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Bracketology 2020: Northern Iowa, UCLA, Texas in trouble after tough week

By Andrew Dieckhoff

LOS ANGELES, CA - JANUARY 15: Tyger Campbell #10 of the UCLA Bruins talks to head coach Mick Cronin while playing Stanford Cardinal at Pauley Pavilion on January 15, 2020 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by John McCoy/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - JANUARY 15: Tyger Campbell #10 of the UCLA Bruins talks to head coach Mick Cronin while playing Stanford Cardinal at Pauley Pavilion on January 15, 2020 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by John McCoy/Getty Images) /
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LOS ANGELES, CA – MARCH 07: Head coach Mick Cronin calls on Jaime Jaquez Jr. #4 of the UCLA Bruins (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA – MARCH 07: Head coach Mick Cronin calls on Jaime Jaquez Jr. #4 of the UCLA Bruins (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images) /

UCLA Bruins (18-12, 12-6 Pac-12)

The Bruins’ star had been steadily rising over the past few weeks, as UCLA put together a seven-game winning streak that saw them briefly overtake first place in the Pac-12. It was a massive turnaround after a shaky beginning for Mick Cronin in his first year roaming the sidelines in Pauley Pavilion. Still, it was hard to know whether their recent run of form would be enough to counteract early home losses to Hofstra and Cal State Fullerton.

Coming into the weekend, UCLA was projected as one of the last two at-large teams in the BracketMatrix, which put even greater emphasis on their Pac-12 finale against USC. In their only game of the week, the Bruins were fighting not only for their at-large hopes but also for a share of the Pac-12 title—not to mention the satisfaction of avenging a January loss to their rivals in Westwood. Thanks to a Jonah Mathews buzzer-beater, however, the Trojans were able to keep their crosstown rivals from enjoying any of those spoils.

The Bruins will enter next week’s Pac-12 Tournament as the league’s #2 seed, and they will await the victor between Stanford and Cal in the 7-10 game. The Cardinal are in direct competition with UCLA for one of the final spots in the NCAA Tournament, so if Stanford can win the rubber match against their rivals, it will set up a neutral-court head-to-head sample that the selection committee will be watching very closely. The Bruins will also be rooting for a Colorado upset of Arizona State, as a neutral-site game over the Buffaloes is guaranteed to be a Quadrant 1 game, while the Sun Devils are currently just outside the NET Top 50, making them a Quadrant 2 opponent on neutral ground.

UCLA swept both Arizona and Colorado this season. That alone is better resume material than many bubble teams have. But the Bruins’ early losses, which came during a time before this team had developed its winning formula, may come back to haunt them. This team has bought in to Mick Cronin’s brand of basketball, and they will need that total buy-in as they play for their tournament lives starting Thursday. It might seem strange to see the #2 team in a high-major conference sitting so squarely on the bubble, but make no mistake: if UCLA falls flat in Las Vegas, they will not be getting an invitation to the Big Dance.

Even if UCLA doesn’t make the NCAA Tournament, Mick Cronin’s job is in no danger – which is more than can be said for the coach of our next Bracketology Loser.

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