REPORT: Bruins Check in Outside of Top 5 Seeds in Recent Bracketology

In the latest bracketology prediction from ESPN, the Bruins find themselves just outside the top five seeds. Their success over the final two weeks of the regular season will determine if they will move up or down from that spot.

Feb 11, 2025; Champaign, Illinois, USA; UCLA Bruins guard Kobe Johnson (0) drives to the basket as Illinois Fighting Illini forward Will Riley (7) defends during the second half at State Farm Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-Imagn Images | Ron Johnson-Imagn Images

The UCLA Bruins (19-7, 10-5) have won eight of their last 10 games and have continued to look like a very tough out in the upcoming NCAA Tournament. The latest bracketology prediction from ESPN's Joe Lunardi has put the Bruins in a much tougher spot despite their maintained success over the past month.

Lunardi has the Bruins as a No. 6 seed in the East Region of the tournament. They are currently predicted to play against a winner of the First Four between a pair of No. 11 seeds; San Diego State and Oklahoma.

Just three games ago, the same predictions gave UCLA a No. 5 seed. Even though they went 2-1 in that stretch since the last evaluation, they were still punished and dropped another spot. As much as the Bruins' individual success matters, their seeding and position in the tournament does too.

Other teams of note that currently share the same corner of the bracket with UCLA are No 1-seeded Duke, No. 3 Arizona, No. 4 Michigan State, and No. 8 UConn. The current predictions have the Bruins squaring against the Wildcats in the second round for a rematch from earlier this season.

There is still time for this team to bolster their resume and earn a few more quality wins to become a top five seed in the tournament. Despite a disappointing upset loss to the Minnesota Golden Gophers (14-12, 6-9) at home on Tuesday night, there are several more opportunities to rectify the loss.

The Bruins have four games left on their schedule, only facing one Top-25 team when they travel to face the No. 13 Purdue Boilermakers (19-7, 11-4), on Friday, Feb. 28. The other remaining opponents include Ohio State (home), Northwestern (away), and the USC Trojans (home).

If they are able to win four of their final five games, it would be smart to assume that the Bruins would become a No. 5 or No. 4 seed. Their revival of the season halfway through conference was a turning point that is going to make UCLA a very tough team to knock out once the madness begins.

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