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The UCLA Bruins were the biggest surprise team named to the field of 68 on Selection Sunday. While you could argue they didn’t deserve to make the tournament, they’re still a team loaded with individual talent throughout their roster.
The SMU Mustangs finished the regular season atop the AAC standings. They continued their dominance over the conference by winning three games in the postseason tournament. Larry Brown’s team earned an automatic berth with a 62-54 victory over the UConn Huskies in the AAC Tournament championship game.
What To Watch For
UCLA played one of their best games of the season in the Pac-12 Tournament Semi-Finals against the Arizona Wildcats on Friday. They dropped the game by six points, but were leading one of the best teams in the country by as much as seven in the second half and were trailing by only two within the final minute. The Bruins have been one of the most inconsistent teams in the country, so keep an eye out for which UCLA team shows up against SMU.
Prediction
SMU is one of the best defensive teams in the country, allowing just 59.8 points per game. UCLA can become stagnant on the offensive end, so I don’t see the Bruins putting up a big number on the Mustangs’ stingy defense. SMU plays a true team game, sharing the ball and shooting high-percentage shots, so the difference in styles definitely favors the higher seed here. Unless UCLA gets hot from the outside, Larry Brown and SMU will come out on top and move on to the next round.
SMU 66 UCLA 57
Seth Lassen is a writer for RantSports. “Like” him on Facebook and follow him on Twitter @Seth_Lassen.
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