Men's Basketball Team Secures No. 4 Seed at Big Ten Tournament
March 10, 2025 | Men's Basketball
LOS ANGELES โ The UCLA men's basketball team has secured the No. 4 seed in this week's Big Ten Tournament, which takes place at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis from March 12-16.
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The Bruins (22-9, 13-7 Big Ten) have earned a double bye and will not play until Friday afternoon. As the No. 4-seeded team, the Bruins will play the winner of Thursday's game between No. 5-seed Wisconsin and either No. 12-seed Minnesota or No. 13-seed Northwestern. In one of three games on Wednesday, Minnesota will take on Northwestern with the winning team advancing to face Wisconsin on Thursday at approximately 11:30 a.m. PT (2:30 p.m. ET).
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UCLA's game on Friday will begin at approximately 11:30 a.m. PT (2:30 p.m. ET). The Bruins' quarterfinal contest will be nationally televised on Big Ten Network, with Guy Haberman and Stephen Bardo providing the courtside call and Rick Pizzo serving as the network's sideline reporter.
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This will mark UCLA's first game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse since the 2021 NCAA Tournament was played in the state of Indiana. The Bruins defeated Abilene Christian, 67-47, in a second-round matchup at Gainbridge Fieldhouse (March 22, 2021) to advance to the Sweet 16. That UCLA team won five consecutive NCAA Tournament games to move from the First Four into the Final Four.
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Previously competing in the Pac-12 Conference, this will mark the Bruins' first-ever appearance playing in the Big Ten Tournament. As members of the Pac-10 and Pac-12, UCLA won the conference tournament title in 1987, 2006, 2008 and 2014. The Pac-12 had hosted a conference tournament from 1987-90 and from 2002-24. The Bruins last won their conference tournament in 2014, defeating top-seed Arizona, 75-71, at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
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The Bruins have gone 30-22 in 26 total conference tournament appearances. In addition, UCLA has compiled a 4-4 record in eight appearances in the tournament's championship game. The Bruins have entered the tournament as the No. 1-seeded team six times, most recently in 2023 after having won that season's Pac-12 regular-season crown.
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The top four seeds in this week's Big Ten Tournament include No. 1 Michigan State (26-5, 17-3), No. 2 Maryland (24-7, 14-6), No. 3 Michigan (22-9, 14-6) and No. 4 UCLA (22-9, 13-7).
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The winner of UCLA's contest this Friday will advance to the first of two semifinal games scheduled for Saturday (games at 10 a.m. PT and approximately 12:30 p.m. PT).
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Last season, the Bruins advanced to the quarterfinal round of the Pac-12 Tournament, winning one game against Oregon State before losing by a 68-66 tally against Oregon (the eventual tournament champion). In 2022 and 2023, UCLA lost to Arizona in the title game of the Pac-12 Tournament.
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