NCAA Basketball

Big Ten is Shut Out of the Final Four

by
Dylan Jespersen
March 31, 2021

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — During the regular season, the Big Ten received the reputation as the nation’s toughest conference. The tournament committee seemingly agreed with three of the top eight seeds; Regular Season Champions and Tournament Champions, Michigan and Illinois, both earned 1-seeds while nine Big Ten teams made the field. It seemed inevitable that at least one team would be in the Final Four.

However, Big Ten teams started to fall one by one as the tournament progressed. After the first weekend, only Michigan remained alive. And finally, in the Elite Eight, the Big Ten’s title chances ended as 11-seed UCLA upset Michigan, 51-49.

Despite the low-scoring affair, Michigan still had two decent looks at the end to keep their season alive. With 6.5 seconds left, Mike Smith took an inbounds pass, sprinted up to the three-point line, and let it fly. He missed, but the rebound bounced out of bounds off UCLA with 0.5 seconds left. Franz Wagner got a catch-and-shoot opportunity for the win, but it was just off.

“I’m so proud of this group and how they competed all season long during some very difficult times, it’s been a very challenging year but at the end of the day, we all need to walk out of this building with our head up with nothing but humility, gratitude and dignity,” said Big Ten Coach of the Year Juwan Howard.

Juzang catches fire, leads UCLA to the Final Four

During the tournament, UCLA has turned to sophomore Johnny Juzang to be their leader. In their five tournament games, he has scored 20+ points three times, averaging 21.6 PPG overall. On Tuesday, he put on his best performance, leading both teams with 28 points on 11 of 19 shooting. Juzang shared his emotions after the game.

“Unreal, man. Unreal. I love every single one of these guys. It’s incredible, man. Surreal. Surreal. Something, you know, growing up, you just dream about. And to do it with such an amazing group of guys, such incredible staff, such incredible coaches makes it just so wonderful. It’s beautiful. It’s beautiful sharing this moment with, you know, your brothers and just great, great people. Incredible,” said Juzang.

In March, Juzang has become a hometown hero for UCLA. As a Los Angeles native, he originally committed and played at Kentucky before transferring home to UCLA. Juzang has proved to be their most dangerous scorer; he entered the tournament leading the team at 15.5 PPG. Now, his play is the main reason the UCLA Bruins have made their Cinderella run.

For the Bruins, this Final Four appearance marks their first since 2008 with Kevin Love and Russell Westbrook. They become the 2nd team in NCAA Tournament history to reach the Final Four after playing in the First Four. They join the 2011 VCU Rams on that list.