No. 6 seed BYU never looked in sync much of the night and lost all the way when falling to the 11-seed Bruins 73-62 on Saturday night in his first round of the NCAA Tournament.
The defeat at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis spoiled BYU’s first appearance at the NCAA Tournament in six years, while UCLA’s victory ensured that all Pac-12 teams in this year’s tournament advanced to the second round.
Here are three lessons from the game:
- BYU fought hard against the 3-point streak, making only 3 of 17 in the deep and 1 of 7 in the second half, after losing 11 by halftime. UCLA, who had to come together to beat Michigan State in a top four game to reach Saturday’s first round, had a good night of pitching outside, hitting 8 out of 19 points out of 3 points. Johnny Juzang led the Bruins by hitting 3 out of 7 points out of 3 – all of his marks came in the first half.
- Juzang scored 27 points, the best mark of the game, while Jules Bernard added 16 and Jaime Jaquez Jr. 13. That was more than enough for the Bruins (19-9), who shot 48.3% of the field, to take down the pumas (20-7), who scored 49%, but tried seven goals less and failed to get into the rhythm. Senior guards Alex Barcello (20 points) and Brandon Averette (15) scored BYU’s score, while Matt Haarms made a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds.
- UCLA was more efficient offensively, ending with 10 assists for just four low season turns. BYU, meanwhile, had only five assists and 10 turnovers, and UCLA turned those turnovers into 11 points. The Bruins also had a 13-7 lead on second chance points and had two possessions in the second half, where offensive rebounds led to key points after the Cougars reduced their deficit to four minutes in the second half.
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BYU striker Caleb Lohner (33) fights for a rebound with UCLA guard Jaime Jaquez Jr., left, during the first half of a first round game at 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 the BYU and UCLA teams warms up as fans watch in a reflection before the first round game at the NCAA college basketball tournament at the Farmers Coliseum in Indianapolis, Saturday, March 20, 2021.
AJ Mast, Associated Press
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BYU striker Caleb Lohner (33) seeks help as UCLA guard Jaime Jaquez Jr. (4) approaches during the first half of a first round game at the NCAA college basketball tournament at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Saturday, March 20, 2021.
AJ Mast, Associated Press
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BYU striker Matt Haarms, left, struggles for a rebound with UCLA striker Cody Riley (2) and teammate Jaime Jaquez Jr. (4) during the first half of a game in the first round of the basketball tournament university student at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Saturday, March 20, 2021.
AJ Mast, Associated Press
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BYU guard Spencer Johnson (20) passes UCLA guard Johnny Juzang (3) during the first half of a first round game at the NCAA college basketball tournament at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Saturday, March 20, 2021.
AJ Mast, Associated Press
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BYU striker Matt Haarms (3) kicks UCLA striker Mac Etienne (12) during the first half of a first round game at the NCAA college basketball tournament at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Saturday, March 20, 2021 .
AJ Mast, Associated Press
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BYU playmaker Alex Barcello (13) is eliminated by UCLA striker Kenneth Nwuba (14) while trying to defend UCLA playmaker Tyger Campbell (10) during the first half of a first round game at the NCAA college basketball tournament in Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Saturday, March 20, 2021.
AJ Mast, Associated Press
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UCLA guard David Singleton (34) passes BYU guard Alex Barcello (13) during the first half of a first round game at 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) fights for the ball with UCLA guard Jaime Jaquez Jr., on the right, while UCLA guard Jules Bernard (1) approaches during the first half of a first-round match at the NCAA college basketball at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Saturday, March 20, 2021.
AJ Mast, Associated Press
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BYU striker Matt Haarms (3) passes the ball while UCLA guard Matt Haarms (1) defends during the first half of a first round game at the NCAA college basketball tournament at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Saturday, 20 March 2021.
AJ Mast, Associated Press
3:44, second half
UCLA 64, BYU 53
Time is running out in the BYU season, as the Cougars go to the night’s final media timeout behind 11. BYU is simply being knocked down and won at both ends of the ground.
7:55, second half
UCLA 58, BYU 49
The Cougars continue to lose time, but BYU is only 3 out of 14 out of 3 points and needs to run another race soon to reach this lead.
10:47, second half
UCLA 54, BYU 43
Cougars reduced UCLA’s lead to four points behind a 10-0, but the Bruins responded with an 11-4 run to push the lead back to double digits. While BYU is shooting 7 out of 11 this semester, it has to improve defensively to make a game of it in the final stretch.
15:48, second half
UCLA 43, BYU 36
Bruins increased their lead to 14 points in the first moments of the second half, but BYU responded with a 7-0 mini run to return to this one. Cougars will need to maintain the defensive pressure they showed in the first few minutes of this time.
Half an hour
UCLA 38, BYU 27
Johnny Juzang has 19 points out of 8 out of 11 shots, including three points out of 3, and UCLA is in control in its confrontation with BYU. The Bruins hit 48.4% of the field and turned only twice, while BYU is struggling to find an offensive pace. Alex Barcello is the only Cougar who looks very offensive, with nine points.
2:56, first half
UCLA 34, BYU 23
The Bruins created some separation by hitting seven of the last eight strokes, including four out of 3 points. Although BYU has finally started to be a little offensive, the Cougars will not be able to keep up if UCLA continues with this wave of success. Johnny Juzang has almost as many points as BYU with 17, out of 7 out of 10 shots.
6:45, first half
UCLA 21, BYU 17
The Cougars finally advanced a bit and cut UCLA’s lead to one a few times, but the Bruins still led the way. BYU has skyrocketed only 35.5% up to this point, compared with 40% of UCLA.
11:21 am, first half
UCLA 12, BYU 10
The Bruins increased their lead to 12-5, but BYU finally got something going on offensively with consecutive scoring possessions. Johnny Juzang has eight points at the start of UCLA.
15:08, first half
UCLA 7, BYU 3
The Cougars are having a cold game – they missed their first six shots before Alex Barcello hit a 3, and they already have two turns. Meanwhile, UCLA made 3 of 8 field shots for the initial four-point lead.
Pre-game
What will BYU look like when it leaves the gate? Cougars haven’t played in 11 days.
It’s been 11 days since BYU played a game. Will the Cougars look the same as the first half against Pepperdine in the WCC semifinals? Or as they did in the first half against Gonzaga in the dispute for the WCC title?
– Jeff Call (@AJeffreyCall) March 21, 2021
Here are some story links to prepare you for tonight’s game, as BYU returns to the NCAA Tournament: