Why UCLA-Tennessee Could Be Closer Than Anticipated

The UCLA Bruins defeated the Utah State Aggies in the first round of the NCAA Tournament to advance to the second round against the Tennessee Volunteers. After the Bruins' strong first impression in this year's tournament scene against Utah, they'll need more of the same to keep their hopes alive down the line.

The Volunteers finished their regular season with a record of 28-7, which put them in fourth place in the SEC standings. UCLA, on the other hand, finished with a 23-10 regular season record in the program's first season as a member of the Big Ten.

Just looking at the overall records, it could be assumed Tennessee might be the more dominant team going into the matchup, but when looking at the numbers across the 2024-25 campaign, the Bruins and Volunteers have much more in common than outsiders would think.

UCLA was known for its defensive approach to its games, as was shown in the Round 1 victory over Utah State, holding that program to 47 points. The Bruins ranked atop the Big Ten in defense with 65.2 points allowed per game.

When flipping the script and looking at how Tennessee performed from a defensive standpoint, they, too, found defensive success. The Volunteers led their respective conference, the SEC, in defense as well, similar to UCLA, as its opponents scored 63 points on average against them.

Those two defensive averages could put both programs at a stalemate going into the game, trying to jockey for position on who has the better defense. But as we all know, the game comes down to who scores more. Let's take a look at how both programs faired in that department during the regular season.

Starting with UCLA, the program ranked near the bottom of the Big Ten when looking at average points scored per game, securing themselves an average of 74.7 points. Tennessee on the other hand also struggled in the scoring department, as the program averaged 74.8 points per game.

While the Bruins and Volunteers do both play in tough divisions respectfully, UCLA shouldn't be counted out before the game even occurs, especially after looking at how close the game could truly be if the averages reign true once more.

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