No. 6 seed BYU never looked in sync much of the night and trailed the entire way in falling to the 11-seed Bruins 73-62 on Saturday night in their first-round NCAA Tournament matchup.
The loss at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis spoiled BYU’s first NCAA Tournament appearance in six years, while UCLA’s win ensured every Pac-12 team in this year’s tournament advanced to the second round.
Here are three takeaways from the game:
- BYU struggled mightily from 3-point range, making just 3 of 17 from deep and 1 of 7 in the second half after trailing by 11 at the break. UCLA, which had to rally to beat Michigan State in a First Four game to get to Saturday’s first round, had a good night shooting from outside, hitting 8 of 19 3-pointers. Johnny Juzang led the Bruins by hitting 3 of 7 3-pointers — all of his makes came in the first half.
- Juzang scored a game-high 27 points while Jules Bernard added 16 and Jaime Jaquez Jr. 13. That was more than enough for the Bruins (19-9), who shot 48.3% from the field, to topple the Cougars (20-7), who shot 49% but attempted seven fewer field goals and couldn’t get in a rhythm. Senior guards Alex Barcello (20 points) and Brandon Averette (15) paced BYU in scoring, while Matt Haarms had a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds.
- UCLA was more efficient offensively, finishing with 10 assists to just a season-low four turnovers. BYU, meanwhile, had only five assists and 10 turnovers, and UCLA turned those turnovers in 11 points. The Bruins also had a 13-7 edge in second-chance points and had a pair of second-half possessions where offensive rebounds led to key points after the Cougars cut their deficit to four just minutes into the second half.
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BYU forward Caleb Lohner (33) battles for a rebound with UCLA guard Jaime Jaquez Jr., left, during the first half of a first-round game in the NCAA college basketball tournament at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Saturday, March 20, 2021.
AJ Mast, Associated Press
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A reflection of BYU and UCLA teams warm up as fans watch in a reflection prior to a first-round game in the NCAA college basketball tournament at Farmers Coliseum in Indianapolis, Saturday, March 20, 2021.
AJ Mast, Associated Press
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BYU forward Caleb Lohner (33) looks for help as UCLA guard Jaime Jaquez Jr. (4) closes in during the first half of a first-round game in the NCAA college basketball tournament at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Saturday, March 20, 2021.
AJ Mast, Associated Press
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BYU forward Matt Haarms, left, battles for a rebound with UCLA forward Cody Riley (2) and teammate Jaime Jaquez Jr. (4) during the first half of a first-round game in the NCAA college basketball tournament at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Saturday, March 20, 2021.
AJ Mast, Associated Press
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BYU guard Spencer Johnson (20) drives past UCLA guard Johnny Juzang (3) during the first half of a first-round game in the NCAA college basketball tournament at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Saturday, March 20, 2021.
AJ Mast, Associated Press
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BYU forward Matt Haarms (3) shoots over UCLA forward Mac Etienne (12) during the first half of a first-round game in the NCAA college basketball tournament at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Saturday, March 20, 2021.
AJ Mast, Associated Press
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BYU guard Alex Barcello (13) gets screened out by UCLA forward Kenneth Nwuba (14) as he tries to defend UCLA guard Tyger Campbell (10) during the first half of a first-round game in the NCAA college basketball tournament at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Saturday, March 20, 2021.
AJ Mast, Associated Press
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UCLA guard David Singleton (34) drives past BYU guard Alex Barcello (13) during the first half of a first-round game in the NCAA college basketball tournament at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Saturday, March 20, 2021.
AJ Mast, Associated Press
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BYU guard Brandon Averette (4) battles for the ball with UCLA guard Jaime Jaquez Jr., right, as UCLA guard Jules Bernard (1) closes in during the first half of a first-round game in the NCAA college basketball tournament at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Saturday, March 20, 2021.
AJ Mast, Associated Press
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BYU forward Matt Haarms (3) passes the ball as UCLA guard Matt Haarms(1) defends during the first half of a first-round game in the NCAA college basketball tournament at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Saturday, March 20, 2021.
AJ Mast, Associated Press
3:44, second half
UCLA 64, BYU 53
Time is running out on BYU’s season, as the Cougars go into the final media timeout of the night trailing by 11. BYU is simply getting outhustled and outplayed on both ends of the flooor.
7:55, second half
UCLA 58, BYU 49
The Cougars continue to hang around, but BYU is just 3 of 14 on 3-pointers and needs to make another run soon to chip into this lead.
10:47, second half
UCLA 54, BYU 43
The Cougars cut the UCLA lead to four points on the back of a 10-0, but the Bruins have responded with an 11-4 run to push the lead back to double-digits. While BYU is shooting 7 of 11 this half, it has to get better defensively to make a game of this down the stretch.
15:48, second half
UCLA 43, BYU 36
The Bruins pushed their lead to a game-high 14 points in the opening moments of the second half, but BYU has responded with a mini 7-0 run to get back into this one. The Cougars will need to keep up the pressure defensively they’ve shown in the opening minutes of this half.
Halftime
UCLA 38, BYU 27
Johnny Juzang has 19 points on 8 of 11 shooting, including three 3-pointers, and UCLA is in control in its matchup with BYU. The Bruins have shot 48.4% from the field and turned it over just twice, while BYU is struggling to find a rhythm offensively. Alex Barcello is the lone Cougar who’s looked okay offensively, as he has nine points.
2:56, first half
UCLA 34, BYU 23
The Bruins have created some separation by hitting seven of their past eight shots, including four 3-pointers. While BYU finally has gotten going a bit offensively, the Cougars can’t keep up if UCLA keeps this hot streak going. Johnny Juzang almost has as many points as BYU with 17, on 7 of 10 shooting.
6:45, first half
UCLA 21, BYU 17
The Cougars finally have a little bit going and have cut the UCLA lead to one a couple of times, but the Bruins have still led the entire way. BYU has shot just 35.5% to this point, compared to 40% for UCLA.
11:21, first half
UCLA 12, BYU 10
The Bruins extended their lead to 12-5, but BYU finally got a little something going offensively with back-to-back possessions with scores. Johnny Juzang has eight points early for UCLA.
15:08, first half
UCLA 7, BYU 3
The Cougars are off to a cold start — they missed their first six shots before Alex Barcello hit a 3, and they already have two turnovers. UCLA, meanwhile, has hit 3 of 8 from the field for the early four-point lead.
Pre-game
How will BYU look coming out of the gate? The Cougars haven’t played in 11 days.
It’s been 11 days since BYU played a game. Will the Cougars look like they did in the first half against Pepperdine in the WCC semis? Or like they did in the first half against Gonzaga in the WCC title game?
— Jeff Call (@AJeffreyCall) March 21, 2021
Here are a few stories link to prep you for tonight’s game, as BYU returns to the NCAA Tournament: