Tag Archives: NCAA tournament

Basketball game day links: Let’s dance

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Freshman Lonzo Ball leads the nation with 7.7 assists per game as No. 3 UCLA takes on No. 14 Kent State in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Friday in Sacramento. (Mark J. Terrill/The Associated Press)

In front of about one hundred fans at practice on Thursday in Sacramento’s Golden 1 Center, the UCLA men’s basketball team threw down windmill dunks and drained mid-court heaves. Fans roared, the marching band played and cheerleaders danced. It’s March and it’s showtime.

The third-seeded Bruins start their NCAA Tournament run Friday at 6:57 p.m. PT in Sacramento against No. 14 seed Kent State.

During Pac-12 play as the regular season crown passed them by, the Bruins brushed off a chance at conference glory for the national spotlight. On Friday night, they will have the floor, and they hope to hit all the right steps.

“It’s been a fun year to date,” senior Bryce Alford said. “Hopefully we can finish it the way that we started.”

Links for UCLA’s NCAA Tournament opener:

UCLA women’s basketball earns No. 4 seed, hosts first two rounds of NCAA Tournament

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UCLA’s Jordin Canada will lead the Bruins into the NCAA Tournament as they host the first two rounds at Pauley Pavilion. (Photo by Elaine Thompson/Associated Press)

With a 27-game home winning streak, the UCLA women’s basketball team seems to have a favorable road to the Sweet 16 in the NCAA Tournament. But if the Bruins get there, they’ll face the biggest road block in the bracket.

By earning the No. 4 seed in the Bridgeport Region in the NCAA Tournament, the Bruins (23-8) have the right to host the first and second rounds, which start Saturday. With two wins, they’ll also have a date with undefeated powerhouse UConn, which owns the No. 1 overall seed in the bracket, announced Monday.

UCLA hosts 13th-seeded Boise State on Saturday in the first round at 3:30 p.m. PT. If they advance, they’ll face the winner between No. 5 seed Texas A&M and No. 12 seed Pennsylvania in the second round on Monday.

The Bruins own the nation’s second-longest home winning streak. The only team ahead of them is UConn, which has a 107-game overall winning streak.

Boise State (25-7) punched its ticket to the NCAA Tournament by winning the Mountain West Conference tournament, bringing a 10-game winning streak into Westwood.

UCLA earns No. 3 seed, possible Sweet 16 matchup with Kentucky

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UCLA earned a No. 3 seed in the South region in the NCAA Tournament and have a possible rematch with second-seeded Kentucky waiting in the Sweet 16.

The Bruins face 14th-seeded Kent State in the first round on Friday in Sacramento.

(Update): The game will be the last one played on truTV and will tip off after the conclusion of the Cincinnati vs. Kansas State/Wake Forest game, which starts at 4:27 p.m. PT. Here’s the TV information for the full slate of first- and second-round games.

UCLA got a marquee win over Kentucky in Rupp Arena on Dec. 3. The Wildcats went on to win the SEC regular season and tournament championships.

North Carolina (27-7) is the No. 1 seed in the South region after winning the regular season ACC title and advancing to the conference tournament semifinal (corrected), where the Tar Heels lost to Duke.