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March Madness in the women's bracket will continue on Friday as the Sweet Sixteen kicks off, giving teams the opportunity to move within three wins of a national championship. The Albany 2 region will not resume action until Saturday, however, as the No.2 seeded UCLA Bruins will take on the No.3 seeded LSU Tigers.
The No.6-ranked Bruins will look to reach the Elite Eight for just the third time in program history, and first since 2018. Meanwhile, the No.8-ranked Tigers are in search of their second consecutive trip to the Elite Eight, and their tenth overall, after winning the national championship last season.
UCLA will enter play with a 27-6 record, that included a 13-5 record in conference play. They finished tied for second in the regular season standings, however, they were eliminated from the Pac-12 Tournament in the conference semifinals. The Bruins defeated the California Baptist Lancers and Creighton Bluejays in the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament.
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Meanwhile, LSU is 30-5 and finished 13-3 in SEC play. They finished second in the regular season standings, however, they fell short of a conference title losing in the SEC Championship Game. The Tigers have defeated the Rice Owls and Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders to reach the Sweet Sixteen.
LSU vs. UCLA game details
Matchup: LSU Tigers vs. UCLA Bruins
Date and Time: Saturday, March 30th, 1:00 p.m. EST
Venue: MVP Arena, Albany, New York
LSU vs. UCLA betting odds and spread
LSU vs. UCLA key stats
The LSU Tigers have averaged 86.1 points per game this season. They rank third out of 360 teams in the nation in points per game and tenth in offensive rating. The Tigers have allowed 62.3 ppg, ranking 123rd in scoring defense and tenth in defensive rating.
LSU is led by Kim Mulkey, who is in her third season leading the program to a 90-13 record. Mulkey spent the previous 21 seasons leading the Baylor Bears to a 632-104 record. She has won four national titles as a head coach.
The UCLA Bruins, meanwhile, have averaged 77.6 ppg, ranking 22nd in the nation in scoring offense and 17th in offensive rating. The Bruins have allowed 60.6 ppg, ranking 86th in scoring defense and 41st in defensive rating.
UCLA is led by Cori Close, who is in her 13th season, leading the program to a 287-139 record. It marks her first head coaching gig after previous stints as an assistant coach with the Bruins, UC Santa Barbara Gauchos and Florida State Seminoles.
LSU vs. UCLA betting prediction
The LSU Tigers entered the season as the top-ranked team in the nation after winning the national championship last season and following that up with an impressive offseason. While they have struggled at times, the Tigers remain among the teams with the best title odds.
Although the UCLA Bruins are the higher seed, LSU is the more experienced team. Look out for their talent and experience to be on display as they win by at least four points.
Pick: LSU Tigers -3.5 (-110)
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