LOS ANGELES (AP) — Although UCLA's season already has been a spectacular story by multiple measures, the Bruins are determined to write the proper ending.
Lauren Betts and her teammates won a school-record 30 games and lost only twice while spending 13 weeks at No. 1. They're still smiling at the memory of the confetti-strewn celebration of their revenge victory over crosstown rival Southern California last week in Indianapolis to win their first Big Ten championship.
“That was really fun,” Betts said. “But we want to do it again.”
As the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament, the Bruins have a golden opportunity to do something even bigger.
UCLA will host Southern (21-14) on Friday at Pauley Pavilion as the Bruins begin the final stages of their quest for UCLA's first Final Four appearance.
The Spokane 1 Regional appears to set up nicely for the Bruins' strengths, and they'll begin at home before an expected sellout crowd. Everything is in place for the Bruins to continue to make history — and to star guard Kiki Rice, that sounds like fun, not pressure.
“I mean, obviously we’re expected to do well, (but) I think that comes from within us and this group,” Rice said. “We have really high expectations of each other. We know the work we do on a daily basis and how well we are prepared. Most of that kind of stuff is internal expectations. That’s really what we’re focused on. I do think we’ll play with a lightness, like joy, like Coach Cori (Close) said the other day.”
The Bruins’ first obstacle is the Jaguars, who beat UC San Diego in the First Four on Wednesday for their school’s first NCAA Tournament victory.
Eighth-seeded Richmond (27-6) faces ninth-seeded Georgia Tech (22-10) in an intriguing first-round matchup before the Bruins take the court in Westwood.
The All-American
Betts became the first UCLA player to make the AP All-America first team earlier this week. The honor was an appropriate reward for a spectacular season in which the dominant center led the Bruins in scoring (19.6), rebounding (9.7) and blocked shots (2.9).
Close said Betts had tears in her eyes when told of the honor, but her teammates all know it was deserved. Betts also described her selection as a team honor recognizing the Bruins' ability to complement her dominance in the low post on offense and at the center of a stifling defense.
With Betts in top form and her teammates coming off a series of elite performances, the Bruins are ready to go to work.
“I feel like this team has really taken a step in the right direction in terms of how we’re leading ourselves, and just the energy we're bringing and our focus,” Rice said. “We’re feeling our best at the most important time of the year.”
East goes West
Richmond and Georgia Tech are embracing the excitement and the responsibility of this cross-country road trip for an opening-round game of uncommon importance to both programs.
Coach Nell Fortner's Yellow Jackets have won only two NCAA Tournament games — both in 2021 — in the past decade. The Spiders have never won on the big stage, going 0-4 in the program's previous trips.
That includes last season, when Richmond lost to Duke in the opening round. The Spiders got another lesson in big-game pressure this season when they played blue-blood programs Texas, Tennessee and Alabama in consecutive games shortly before Christmas.
Although Richmond lost all three, the games accomplished coach Aaron Roussell's goal of boosting his team's schedule strength while teaching it about big-time pressure. Right after the new year, the Spiders reeled off 17 straight wins.
“After that week, it weirdly gave us some confidence,” Roussell said. "Those are things, as much as it hurts because you knew that would be a valuable win for you, for the program, I think it did give us some confidence (and) springboarded us to start conference play. ...
Richmond rolled through its Atlantic 10 schedule before taking a heartbreaking one-point loss to St. Joseph's last week in the conference tournament semifinals, falling on a shot at the buzzer.
“I think the loss definitely hit a little harder because of what it was,” said Maggie Doogan, the Atlantic 10 player of the year. “But I think having the 17-game win streak in the back of our minds gives us the confidence that we’ve played really good teams and we’ve beaten really good teams, so we can do the same while we’re here.”
Georgia Tech started the season 21-5 before losing five of its last six games, including a one-point loss to top-seeded NC State in the ACC tournament quarterfinals last week. The defeat particularly stung because the Yellow Jackets couldn't get off a shot before the buzzer on their final possession.
Despite their skid, the Jackets feel confident in their ability to contend on opening weekend.
“We definitely took a lot of things from that experience,” Georgia Tech's Tonie Morgan said. “I wouldn’t say it was something we needed, but we definitely gained something from it.”
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