Compiling NCAA tournament projections for the Bruins from ESPN, CBS, Sports Illustrated and other top sources.
March is nearing and the Bruins have just six regular season games remaining before the Pac-12 tournament.
No. 4 UCLA men’s basketball (21-4, 12-2 Pac-12) swept the Oregon road trip and is now on a four-game winning streak ahead of home games versus Stanford and Cal on Thursday and Saturday. With Arizona losing to the Cardinal last weekend, the Bruins have taken over as the highest-ranked team in the Pac-12.
No matter what goes down in the upcoming weeks, UCLA has all but guaranteed a spot in the field. However, the Bruins still have work to do if they want to solidify a top-eight overall seed.
Here is where UCLA could land in the bracket, according to experts across the internet.
ESPN – Joe Lunardi
West Region
No. 1 Houston (Automatic Qualifier)
No. 16 TAMU-CC (Automatic Qualifier)
No. 8 Providence
No. 9 Duke
No. 5 Illinois
No. 12 Oral Roberts (Automatic Qualifier)
No. 4 Iowa State
No. 13 Drake (Automatic Qualifier)
No. 6 Saint Mary’s (Automatic Qualifier)
No. 11 Mississippi State/North Carolina
No. 3 Kansas State
No. 14 UC Santa Barbara (Automatic Qualifier)
No. 7 Michigan State
No. 10 Nevada
No. 2 UCLA (Automatic Qualifier)
No. 15 Eastern Washington (Automatic Qualifier)
Pac-12 (2): No. 2 UCLA, No. 2 Arizona, Oregon (First Four Out), USC (First Four Out), Arizona State (Next Four Out), Utah (Next Four Out)
Projected alongside Houston in the West Region, UCLA may have to face off with the Cougars for a shot at the Final Four – if the Bruins were to make it that far,
UCLA has faced Eastern Washington once in program history – a win at the LA Sports Arena in 2011 while Pauley Pavilion was being renovated. If the blue and gold were to advance to the Sweet 16, however, a matchup with former coach Steve Alford and Nevada could be looming.
Mick Cronin was hired to replace Alford following the 2018-2019 season. The Wolfpack’s roster features a familiar face with former Oregon State guard Jarod Lucas starring in their backcourt.
Throughout the rest of the region, UCLA has recent March Madness history against North Carolina, Michigan State and Saint Mary’s. The Bruins dropped a neutral site matchup against Illinois earlier in the campaign as well. Lastly, UC Santa Barbara could create an all-UC battle for a spot in the Elite Eight if the Gauchos were to upset their way that far.
CBS Sports – Jerry Palm
Midwest Region
No. 1 Alabama
No. 16 Alcorn State/Howard
No. 8 Michigan State
No. 9 NC State
No. 5 UConn
No. 12 Oral Roberts
No. 4 Indiana
No. 13 Kent State
No. 6 Creighton
No. 11 Boise State
No. 3 Kansas State
No. 14 Iona
No. 7 Nevada
No. 10 Arkansas
No. 2 UCLA
No. 15 Eastern Washington
Pac-12 (3): No. 2 UCLA, No. 3 Arizona, No. 10 USC, Oregon (First Four Out), Arizona State (First Four Out)
The top of the bracket could set up a rematch between UCLA and Alabama, with the two programs facing each other in the 2021 Sweet 16.
Similarly to ESPN’s bracket, Eastern Washington and Nevada show up as possible first and second-round contests for the Bruins. Arkansas, on the other hand, has not faced UCLA since Ed O’Bannon and Toby Bailey beat them win the 1995 NCAA championship game.
UCLA played Kent State in the first round in 2017, but they couldn’t face off until the Elite Eight in this scenario. Rick Pitino, who Cronin coached under 20 years ago, leads a potential Sweet 16 opponent in Iona.
USA Today – Eddie Timanus, Paul Myerberg and Erick Smith
West Region
No. 1 UCLA (Automatic Qualifier)
No. 16 Rider (Automatic Qualifier)
No. 8 West Virginia
No. 9 NC State
No. 5 Creighton
No. 12 Oral Roberts (Automatic Qualifier)
No. 4 Indiana
No. 13 Yale (Automatic Qualifier)
No. 3 Gonzaga
No. 14 UC Santa Barbara (Automatic Qualifier)
No. 6 San Diego State (Automatic Qualifier)
No. 11 Memphis/Clemson
No. 7 Rutgers
No. 10 Auburn
No. 2 Texas (Automatic Qualifier)
No. 15 Vermont (Automatic Qualifier)
Pac-12 (3): No. 1 UCLA, No. 2 Arizona, No. 11 USC, Oregon (First Four Out), Arizona State (Next Four Out)
As the only projection that has UCLA as a No. 1 seed, the Bruins would have had to end their season cleanly in order to face a No. 16 seed like Rider in round one. Bob Huggins’ West Virginia could await in the second round, setting Cronin up for another showdown with a coach he served under in the past.
Indiana could be one of UCLA’s future Big Ten rivals starting in 2024, but they could face off in the Sweet 16 before the move is made official. The programs last played each other in 2007, when the blue and gold eliminated the Hoosiers in the Round of 32.
Gonzaga is another program that UCLA could take on in this projection. The Bruins fell to the Bulldogs in a regular season contest last season, not too far removed from losing to them in the 2021 Final Four.
In the rest of the bracket, San Diego State has recent history with the Bruins, taking them on early in the 2020-2021 season and scrimmaging them before the 2022 season began.
Sports Illustrated – Kevin Sweeney
Midwest Region
No. 1 Purdue (Automatic Qualifier)
No. 16 Farleigh Dickenson (Automatic Qualifier)/ Howard (Automatic Qualifier)
No. 8 Florida Atlantic (Automatic Qualifier)
No. 9 Oklahoma State
No. 5 Miami
No. 12 Drake (Automatic Qualifier)
No. 4 Kansas State
No. 13 Yale (Automatic Qualifier)
No. 6 Rutgers
No. 11 Memphis
No. 3 Tennessee
No. 14 UC Santa Barbara (Automatic Qualifier)
No. 7 Northwestern
No. 10 West Virginia
No. 2 UCLA (Automatic Qualifier)
No. 15 Vermont (Automatic Qualifier)
Pac-12 (3): No. 2 UCLA, No. 2 Arizona, No. 11 USC, Oregon (Next Four Out), Arizona State (Next Four Out), Utah (Next Four Out)
UCLA and Vermont have played once before, with the Bruins just scraping by the Catamounts by one point in 2003.
Purdue, as the No. 1 seed in the region, holds the history of John Wooden alongside UCLA, with the legendary coach playing with the Boilermakers as a student-athlete. However, the Bruins would have close to a clean slate with the rest of the teams in the quadrant.
Northwestern will be a Big Ten foe starting in 2024, while former UCLA coach Larry Brown worked for Memphis as recently as 2022. Tennessee’s coach Rick Barnes was considered for the UCLA coaching job before Cronin was hired, and a “what-if” style matchup could occur if the programs were to play one another in March Madness.
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