Feb 8, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; UCLA Bruins forward William Kyle III (24), guard Kobe Johnson (0), guard Lazar Stefanovic (10) and guard Skyy Clark (55) on the court after a basket in the second half against the Penn State Nittany Lions at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Report: Latest Bracketology Has UCLA in Improved Spot

Originally posted on UCLA Bruins on SI | By Tom Cavanaugh | Last updated Mar 6, 2025 12:04 PM ET

The UCLA Bruins (21-9, 12-7) are a lock for the upcoming NCAA Tournament, but the big question is: Where will they be seeded and what will the rest of their side of the bracket look like? The latest bracketology projection has the Bruins in an improved spot to make a run in March.

ESPN's Joe Lunardi released this week's bracketology predictions as to where he sees the field of 68 and who they will match up against. Lunardi has elevated the Bruins to a No. 6 seed after their road win over the Northwestern Wildcats (16-14, 7-12) on Monday night.

Despite going 3-3 in their last six games, the Bruins are still considered one of the top teams in the Big Ten, and their latest seeding projection reflects that. They have not performed well enough to earn a top-five seed, but have been successful enough to be just outside of that mark.

Less than a week ago, Lunardi slated the Bruins as a No. 7 seed, but have since been boosted one spot after earning their 21st win of the season. The current bracket predicts the Bruins to battle in the East region, facing No. 11-seed Georgia (19-11, 7-10), one of the "Last Four Byes" teams.

Notable teams in the Bruins' quadrant of the bracket are No. 1 seed Duke, No. 4 Arizona, No. 5 Maryland and No. 8 UConn. Nothing is set in stone, as these are only projections, but the Bruins could likely face one of their previous opponents from this season at some point in the tournament.

The Bruins still have work to do and possess opportunities to earn an even better seed by the time the selection show on Sunday, March 16. In reality, the most likely seed the Bruins can get to is a No. 5 unless they go on to win the Big Ten tournament next weekend.

One final regular season game on Saturday night against bitter rival, USC (14-15, 6-12), will be a monumental opportunity for the Bruins to sweep the season series with their crosstown rival and enter the conference tournament on a strong note.

This article first appeared on UCLA Bruins on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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