UCLA women’s basketball should have chip on shoulder as NCAA Tournament starts Saturday

It might be the closest thing to a super team that women’s college basketball has seen in years.

Six players who might be selected in the first round of the 2026 WNBA draft, including a possible national player of the year and five teammates with their own super powers.

Is it enough to carry UCLA to its first NCAA championship?

Depends.

Lots of things need to go right this time of year besides having the most talent.

As the top-seeded Bruins prepare to open the NCAA Tournament on Saturday evening at Pauley Pavilion against Cal Baptist, they must stay locked in on their mission to add another banner to go with the 1978 AIAW one that’s been collecting dust.

Just having potential first-round picks Lauren Betts, Kiki Rice, Gabriela Jaquez, Gianna Kneepkens, Charlisse Leger-Walker and Angela Dugalic walk out onto the court isn’t going to be enough. This team needs to fully commit to making history.

Here are five things that UCLA needs to go all the way:

Have a chip to get one

Classy as always, the Bruins did not voice any displeasure after being passed over for the top overall seed.

They had every right to be angry.

UCLA (31-1) played a far stronger schedule than UConn (34-0) did, logged 19 Quad 1 victories compared to the Huskies’ nine and went unbeaten in the nation’s best conference while winning their conference tournament championship game by a record 51 points.

Should these teams meet in a Final Four rematch, the Bruins should use that disrespect as fuel to play with an edge against the defending national champions.

Shooters keep shooting

Perhaps the biggest difference between this year’s team and the one that lost to UConn a year ago is having so many shooters to surround Rice.

Kneepkens is making 44.2 percent of her 3-pointers and Jaquez isn’t far behind at 41.1 percent. Add Leger-Walker, who has made a respectable 36.4 percent of her shots from long range, and opponents have no choice but to stay locked in on the perimeter.

That’s opened driving lanes for Rice that weren’t there before, allowing her to get to the rim.

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Betts avoids foul trouble

There might be only one thing that can stop the nation’s most dominant player: a whistle.

Fouls could limit the star center’s playing time, allowing opponents to remain within striking distance while gaining confidence in their upset hopes.

Betts hasn’t fouled out of any games this season, but if she picks up two fouls in the first half there’s a good chance she might be sitting until halftime.

Don’t get behind big early

One common theme in UCLA’s last two losses – against Texas in late November and UConn in the 2025 Final Four – was falling into a huge early hole.

They fell behind by 15 early in the second quarter against the Longhorns. It was a similar story against the Huskies, with the Bruins trailing by 14 points early in the second quarter.

It’s going to be hard to come back from such a big deficit against any team, let alone one of the best in the country. UCLA can’t put itself in that position again.

Sienna Betts shines

The little sister of Lauren Betts came up big in the Big Ten championship game.

Sienna Betts’ 14-point, seven-rebound, five-assist performance in only 18 minutes against Iowa might have heralded the arrival of a star freshman who didn’t make her season debut until mid-December because of a leg injury.

Betts had enjoyed pockets of productivity but never displayed the sort of all-around dominance she did against the Hawkeyes. If she can give the Bruins that kind of lift in the NCAA Tournament, then an already deep team will be practically impossible to beat.

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