UCLA men's basketball is gearing up for its first-ever Big Ten Tournament. Fortunately for the Bruins, they have set themselves up in a pretty comfortable spot, having clinched a double bye with their win over USC on Saturday.

March’s mad grip fastened its knot on the Bruins on Friday afternoon.  It was a reminder that heartache can strike year after year, and destiny’s hand can drag one back to a familiar stop.  About a year removed from their heartbreaker against the Ducks – one that prematurely fractured the Bruins’ season – an eerily similar trajectory awaited.

The Badgers face UCLA in a Big Ten tournament quarterfinal at Gainbridge Fieldhouse at (approximately) 1:30 p.m. The Bruins defeated the Badgers, 85-83, at Pauley Pavilion on Jan. 21. John Blackwell’s last-second attempt to tie the game was blocked and UCLA snapped the Badgers’ seven-game winning streak.