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For the first time in program history, UCLA earned a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. The Bruins aren’t just on the top line — they are the top overall seed as they seek their first Final Four and national title.The path aligns nicely for the nation’s top squad, which has already beaten two of the other teams (Baylor and Michigan State) in the Spokane 1 Region. Although Richmond and Georgia Tech would each be high-quality second-round opponents, as the Spiders and Yellow Jackets boast top-20 offensive ratings, UCLA will host that matchup on its home court in Pauley Pavilion, where it has lost just twice in the last two seasons. Furthermore, neither team has close to the requisite size to handle Lauren Betts.
Looking at the rest of the draw, the highest NET rating other than UCLA is No. 3 LSU (10th nationally), and the Tigers are dealing with injuries to Flau’Jae Johnson and Aneesah Morrow. Johnson missed the entire SEC tournament while Morrow exited LSU’s last game early; both wore protective boots during the Tigers’ Selection Sunday party. The Tigers, who earned a No. 3 seed for the third consecutive season, beat the Bruins in the 2024 NCAA Tournament — a loss that UCLA coach Cori Close said her team has thought about all year. But the Tigers have been significantly less impressive following the graduation of Angel Reese and have lost three of their last four.
No. 4 Baylor, ranked 15th in the NET, played UCLA tight for three quarters in their January matchup. Bears center Aaronette Vonleh has been on a heater lately, with seven straight games scoring double figures, highlighted by 37 in the Big 12 semifinal. Vonleh got into foul trouble in the first meeting but is Baylor’s best hope of containing Betts and has held up well against the likes of Iowa State’s Audi Crooks and TCU’s Sedona Prince. Ole Miss, featuring UCLA transfer Christeen Iwuala at center, could also be a tough Sweet 16 opponent. However, neither the Bears nor the Rebels have collected any significant upsets this season.
On the other half of the bracket, the Bruins get arguably the weakest No. 2 seed in NC State. The Wolfpack made the Final Four last season, but their veteran frontcourt of River Baldwin and Mimi Collins has essentially been replaced by two freshmen: Tilda Trygger and Lorena Awou. That’s a bad recipe to go against the Bruins, who have three other 6-foot-3-plus forwards in addition to Betts: Angela Dugalic, Janiah Barker and Timea Gardiner. Size could be an issue up and down the roster for NC State, not just at center.
In the event the Wolfpack are upset before the Elite Eight, UCLA beat Michigan State without Betts earlier this season and comfortably defeated a similar Florida State squad during the 2023-24 season. There are no locks in March, but the opponents in Spokane 1 aren’t set up well to exploit the Bruins’ weaknesses. Big defensive centers and athletic wing creators give UCLA the most trouble, and this region — other than Vonleh and Johnson, though she is more of a play finisher than initiator — isn’t teeming with those types of players.
This is already the most successful season for the Bruins in recent memory, and the win over USC in the Big Ten championship has given them the belief that they are capable of even more.
“It really felt like a significant growth step, a hurdle we needed to get over for our own confidence, our own toughness going into the NCAA Tournament,” Close said. “When you have a thing that you go grab and you conquer, and you do things that were really, really difficult and you find a way, it puts us a different position psychologically.”
The selection committee has given UCLA a draw befitting a No. 1 overall seed; it’s up to the Bruins to take advantage of this position and finally fulfill their potential en route to a program first.
This article originally appeared in The Athletic.
UCLA Bruins, Women's College Basketball
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