Five concerns UCLA must address before facing Texas in the Final Four

UCLA finally knows who it will face in the Final Four in Phoenix this week.

A day after taking down No. 3-seed Duke in the Elite Eight, the Bruins learned on Monday they will face fellow No. 1-seed Texas on Friday, the only team to beat them all season.

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Texas (35-3) defeated UCLA 76-65 on Nov. 26, when Rori Harmon put up a game-high 26 points on nine-of-15 shooting from the floor.

Read more: UCLA women battle through adversity to defeat Duke and reach the Final Four again

Since their Final Four debut ended with a 34-point loss to UConn last season, the Bruins have been on a mission to prove themselves. They faced their first adversity of the tournament during Sunday’s win over Duke when they trailed at the half, and now they’ll get a true test against the Longhorns.

Here are five concerns UCLA needs to address in order to reach the NCAA national championship game.

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UCLA has yet to play 40 strong minutes

UCLA center Lauren Betts holds the ball in the paint under pressure from Duke’s Toby Fournier and Ashlon Jackson on Sunday in Sacramento. (Eric Thayer/Los Angeles Times)

Several players have cited playing a full four quarters as the biggest area UCLA must address.

The Bruins have had a bad quarter or half during all four of their NCAA tournament games. During their opener against California Baptist, the Bruins led by just 10 at the half. UCLA lost the third quarter Oklahoma State, the second quarter against Minnesota and the first half half against Duke.

“We need to put 40 minutes together,” UCLA guard Kiki Rice said. “I think we’re still continuing to get better in that… It’s not about whether shots go in. It’s about how we’re consistently playing and on the defensive end.”

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The Bruins’ offense can become one-dimensional

UCLA forward Angela Dugalic looks to pass around Minnesota guard Mara Braun during a Sweet 16 game on Friday in Sacramento. (Eric Thayer/Los Angeles Times)

UCLA has now survived two games when it didn’t shoot well…

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Publish date : 2026-03-31 02:20:00

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