Finally, the Bruins heard their name announced and let out a cheer that was a mix of excitement and relief. Though the team’s spot in the tournament was never in doubt, its seeding had remained up in the air.
“I really thought we would be Iowa or Spokane or Lubbock, any of those – on the one hand, I’m just thrilled. The anticipation definitely grew, and the matchups just got more and more intriguing,” Close said.
The results were worth the wait for the Bruins, however, as they earned the No. 3 seed in the Oklahoma City Region – a tie for the highest seed in the program’s history.
“I think it’s a really good draw for us in seeing that Oklahoma’s in our bracket. We’ve played (them) this season, we’re a little bit familiar with them. Tennessee, who we’ve seen play a lot this season too. So, there are a lot of familiar teams in our bracket that we feel like we have a good chance to beat,” Lemberger said.
UCLA (25-7) will begin NCAA tournament play on Saturday with a first round matchup against Stetson (24-8) in Columbus, Ohio.
Most of the players hadn’t heard much, if anything, about the small school from Florida. Close, though, knows a fair share about the Hatters.
“There’s a great history, but there’s also a great amount of respect. So our players may not know much about Stetson, but I do, and I respect them a whole lot,” Close said.
Even though No. 11 UCLA is in a bracket loaded with top teams, including No. 1 overall seed Baylor, the Bruins are aiming to realize their Final Four aspirations by taking it one game at a time – something this group of seniors failed to do two seasons ago.
In 2011, UCLA earned a No. 3 seed, but was upset by No. 11 seed Gonzaga in the second round.
“Two years ago, it was a lack of focus. And we just didn’t come out intense and we kind of underestimated our opponent,” said redshirt junior forward Atonye Nyingifa.
“I think this year we have a new mindset. We’re not going to underestimate our opponents. We’re going to come out there playing, knowing that it’s March, and every team has the same energy, if not more. So we just got to play with a lot of focus and a lot of urgency.”
UCLA will now look to combine that focus with confidence that arose from coming close to winning a Pac-12 tournament championship over Stanford, the No.1 seed in the Spokane Region.
“I think that we proved something. I think more importantly than to the committee or to the world, we proved something to ourselves,” Close said. “I think it created a sense of confidence and enthusiasm that was maybe cautiously there before, but now it’s emphatically there.”
It’s a sentiment that hasn’t been lost on Lemberger as she and her teammates try to cap off the season with a long NCAA tournament run.
“I think we’re just confident, and we feel like we can beat anyone that we’re going to matchup against,” Lemberger said.