It required three team buses and a 90-minute drive for UCLA to return to its hotel after its First Four win over Michigan State on Thursday night. Or Friday morning, really, as the Bruins didn’t disembark until after 3 a.m. in Indianapolis.
These are good reminders of the quirks of the 2021 NCAA Tournament. Not that head coach Mick Cronin needed any additional ones after the game itself.
“I’m trying to put Dave Singleton in the game and he’s in the fifth row [of the Mackey Arena stands],” Cronin said. “That’s a reminder.”
But in the end, it’s still basketball, and the 11th-seeded Bruins are experiencing a normal feeling: The exuberance and swagger resulting from a come-from-behind, overtime win like Thursday’s 86-80 victory over the Spartans.
And, heading into Saturday’s Round of 64 matchup against sixth-seeded BYU, a confidence boost is exactly what the doctor ordered after the four-game losing streak the Bruins were on heading into the NCAA Tournament.
“Having this game, big win in overtime, definitely boosted our confidence and morale,” said Jaime Jaquez Jr., who scored a career-high 27 while playing all 45 minutes against the Spartans. “Knowing we’re still that team we were and we push through adversity and come out with wins.”
The Bruins (18-9) will try to build off it. Since the First Four was implemented in 2011, teams that advanced out of the play-in round have advanced past the Round of 64 in eight of the nine seasons. The most notable was VCU’s Final Four run in that inaugural First Four year.
While Cronin insisted that UCLA and Michigan State both deserved automatic spots in the Round of 64, he acknowledged wins like Thursday’s can have a carry-over effect.
“The history of this tournament tells you … you get hot at the right time, hopefully last night was a momentum builder for us,” Cronin said. “You have to hope as a coach.”
BYU (20-6) will have something to say about it. The Cougars finished the season ranked No. 23 in the AP poll after going to the West Coast Conference championship game. BYU lost to top-ranked Gonzaga, like every other team has this season, but made the Bulldogs sweat by going up 12 at halftime.
The Cougars are a balanced team, 27th nationally in adjusted offense and 26th in adjusted defense, according to KenPom.com. The Cougars are 22nd in the country with an average rebounding margin of plus-6.8 and make 37.8% of their 3-pointers.
UCLA played BYU last season, with the Cougars winning 78-63 at the Maui Invitational behind 62% shooting from the floor and 9-for-18 shooting from 3.
Jaquez pointed out that both teams look completely different from last season – just like there are so many differences in the 2020-21 campaign and this year’s NCAA Tournament. But some things never change, like a team celebrating a big win.
After the fleet of buses arrived at the team hotel, UCLA gathered to stick its name in the Round of 64 on the big bracket in the hotel lobby. The honor went to guard Chris Smith, who has been out since December with a season-ending ACL injury.
“He’s our senior. We wanted to win that game especially for him,” Jaquez said. “We’re really pushing for him, trying to make this as special as we can for Chris.”
Cronin said he is hopeful guard Johnny Juzang will play against BYU after the sophomore guard injured his ankle in overtime against Michigan State. Cronin described the situation as “hour to hour” for Juzang, who scored 23 against the Spartans.
No. 11 UCLA vs. No. 6 BYU
What: East Region first-round game
When: 6:40 p.m. Saturday
Where: Hinkle Fieldhouse, Indianapolis
TV: CBS
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