It’s been a great start to the season for the No. 3 UCLA Bruins, but their biggest test is waiting for them on Wednesday. The 6-0 Bruins will head to Las Vegas to take on the No. 4 Texas Longhorns in the Players Era Women’s Championship.
It will impressive if UCLA can finish this week still unbeaten
It’s the beginning of what will be two very competitive games for UCLA. If the Bruins win, they’ll face the winner of Duke-South Carolina, giving them an opportunity to go up against the No. 2 and No. 4 teams in the country in one week.
UCLA has already grabbed two ranked wins this season, beating both Oklahoma and North Carolina on neutral courts but the Longhorns will be an even greater challenge for Cori Close’s team.
The Bruins will head into Wednesday coming off of a great win
Wednesday will be the first game between Texas and UCLA since the 2021 NCAA Tournament, where the Longhorns ended the Bruins season with a 71-62 victory. UCLA will come into the game against Texas with plenty of momentum, coming off of a crushing win over Southern University where UCLA didn’t allow a single point in the second quarter.
Texas is 5-0 and none of their games have been close
The 5-0 Longhorns are no slouches either though, they’ve begun their season with five straight blowout wins. On one hand, I’m sure they’re glad to stack comfortable wins but at the same time, Wednesday’s game will likely be their first close game of the season while UCLA has had to grind for some of their wins.
The Longhorns have shot extremely well to begin the season
Junior Madison Booker is Texas’ leading scorer, having posted 17.0 points per game with sophomore Jordan Lee right behind her at 14.6 per game. As a team, the Longhorns are shooting an amazing 58.6% from the field, and the Bruins will look to decrease that total after Wednesday’s game.
Lauren Betts will have to work for everything on Wednesday
Unlike many teams UCLA has faced this season, Texas actually has some options to guard Lauren Betts. Texas could have 6’6” senior center Kyla Oldacre guard Betts or 6’4” junior Breya Cunningham try to slow down last year’s All-American selection.
The result of Wednesday’s game won’t make or break UCLA’s season but it gives the team a chance to make a statement to the other elite teams in the country that the Bruins can reach new heights this season.
This article originally appeared on UCLA Wire: A win for UCLA over Texas could set up a date with South Carolina
Reporting by Dylan McNeill, UCLA Wire / UCLA Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
