With the biggest event of the college basketball season looming just around the corner, UCLA remains among the top March Madness bubble teams. The Bruins' 19-9 record has them in seventh place in the Big Ten and projected to make the 68-team NCAA Tournament bracket with one week remaining in the regular season.
UCLA entered the 2025-2026 college basketball season ranked No. 12 and a preseason favorite to win the Big Ten. They did not get off to the start many expected, as consistency has plagued the Bruins all season. They have not won more than three consecutive games all year.
The biggest storyline of UCLA's season has been head coach Mick Cronin, whose unconventional approach continues to captivate the national media. From constant complaints about the Big Ten schedule to ejecting his own player, Cronin remains the main attraction in Los Angeles, for better or for worse.
The Big Ten schedule has worked both in favor of and against UCLA, which has gone 17-1 at Pauley Pavilion and 2-8 away from home. The away-from-home struggles are a concerning development for a team that might need to make an impact in the conference tournament to bolster its NCAA Tournament profile.
Regardless, whenever its back is pinned against the wall, UCLA tends to deliver. The Bruins strengthened their NCAA Tournament case with big wins over Purdue, Illinois and USC since the calendar flipped to 2026.
The rocky journey has left UCLA as a bubble team entering the postseason, even though it still has the inside track to make the March Madness cut.
UCLA's current March Madness odds
While many gave up on UCLA after its early-season losses, the Bruins have quietly built an underrated March Madness resume that will be difficult for the selection committee to ignore. Putting its preseason expectations aside, Cronin's team has done more than enough to earn a middle seed in the NCAA Tournament.
The betting odds and various bracketology projections agree that UCLA deserves to make the cut. TeamRankings gives the Bruins a 100 percent chance of earning an at-large bid, with a one percent chance of winning the Big Ten Tournament to secure an automatic bid.
Las Vegas oddsmakers seemingly agree, with the Bruins not listed on the “to make the NCAA Tournament” category on FanDuel Sportsbook.
UCLA is currently projected to be a No. 10 seed in the March Madness bracket, according to ESPN college basketball analyst Joe Lunardi. They are part of Lunardi's “last four byes” group, the final teams to make the 64-team bracket and bypass the First Four play-in round.
The NET Rankings credit UCLA with three Quad 1 victories, albeit in 10 games against such opponents. They are a much more respectable 6-2 in Quad 2 matchups and undefeated against Quad 3 and Quad 4 teams.
With three games remaining in the 2025-2026 college basketball regular season, everybody seems to be in agreement that UCLA has already done enough to earn a bid, regardless of what happens in the Big Ten Tournament. The final obstacle standing in its way is the Selection Sunday committee.
Path to the Big Dance
Following a massive win over rival USC, UCLA approaches its final three games with a significant amount of momentum. The return of veteran guard Skyy Clark came at the right time, allowing the Bruins to pick up steam ahead of the finish line.
The USC-UCLA matchup at Pauley Pavilion was the first of two meetings between the in-state rivals in 11 days. They will meet again at the Galen Center in the regular season finale. The Trojans are even more on the NCAA Tournament bubble than the Bruins are, further increasing the stakes of the March 7 showdown.
UCLA has two games before then, facing Minnesota on the road on Feb. 28 and No. 12 Nebraska in its final home game of the year on March 3. The 13-15 Gophers are coming off a gritty 10-point loss to No. 3 Michigan, making them a potential trap game before the Bruins' senior night against the Cornhuskers.
Two of UCLA's final three games — against Nebraska and USC — are considered Quad 1 matchups, giving it a pair of opportunities to lock in its March Madness bid.
The final step before the Big Dance will come in the Big Ten Tournament, where the Bruins are projected to earn a double-bye and begin play on March 12. Although not expected to win its first conference title, securing at least one more victory could improve UCLA's seeding before the 2026 March Madness Tournament begins.
