After earning its first-ever No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament on Sunday, UCLA women’s basketball (30-2, 16-2 Big Ten) will host rounds 1 and 2 at home this weekend, and consecutive wins would send the team to Spokane, Washington, for the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight. First, UCLA will play the winner of No. 16 seeds UC San Diego and Southern. But the Bruins must win six consecutive matches to bring their first national title back to Westwood.

Ava Abrishamchian
Daily Bruin staff
Prediction: Championship game loss

I admit I underestimated the Bruins’ capabilities entering the Big Ten tournament.

Emerging as victors after a pivotal game against then-No. 1 seed USC in the tournament finale proved that UCLA women’s basketball has the ability to go far in the NCAA Tournament.

While the Bruins won, it exposed their weaknesses just in time for the Big Dance. The first few rounds will be easy: juniors center Lauren Betts, guard Kiki Rice and forward Janiah Barker have proved time and again they are dominant forces. Betts was named the Big Ten defensive player of the year, while Barker was named the conference’s sixth player of the year.

In this season alone, Betts has been a dominating force on the court, averaging an impressive 19.6 points per game. Her ability to find the basket on a consistent basis has created a dangerous force in the paint for opponents. However, this offensive weapon is far from a well-kept secret, and the Trojans proved just that.

In their second meeting this season, the crosstown rivals executed a game plan that successfully neutralized Betts – limiting the 6-foot-7 center and shutting her down offensively. This led to one of her lowest-scoring performances of the season with 11 points – showcasing just how crucial she is to the Bruins’ attack.

If other teams are able to replicate the Trojans’ defensive approach and effectively contain Betts, the Bruins’ lifeline could shut down. Opponents who can successfully limit her impact pose significant challenges for the Bruins. With No. 2 seed UConn and No. 1 seed Texas within fighting distance, the Bruins are not the only team with hats in the ring for the national title.

As the tournament progresses, the experience and talent of this squad can only go so far. The Bruins have only reached the Elite Eight twice: in 1999 and 2018. Any team with a well-versed game strategy and a few veterans could prove insurmountable for the Bruins, and March could come and go too soon.

J. Spencer Brown
Daily Bruin contributor
Prediction: Championship game win

UCLA has never won the NCAA Tournament.

It has never even made it to the Final Four.

But prior to this season, the team had also never won 23 consecutive games or spent 12 weeks as the No. 1 team.

Amid a season of historic successes and unprecedented changes – marked by the addition of three transfers, four freshmen and a move to a new conference – it would be shortsighted to use the shortcomings of previous seasons as any indication of what is to come.

UCLA was crowned the Big Ten tournament champion last Sunday after winning its third game in as many days and avenging its two regular-season losses to USC.

During the championship game, the Bruins limited Trojan guard JuJu Watkins to just 32.1% shooting from the field – compared to her 42.6% season average – and forced The Athletic’s National Player of the Year to commit five turnovers.

On the opposite side of the floor, Betts scored 17 points on 70% shooting. The Big Ten defensive player of the year also registered four blocks and four steals.

Betts’ defensive performance helped the Bruins overcome a 13-point second-half deficit. The squad held its opponents to just nine and 13 points in the third and fourth quarters, respectively, while putting up 17 and 20 points of its own to crawl back to the lead.

With the championship victory, UCLA regained possession of the No. 1 overall ranking and received a No. 1 seed for the NCAA Tournament.

And if the Bruins beat just six more teams, they will cut the net down in Tampa, Florida, as national champions.

Samantha Garcia
Daily Bruin staff
Prediction: Final Four loss

Prior to the Big Ten tournament, I would have guessed that UCLA would pick up a season-ending loss in the Sweet 16.

After UCLA lost its undefeated streak to crosstown rivals No. 4 USC, it seemed like its fire was gone. Without Betts, the team narrowly avoided another loss against then-No. 22 Michigan State in its ensuing homecoming.

Then the Bruins lost a second time as the Trojans dominated them in a sold-out Pauley Pavilion. At that point, I wasn’t sure if the Bruins would be able to recover.

But UCLA proved me wrong. Defeating USC in the Big Ten tournament championship is exactly the confidence booster UCLA needed before heading into the NCAA Tournament.

So far, USC is the only team to have taken down UCLA this season. But with both teams being top seeds, the rivals won’t meet until later in the tournament, if they meet at all.

As the No. 1 seed, UCLA will likely make it through the first two rounds of the tournament. The main question is whether the Sweet 16 will be the Bruins’ kryptonite for a third consecutive season.

UCLA has shown it can compete with top-ranked teams, as the team defeated reigning NCAA champion then-No. 1 South Carolina at the beginning of the season. The nightmarish flashbacks of consecutive losses in the Sweet 16 should fuel the Bruins to overcome any team in its path to the Elite Eight.

UCLA’s resilience to reclaim the No. 1 national ranking after back-to-back losses to USC suggests the Bruins also have what it takes to make their first Final Four appearance.

But the lingering memory of Watkins dismantling the Bruins’ defense in the regular season makes envisioning UCLA in the national championship seem unrealistic.

Noah Massey
Daily Bruin staff
Prediction: Elite Eight loss

Winning the Big Ten tournament championship against the Trojans was the best way the Bruins could have ended the first stage of postseason play before March Madness.

Yet at a time when momentum and confidence are so crucial, it doesn’t feel like UCLA has rediscovered what it had at the beginning of the season.

While defeating the Trojans was a step in the right direction, it took almost everything going the Bruins’ way for them to emerge with a slim five-point win. The team converted 53% of its 3-pointers in the contest – a statistical outlier when compared to its season mark of 32.7% – while USC shot only 22% during its 15-point second-half deficit.

The top 12 teams in women’s basketball this season are extremely talented, and the No. 1-seeded Bruins will mostly likely face one of them in the form of either the No. 2 or No. 3 seed in the Elite Eight. If they are in imperfect form, their highly touted opponents could pose a serious challenge.

ESPN bracketologists project that UCLA will have to face either a Notre Dame squad featuring 2024 Associated Press All-American guard Hannah Hidalgo or an LSU team that won a national championship in 2023. The Bruins’ first premier opponent will likely be in the Elite Eight.

If things don’t fall the Bruins’ way, don’t be surprised if their national title hopes are dashed early.