Talk about drama.
But there was a collective sigh of relief Sunday in Westwood when UCLA’s name was called in the final quadrant of the NCAA Tournament bracket, which revealed the Bruins will take on Michigan State in a No. 11-seed play-in game Thursday night.
“When I saw it I was like, man, that’s a heck of a play-in game,” forward Cody Riley said.
No kidding.
For UCLA coach Mick Cronin, it’s his 10th straight NCAA Tournament appearance. Even the dramatic wait was nothing new to him.
“I’ve been there before. I was a four, or a five seed, we were the last team up,” Cronin recollected. “I’m sure the players were going through emotions, but I’ve been on the last page before.”
The winner will face sixth-seeded BYU (20-6) in the East Region on Saturday in Indiana.
The Bruins were one of the “last four in.”
“We’re just happy to be playing. The fact that we got practice tomorrow, we’re excited about it,” Cronin added.
UCLA (17-9) lost in the Pac-12 Tournament quarterfinals to eventual winner Oregon State on Thursday in an 83-79 overtime defeat – the Bruins’ fourth in a row.
Since a Feb. 27 loss to Colorado, the first of UCLA’s four-game losing skid, the Bruins moved from first place in the conference to its eventual fourth-place position, which included losses to regular-season champion Oregon and second-place USC.
“We didn’t play poorly down the stretch,” Cronin said of the losing stretch. “We just didn’t win. We didn’t close games out.”
Doesn’t matter now, it’s a new season.
“Everyone is 0-0 at this point,” said Cronin. “It’s all about what lane you’re starting in, like a track sprint, that’s your seed. It will determine how hard it is to win.”
Oregon State’s win over Colorado in the Pac-12 Tournament final threw a wrench into more than just the Bruins’ NCAA Tournament placement. It was a curveball for the tournament’s selection committee, which was predicted by many to have just four Pac-12 teams invited. Instead, Oregon State earned the automatic bid, leading UCLA to wonder if it would be on the outside looking in.
Unlike Michigan State (15-12), UCLA has no seniors. That also means no NCAA Tournament experience.
“I left a great situation (at Cincinnati) to come here to try to build UCLA back into a championship program, so this is a step forward for us,” Cronin said. “We need this experience. That’s the thing I’m most happy about. I think they were nervous (about not getting in), but they’re excited now.”
No. 12 Oregon State will face No. 5 Tennessee in the Midwest Region.
No. 5 seed Colorado will play No. 12 seed Georgetown in the East Region.
USC received a No. 6 seed and will play the winner of a play-in game between Wichita State and Drake. No. 7 seed Oregon will play No. 10 seed VCU. Both teams are in the West Region.
https://www.dailynews.com/2021/03/14/ucla-will-open-ncaa-tournament-vs-michigan-state-in-play-in-game
2021-03-14 23:50:14Z
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