Pluses:
It’s pick your poison when it comes to the Bruins, as they have five first-round talents in their starting lineup. Lauren Betts gets the attention – as she should – but Utah transfer Gianna Kneepkens offers the spacing UCLA needs as a sharpshooter from 3-point range. Add to that Gabriela Jaquez’s breakout performance this season freeing up Kiki Rice, the elite defense that UCLA plays, and this could be the year that UCLA gets to the title game.
Minuses:
Is it a copout to say none? We can highlight the same issue that UCLA had last season entering the tournament, which is its free-throw rate. For an offensively stacked team, it doesn’t get to the line often at all. UCLA is shooting nearly 80 percent from the charity stripe, so it is converting, but free throws can be the difference during March Madness. Just ask Jaquez, whose misses at the end of the game against Michigan nearly cost the Bruins.
Projection:
If there’s ever a season for UCLA to win the national title, it’s this one. The Bruins lost to Texas by 11 earlier in the season, but they have steamrolled the rest of its competition during the regular season. This is the most complete team that Cori Close has had at UCLA, leading the nation in points per 100 possessions. Saying championship-or-bust isn’t fair, but anything less than an appearance in the Final Four will be a disappointment.