NCAA analyst pinpoints UCLA’s "weakness" against the likes of UConn, USC, South Carolina and more

The UCLA Bruins head into this year's March Madness as one of the title favorites after the Selection Committee gave them the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament. College basketball analyst Alexa Philippou believes they aren't invincible, though, pinpointing the Bruins' weakness in Monday's episode of Bracketology.

Philippou identified UCLA's lack of experience in winning March Madness games as a weakness for the Bruins. The Bruins have yet to reach the Final Four under coach Cori Close, with their best finish coming in 2018 when they advanced to the Elite Eight.

"Weakness, on the other hand is, I think there’s a question about they haven’t been at this stage before," Philippou said (Timestamp 1:45). "They had those really tough losses to USC. Obviously, they did avenge them in the Big Ten Tournament."

Philippou wondered how the Bruins would fare in the latter stages of the NCAA Tournament when they are matched up with the powerhouse teams, such as Paige Bueckers' UConn, JuJu Watkins' USC and Dawn Staley's South Carolina.

"I wonder if they can mentally have that toughness, have that ability to have that juice to pull out some really tough wins if they have to go through an NC State or LSU. If they have to go through a USC or UConn. Or if they make the championship and then have to go up against South Carolina."

"It’s just that more of that intangible almost that I want to see from them because this is a team that is on the more unproven side but doesn’t mean they can’t do it," Philippou added.

How UCLA grabbed the No. 1 overall seed in the 2025 March Madness

The UCLA Bruins grabbed the No. 1 overall seed in the 2025 NCAA Tournament after finishing the regular season and the Big Ten Tournament with a 30-2 overall record. They fell short in their bid to win the Big Ten regular-season title after losing to the USC Trojans twice in conference play.

Lauren Betts (#51) of the UCLA Bruins celebrates with her teammates after winning the Big Ten Women's Basketball tournament against the USC Trojans at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on March 09, 2025 in Indianapolis, Indiana. Photo: Getty

The Bruins and the Trojans faced off for the third time this season in the Big Ten Tournament championship game, with UCLA emerging victorious this time around. Lauren Betts scored 17 points to lead the Bruins to a 72-67 win over the Trojans in the final. Betts was a menace on the defensive end, amassing four steals and four blocks.