UCLA Bruins Outlast Michigan Wolverines, Reach Final Four
UCLA, which was one of the last four at-large teams selected to the NCAA tournament and earned an 11-seed, became the first team since VCU in 2011 to advance from the First Four to the Final Four, holding on to upset top-seeded Michigan 51-49 on Tuesday night.
The Bruins led for most of the final 25 minutes of the game, but a missed Jaime Jaquez 3-pointer in the final minute and Juzang going 1-for-2 from the free-throw line with six seconds remaining opened the door for Michigan.
The Wolverines first went to Franz Wagner with 11 seconds left, but he air-balled the go-ahead 3-point attempt. After Juzang missed his second free throw, Michigan's Mike Smith had a pull-up 3-pointer rim out, and Wagner's desperation 3 at the buzzer didn't fall either.
Juzang single-handedly kept UCLA in the game during the opening stretch when Michigan had a seven-point lead and the Bruins couldn't get anything going on the offensive end. Juzang, combined with a terrific game plan from Cronin, enabled UCLA to claw back into the game and enter halftime with a four-point cushion.
One down, two more to go. First up will be one of the toughest tests of Cronin's career: Unbeaten Gonzaga.
The Bruins move on to face overall No. 1 seed Gonzaga on Saturday.
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