Where UCLA's Postseason Hopes Stand Heading Into Regular Season Finale

The UCLA men's basketball team enters its regular-season finale against USC with plenty to prove. The Bruins have scored a few upsets this season, but they're still a firm bubble team as we approach the NCAA Tournament.

Without the upsets, they'd be in a much worse position and possibly already eliminated. However, they still have hope, and it's rising with each success.

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Where UCLA Stands Entering Saturday

UCLA comes into the weekend as the seventh-place team in the Big Ten. That might not sound good on the surface, but once you realize the Big Ten is a top-tier college basketball conference and projects to send around 10 teams to the NCAA Tournament each year, it becomes less scary.

That means there are at least three other conference foes still on the bubble but in a worse position than UCLA.

Feb 24, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; UCLA Bruin head coach Mick Cronin communicates during the first half against the Southern California Trojans at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom Financial. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images | Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images

Most bracket experts project UCLA as a No. 9 or a No. 10 seed in the NCAA Tournament, just below last season's No. 7 seed. That's good news considering it has spent much of the recent weeks among the "Last Four In" or "Last Four Byes," firmly in consideration for the play-in games against fellow power conference "maybes."

Now, its most common projected opponents are North Carolina State, St. Louis, and Utah State.

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The analysts also have the Bruins' positioning narrowed down to the East Region (Washington DC) and the South Region (Houston), and they agree that the No. 1 seed in the region will either be Duke or UConn.

That's far from ideal for UCLA, as it will have to travel to cities outside the Pacific Time Zone, where it has struggled in recent seasons.

What It Means for the Bruins

ucla basketbal — Mar 3, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; UCLA Bruins forward Tyler Bilodeau (34) chest dumps teammate Eric Dailey Jr. (3) after hitting a 3-point shot during the second} half at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom Financial. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images | Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images

The Bruins likely have some wiggle room, although a loss to the Trojans would hinder their seeding and push them further onto the bubble. Obviously, that's something UCLA wants to avoid at all costs. Then, of course, there's next week's Big Ten Tournament in Chicago.

If UCLA holds in the seventh-place slot, it will wait until Thursday night to take on either the tenth-place team, 15th-place team, or last-place (18th) team, depending on who wins the other games. That would put the Bruins in line to play the No. 2 seed with a win, which is currently Michigan State.

Feb 24, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; UCLA Bruins guard Donovan Dent (2) drives to the basket past Southern California Trojans guard Ryan Cornish (9) and forward Jacob Cofie (6) during the second half at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom Financial. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images | Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images

Wins over USC and whoever the first Big Ten Tournament opponent is would probably clinch a postseason berth for UCLA without having to worry about any kind of play-in, given its current standing.

Then, notching an upset against the Spartans would lock it in, although the first meeting was an absolute nightmare for the Bruins, and reaching the Big Ten Tournament championship, regardless of result, would seal the deal even further and make the string case to jump a seed line.

Feb 7, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; UCLA Bruins head coach Mick Cronin instructs players in the second half against the Washington Huskies at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom Financial. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Of course, UCLA has experienced many letdowns after building momentum, and the postseason is all about harnessing that momentum into preparation for each game. Nonetheless, UCLA finds itself in a good spot entering the season finale.