USC, UCLA, and Cal Baptist Kick Off Their NCAA Basketball Tournaments
Southern California Schools Set to Compete in NCAA Basketball Tournaments
Four teams from Southern California will take the court on Friday evening as they compete in the opening rounds of the men’s and women’s NCAA basketball tournaments. The matchups feature the men’s and women’s teams from Cal Baptist University in Riverside and UCLA, with the USC women’s team also participating this weekend.
The UCLA Bruins will face the University of Central Florida Knights in the men’s tournament. The seventh-seeded Bruins (23-11, 15-8 Big Ten) are set to tip off against the No. 10-seed Knights (21-11, 10-10 Big 12) at 4:25 p.m. PT. Key players for UCLA include Tyler Bilodeau, who averages 17.6 points per game and exhibits a sharpshooting ability with 2.1 three-pointers made per game at a 46.4% success rate. Donovan Dent, contributing with 13.5 points and 7.5 assists, will also be pivotal for the Bruins.
On the opposing side, UCF’s Riley Kugel, averaging 14.4 points per game and shooting 39.2% from beyond the arc, along with Themus Fulks, who has averaged 14.5 points and six assists in his last ten games, will attempt to lead the Knights to victory.
In a notable matchup, Cal Baptist (25-8, 15-5 WAC), a 13 seed, will take on the esteemed No. 4-seed Kansas Jayhawks (23-10, 13-7 Big 12) at 6:45 p.m. in San Diego. Kansas, currently ranked No. 17 in the nation, is led by Melvin Council Jr., who averages 12.9 points and 5.1 assists. Darryn Peterson adds significant scoring with an average of 16.8 points over the previous ten games.
On the Cal Baptist side, standout Dominique Daniels Jr. is putting up impressive numbers with an average of 23.1 points per game, coupled with 3.7 rebounds and 3.1 assists. Teammate Jayden Jackson contributes with 11.1 points and 3.2 rebounds, shooting 32.7% in his last ten outings.
In the women’s tournament, the second-seeded UCLA Bruins (31-1, 21-0 Big Ten) are matched against the Cal Baptist Lancers (23-10, 17-3 WAC) with a tipoff set for 7 p.m. at Pauley Pavilion. Leading the Bruins, Lauren Betts is shooting 56.2% and averaging 16.4 points, while Kiki Rice has been a consistent scorer, averaging 15.9 points over the last ten games.
The Lancers’ Lauren Olsen adds to the dynamic with 15.1 points per game and discusses her performance alongside teammate Barros, who averages 14.7 points and 10.9 rebounds in recent matchups.
Looking ahead, the USC Trojans (17-13, 9-10 Big Ten) will take on the Clemson Tigers (21-11, 12-8 ACC) on Saturday at 12:30 p.m. PT. The Trojans’ Jazzy Davidson is having a standout season, averaging 17.6 points, while teammate Kara Dunn contributes with 15.1 points and 5.3 rebounds. For the Tigers, Mia Moore is an essential player, averaging 13.5 points with an impressive shooting percentage of 46.9% for the eighth-seeded team.
As Southern California teams prepare for their respective matches, the excitement of March Madness looms large, promising thrilling contests ahead.
