Johnny Juzang led no. 11 UCLA to a 73-62 victory to take down no. 6 BYU Cougars to advance to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. By notching 27 points in the upset win, Juzang joined a couple of Hall of Famers that go by the names of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Reggie Miller as the only Bruins to score 20 or more points in each of their first two NCAA tournament games.
Johnny Juzang is the 3rd player in UCLA history to score at least 20 points in each of his first 2 career NCAA Tournament games.
He joins Lew Alcindor and Reggie Miller. pic.twitter.com/cYP4Dtrcga
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) March 21, 2021
That's as elite a company that Johnny Juzang can join.
Let's do a little research and check what Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Reggie Miller did in their first two games in the NCAA tourney. Per Sports Reference, Abdul-Jabbar dropped 29 points in his tournament debut. The Los Angeles Lakers legend then followed it up with a monster 38-point game.
Meanwhile, Reggie Miller scored 32 points in his first NCAA tournament game. The Indiana Pacers icon then notched 24 points in their season-ending second round defeat to the Wyoming Cowboys (per Sports Reference).
Juzang, who came to UCLA as a transferee from Kentucky, certainly looked like a star on Saturday night, going 10-of-16 en route to his 27-point night. He also had three 3-pointers and added five rebounds in the 11-point win. This followed up a 23-point outing in their First Four win over the Michigan Spartans. The thrilling 86-80 overtime victory propelled the Bruins to the NCAA Tournament.
Possessing a sweet shooting stroke, Juzang's offensive package was on full display on Saturday, especially in the first half where he scored 19 of his 27 points. Here is a montage of his monster first half, via CBS Sports:
Johnny Juzang majors in BUCKETS
All 19 of his first half points for @UCLAMBB ⬇ pic.twitter.com/JFGuRjvDlv
— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) March 21, 2021
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