2022 NCAA Tournament: Key matchups for Saturday’s Round of 32 games

St. Mary’s Gaels vs. UCLA Bruins (East Region) -7:10 PM EST

The good old No. 4 seed meets No. 5 seed in the second round in the East as two squads from the West square off as the UCLA Bruins meet the St. Mary’s Gaels in Portland. St. Mary’s made quick work of the Indiana Hoosiers, 82-53, as four of five starters finished scoring in double-figures.

Tommy Kuhse is the star of the show as evidenced by his 19-point, 6-assist effort against Indiana on Thursday. He’s a crafty floor general that makes things happen with weapons around him.

One of those weapons is senior guard Logan Johnson. He finished with 20 points and six rebounds on 8-of-13 shooting and a made 3-pointer in their opening-round victory. 6-foot-7 junior wing Alex Ducas is another one to keep an eye on. He finished with 13 points on three made 3-pointers in their win over Indiana.

The Bruins survived a scare from the 13th-seeded Akron Zips to squeak out a 57-53 victory in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament. A personal 8-0 run from Tyger Campbell boosted the Bruins at just the right time as they led for good with just 2:16 remaining in the game.

After shooting 35.2 percent from the field against Akron as a team, they’ll need to have a better night offensively against the Gaels or they could be sent home packing early.

They certainly have the weapons to overcome their shaky opening-round start. Look for things to come down to the wire in this one.