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UCLA men’s basketball prepares for Round of 64 matchup against Akron

Junior guard/forward Jaime Jaquez Jr. has scored 17 points or more in six straight games. Jaquez and No. 4 seed UCLA men’s basketball will take on No. 13 Akron in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Thursday. (Christine Kao/Daily Bruin staff)

men's basketball


No. 13 Akron
Thursday, 6:50 p.m.

Moda Center
TBS

By Jon Christon

March 17, 2022 11:01 a.m.

Survive and advance season is set to begin for the Bruins.

“We lose, we go home,” said junior guard/forward Jaime Jaquez Jr. “Everyone understands that.”

No. 4 seed UCLA men’s basketball (25-7, 15-5 Pac-12) will have the chance to avoid a one-and-done NCAA Tournament on Thursday with a Round of 64 matchup versus No. 13 seed Akron (24-9, 14-6 MAC) in Portland, Oregon. The contest will mark the first March Madness game for the blue and gold since it was defeated by Gonzaga in their Final Four matchup a year ago.

While coach Mick Cronin said the run last year was an important learning experience for the Bruins, he added that his team needs to focus on the present to avoid an early exit.

“It was almost like a little bit of a hangover for us,” Cronin said. “It was such a euphoric run for our guys, … (and) it took us a while to get it out of our system. We needed to get that behind us and get our focus on this year and this team.”

However, junior guard Johnny Juzang said he’s looking back at last year for motivation, noting that the team needs to use the underdog mindset it cultivated even when playing a lower seed such as Akron.

“Coming to battle, you can’t worry about the early games (when) you’re playing lower-seeded teams,” Juzang said. “You just have to go out there and play with passion and fire, just like when you’re trying to upset a team.”

The Bruins and Zips have never matched up in the history of the two programs. In fact, UCLA has not played a team from the Mid-American Conference since beating Kent State in the opening round of the 2017 NCAA Tournament.

Cronin said his Ohio roots make him well aware of the MAC – which he hopes will rub off onto the Bruin players.

“Being from where I’m from, I have explained to our team, ‘Look up NBA players from the MAC Conference – it’s really a hard league to win,’” Cronin said. “There’s really good players. It’s a well-balanced league, like a mini Big Ten.”

Akron is coming off eight consecutive wins to close out its conference season, winning three-straight games in the MAC tournament to secure its first NCAA Tournament appearance in nine years.

The Zips are led by wing Ali Ali, who paces the team with 14.2 points per game while connecting on 41.2% of his shots from beyond the arc.

“Post guys need an angle to score. Shooters need to be freed up to make a shot. He (Ali) doesn’t need any of that,” Cronin said. “He makes some Kevin Durant shots. Just bang, bang. Creates a little space and shoots it over you. He’s really, really good.”

Akron has two active players beyond Ali who average double figures in scoring – guard Xavier ​​Castaneda and forward Enrique Freeman.

In addition to his 13.2 points per game, Freeman grabs 10.8 rebounds per contest – the sixth-best mark in the entire country – and shoots from the field at the nation’s most efficient clip of 66.2%. The MAC Defensive Player of the Year, Freeman also averages 1.2 blocks per game.

“Akron has a lot of great players,” Jaquez said. “They’re very talented, and we’re going to do everything we can to try to stop them.”

Entering his second career March Madness – and his first played outside the state of Indiana – Juzang said the Bruins are prepared and ready to get onto the court.

“This is what you play for,” Juzang said. “March is what matters.”

UCLA will tip off versus Akron at approximately 6:50 p.m. on Thursday.

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Jon Christon | Sports senior staff
Christon is currently a Sports senior staff writer. He was previously the Sports editor on the men's basketball and football beats and the assistant Sports editor on the women's basketball, softball, men's tennis and women's tennis beats. Christon was previously a contributor on the women's basketball and softball beats.
Christon is currently a Sports senior staff writer. He was previously the Sports editor on the men's basketball and football beats and the assistant Sports editor on the women's basketball, softball, men's tennis and women's tennis beats. Christon was previously a contributor on the women's basketball and softball beats.
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