UCLA named No. 1 regional seed, but come up short behind UConn

The Bruins are going Dancing, and now the stage is set. 

Of course, the Bruins already knew that they would be the No.1 regional seed and host team for the first two rounds of the tournament, but the lingering questions were who exactly UCLA would be playing in the bracket and the operative question, where they would be seeded nationally. No. 1 or No. 2.

A packed crowd filled the Mo Ostin Center at UCLA to watch what the final verdict would be and as it was revealed, UConn, who had consistently been the ranked as the No. 1 team in the nation, though their hold on that spot began to slip as the season came to a close, was named the No. 1 overall seed in the tournament while UCLA was named No. 2.

Full house at the Mo Ostin Center @SportingTrib pic.twitter.com/yd8FDZX7AZ

— Jack Haslett (@JackHaslett_13) March 15, 2026

Cori Close’s Approach

“People have been asking me, do I care about the No. 1 overall seed? I really don’t,” UCLA head coach Cori Close said. “It has no bearing on where we’re going. We just care about the next matchup ahead of us. Bottom line for us is that I just really want us to keep a present mindset. What’s the challenge in front of us? How do we play our best basketball for that?"

UCLA, being the No. 1 seed in the Sacramento-2 regional bracket, is slated to play No. 16 Cal Baptist in the opening round of the tournament on Saturday, March. 21. 

Should the Bruins win that game and advance, they’ll face the winner of No. 8 Oklahoma State and No. 9 Princeton. 

The moment the Bruins found out they wouldn’t be number one https://t.co/v8VGWdRv5e pic.twitter.com/JGCjfmSDcQ

— Jack Haslett (@JackHaslett_13) March 16, 2026

Staying Present

“Taking it day by day and right now, I’m just really focused on Cal Baptist," graduate forward Angela Dugalic said. “That’s going to be my mindset, who we’re playing against each time. I’m just going to be staying present."

While UConn reigned as the No. 1 ranked team in the nation throughout the season, UCLA’s dominance, especially as the season came to a close and through the Big Ten Tournament, raised questions that the Bruins were serious contenders for the top spot instead. 

While the Huskies were undefeated the entire season, UCLA’s schedule was often pointed at as the determining factor, with the Bruins dominating the tough competition of the Big Ten and racking up more Quad 1 wins than the Huskies. 

Ultimately, it went to the Huskies, though it seems that decision did not come lightly. During the Selection Sunday live show, it was stated that the choice between the two premier programs went down to a committee vote and what amounted to an eye test pointed in the Huskies’ favor. 

The Time for Talk is Over

Close even said during UCLA’s watch party that the No. 2 seed was expected and the Bruins might even prefer the competition they’ll face in the Sacramento-2 bracket, which features some of the toughest competition in the entire tournament with teams like Duke, Ole Miss and LSU. 

The Selection Show hosts are comparing UConn and UCLA’s resumes and they said UConn “looked” better than the Bruins, despite what the stats say.

As you can imagine, the watch party is displeased

— Jack Haslett (@JackHaslett_13) March 16, 2026

The Bruins may not have the top spot in the tournament, but the anticipation of rankings has come and gone and now all that’s left is to decide winners and losers on the court.

“I don’t care who we play, where we play… this is all talk. Let’s do our talking on the court,” Close said.