveal about whether the top overall seed should be UConn or UCLA. In the end, the committee gave the edge to UConn, but it is still the second straight season as a No. 1 seed for the one-loss Bruins.
If UConn and UCLA want to settle the debate, it will have to wait until the national championship game. To reach that mark, though, the Bruins will have to navigate arguably the most difficult region, but will not have to leave the West Coast until the Final Four … and then, it’s only a short trip to Phoenix.
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The Bruins are aiming to reach their second consecutive Final Four and second in program history. They will begin their run against No. 16 seed California Baptist, which won the Western Athletic Conference tournament and is in its third NCAA Tournament. The Lancers were the top seed in their conference tournament and secured the automatic bid, winning both of their tournament games by double figures.
Only one 16 seed has defeated a No. 1 seed in NCAA history, when Harvard beat Stanford in 1998, so barring an upset of that stature, UCLA will be waiting for the winner of Oklahoma State and Princeton in the second round. Oklahoma State enters that matchup as the slight favorite in the 8-9 seed matchup, but the Cowgirls are back in the tournament after losing in the first round to South Dakota State last season. Still, the Cowgirls have a strong guard combo with All-Big 12 honorees Micah Gray and Stailee Heard. Princeton, though, won’t be an easy out. Princeton has won seven straight games and clinched the Ivy League tournament to seal its bid.
This will be Princeton’s fifth straight NCAA Tournament appearance, and 13th in program history. The Tigers have never been past the second round, though and have just three NCAA Tournament wins.
UCLA, which is undefeated at home this season, will find a rematch with No. 4 seed Minnesota waiting in the Sweet 16 in Sacramento. UCLA beat Minnesota at home 76-58 on Jan 14, but that game helped change the trajectory of Minnesota’s season. The Golden Gophers lost their next game to Washington, but earned the No. 4 seed in the region by winning 10 of their next 11 games to close out the regular season. Hosting is not only a major deal for the Golden Gophers, this is also their first trip back to the NCAA Tournament since 2018.
One other Sweet 16 matchup to watch would be No. 5 seed Ole Miss. The Bruins beat Ole Miss in the Sweet 16 last season, but this year’s Ole Miss team looks a bit different with standout transfer forward Cotie McMahon. McMahon is the third-leading scorer in the SEC at 19.9 points per game and is capable of taking a game over. The Rebels are also fresh off an SEC tournament semifinals run.
It’s likely, though, that this region comes down to the top three seeds. Duke earned the No. 3 seed after winning the ACC regular season and tournament title, and LSU earned the No. 2 seed.
If LSU and the Bruins play in the Elite Eight, it would be their third straight NCAA Tournament meeting. The Tigers won the first matchup, beating the Bruins in the 2024 Sweet 16. UCLA got revenge last season, beating LSU in the Elite Eight.
The Tigers are more than capable of knocking off the Bruins. LSU has an elite guard combo with Flau’jae Johnson and Mikalyah Williams, but also have leading scorer Milaysia Fulwiley coming off the bench. The Tigers are one of the best rebounding teams in the country, averaging 48.5 per game, so if they can keep UCLA off of the boards, that will be a start. LSU also has the best scoring offense in the country, averaging 94 points per game.
Before LSU can prepare for UCLA, though, it would have to get past stout No. 3-seeded Duke. The Blue Devils are arguably the most talented third seed in the tournament and are one of the hottest teams in the country after winning their conference tournament. Coach Kara Lawson has a talented squad that has found ways to win, leaning on many different players. Toby Fournier, a 6-foot-2 forward, is their leading scorer at 17 points and rebounder with 8.2 per game. But Duke is so much more than just Fournier.
The Blue Devils also have a talented guard in Taina Mair, who is the team’s third-leading rebounder at 5-9. Forward Delaney Thomas was a major reason they beat Louisville in the ACC title game, and Ashlon Jackson is the team’s best shooter, making 32 percent of her 209 3-point shots.
If UCLA gets through its Sacramento Region, there’s no doubt that it will be one of, if not the most, tested team when it takes the floor in the Final Four.
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This article originally appeared in The Athletic.
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