What Cori Close Said Following UCLA's Big Ten Championship Win

The Bruins would breeze past Iowa in the Big Ten Championship, capping off a perfect season of conference play.

UCLA is officially revved up to make a huge tournament run. Not only did UCLA win the tournament, but they did it without breaking a sweat. More performances like this are soon to follow. However, the job is not finished.

Should UCLA Be the No. 1 Overall Seed?

UCLA Bruins center Lauren Betts (51) and UCLA Bruins guard Kiki Rice (1) high-five UCLA Bruins guard Gianna Kneepkens (8) on Sunday, March 8, 2026, during the Big Ten Tournament Championship game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. UCLA Bruins defeated the Iowa Hawkeyes, 96-45, for back to back Big Ten championships. | Grace Hollars/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

UCLA has, by far, the best résumé in the country. UConn is the only team ranked above the Bruins, which many might view as a snub for the blue and gold. However, UCLA still needs to prove why it deserves that spot, and doing so won’t be easy.

"I think the biggest thing for us is that we've tried to really just decide to narrow our focus. And the reality is, when you focus on things out of your control, it will adversely affect the things under your control. And so, I think if I put any energy towards that, I'm taking energy away from what it'll actually take to get there. I think our focus needs to be on the how. How do we play our best basketball in March? How do we learn from the previous year?"
Cori Close

Where UCLA Could Have Played Better

Feb 1, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; UCLA Bruins center Lauren Betts (51) reacts after a foul call in the second half against the Iowa Hawkeyes at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom Financial. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

What defines UCLA is its willingness to improve from game to game. One area where the Bruins can get better is offensive rebounding. They were outrebounded on the offensive glass 13–5, and that won’t fly against stronger opponents.

"I think my biggest responsibility as a leader of this program is to hold the standard. And, you know, we were 0 for 9 on offensive rebound misses at halftime. We've never had a rebounding thing like that. And I think the danger is... When you're really efficient offensively, you just think every shots going in. And the reality is on a night that you might not be as hot as we were tonight."
Cori Close

Why Charlisse Leger-Walker Is UCLA’s Glue

Charlisse Leger-Walker has been one of the more under-the-radar Bruins this season. Her ability to set plays and execute has made her the backbone of an already loaded UCLA team. Without Leger-Walker, UCLA’s talent would not have taken off the way it has.

"I pulled her aside after and I just said, You have been our glue. I think one of the reasons, and her [Charlisse Leger-Walker] and Kiki [Rice] have this great relationship. And really feed off of each other. But I also think one of the things that Kiki's been able to do is have different kinds of scoring catches this year because of Charlisse's presence on our team. And I remember last year thinking, I can't imagine what Charlisse's impact is gonna be once she plays, because she's already impacting us so much and she hasn't even played a game. So I could not be more grateful for her leadership, her basketball IQ, and her scoring mentality."
Cori Close

UCLA Bruins head coach Cori Close celebrates Sunday, March 8, 2026, after the Big Ten Tournament Championship game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. UCLA Bruins defeated the Iowa Hawkeyes, 96-45, for back to back Big Ten championships. | Grace Hollars/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images