Bruin Basketball: A Preview of UCLA's First-Round Matchup Against Michigan State

The selection committee has adjourned, the votes have been tabulated and it's all been decided: the UCLA Bruins will head to Tampa Bay as the No. seven seed and play host to the No. 10 seed Michigan State in the second round of the Southeast regional.

The tip-off time has yet to be determined, but the game will take place this Thursday.

MSU finished 6^th in the Big 10 conference with a 9-9 record (19-14 overall). The Spartans' last game was an upset loss to No. 40 ranked Penn State in the Big 10 tournament semifinals. They had previously upset No. 9 ranked Purdue in the quarterfinals.

MSU is led by six-foot-one senior guard Kalin Lucas and six-foot-seven junior forward Draymond Green. Other starters include senior guards Durrell Summers and Mike Kabler and freshman center Adreian Payne.

The Spartans have an RPI rank of 47 while the Bruins are ranked No. 39. The Spartans start three seniors and have the edge when it comes to experience.

But the Bruins have the better talent. Of course, talent alone will not win any basketball games, especially in the highly charged NCAA tournament.

The Bruins will have to wear their hearts on their sleeves and put all the effort they can muster on the court in Tampa if they want to come away with the win. 

Victory or defeat will come down to the Bruin's team defense, which led the Pac-10 this year. It’s their defense that sets UCLA apart from other teams and it’s the defense that will make the difference between packing up and heading back to Westwood or moving on in the bracket.

Should UCLA emerge victorious, they would face the winner of the game between No. 12 ranked Florida Gators and the UC Santa Barbara Gauchos. Should UCLA win that game, they would head to New Orleans for the regional finals, but let's not get ahead of ourselves.

First up are the Spartans and UCLA must show up mentally and be prepared for the fight of their lives. They will need to play together and stay focused for the entire 40 minutes. Should they succeed in doing that, there is no reason why they cannot defeat Michigan State.

I look for UCLA to rebound from the embarrassing loss to the Ducks in the Pac-10 tournament and play with a chip on their shoulders. My prediction is that with having something to prove, UCLA will step up and win this game 61-58.