For the UCLA Bruins to a win a second-straight Big Ten Conference Tournament, they’ll only need to win three games. UCLA of course enters the tournament as the No. 1 seed after going a perfect 18-0 in conference play this season.
UCLA will begin the tournament in the quarterfinals, with the first four seeds (UCLA, Iowa, Michigan and Minnesota) all advancing past the opening two rounds of the tournament. UCLA doesn’t know exactly who they’ll play but let’s go through the possible matchups.
Quarterfinals: USC or Washington
UCLA will begin the tournament against an old Pac-12 opponent, it’s just a matter of which one. The Bruins won by a larger margin against the USC Trojans than the Washington Huskies but the opportunity to knock out their rival one last time might have UCLA hoping to see USC win their first round matchup.
Bottom line
Regardless of who UCLA sees in the first round, it shouldn’t be too much of a problem for the Bruins to move to the semifinals.
Semifinals: Minnesota or Ohio State
It’s possible that either Nebraska or Indiana could win three-straight games to face UCLA in the semifinals but it’s much more likely that it’ll be Minnesota or Ohio State. UCLA will likely hope to avoid Ohio State, who gave the Bruins one of their toughest challenges in conference play this season.
What to watch for
Minnesota has a solid team which could be a problem for UCLA but the Buckeyes’ Jaloni Cambridge is a star and could single-handedly take over a game.
Championship game: Iowa or Michigan
There’s a chance that Michigan State or Maryland makes a run where they upset Iowa and/or Michigan but UCLA will be hoping to face anyone besides Michigan in the championship game.
The Bruins’ 69-66 win over the Wolverines was the closest of any of their conference matchups. UCLA saw a comfortable lead swindle in the closing moments but were able to hold on for the win. UCLA beat Iowa by 23 points so the Bruins would likely prefer a rematch against the Hawkeyes.
This article originally appeared on UCLA Wire: Bracket is set: UCLA’s Big Ten Tournament path for this week
Reporting by Dylan McNeill, UCLA Wire / UCLA Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
