This post was updated March 12 at 10:59 p.m.
CHICAGO – The alarm clock rang.
It was only 6 p.m. on the West Coast when tip-off commenced, but the Bruins still seemed deep in their slumber.

March is here. But before any team goes dancing, it must face familiar foes. No. 6 seed UCLA men’s basketball (21-10, 13-7 Big Ten) will begin its Big Ten tournament slate with a third-round matchup against No.

Player development.
Coach Mick Cronin lives by it.
The Bruins have shown flashes of it.
And No. 6 seed UCLA men’s basketball (21-10, 13-7 Big Ten) will get the chance to show it when it faces No.

Are you sure we’re going the right way?
Haven’t we seen that tree before?
I told you we should have brought the map!
Perhaps the biggest mistake you can make after getting lost is refusing to admit it.

Inside a warm gym in Thousand Oaks, California, 11-year-old Ryan “Moose” Bailey was all ears.
The most decorated coach in college basketball history – the man whose quotes adorned the walls of Bailey’s home – sat at the center of the court, drawing up a game plan on how to wear a sock.

This post was updated March 8 at 9:29 p.m.
A 3-6 away record going into the final regular season game could have been reason to worry after the Bruins played their final home game of the 2025-26 season Tuesday.

Just 11 days ago, the Bruins captured the first round of the crosstown rivalry.
And less than two weeks later, both teams will finish out the 2025-26 campaign with the second leg.