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The UCLA Bruins have been on and off the NCAA Tournament bubble throughout the 2012-13 season, but it looks like they've locked up a spot to go dancing after defeating the No. 11 Arizona Wildcats 74-69 on March 2. Now sitting at 23-8 overall, the Bruins hold the No. 1 spot for the Pac-12 Conference tournament.
According to Eamonn Brennan of ESPN.com, UCLA defeating Arizona twice this season gives the Bruins the credentials for the postseason tournament:
Say what you want about the Wildcats -- and you can start with the fact that a team with Final Four aspirations has played league-average Pac-12 defense -- but two wins over this Arizona team is still nonetheless impressive.
A 73-71 loss to Washington State four days after defeating Arizona didn't exactly help the cause. The Bruins will be chastised for losses like this (keep in mind the Cougars are 4-14 in conference play), but the résumé is still good enough at this point. A strong showing in the conference tournament will prove their worth.
Joe Lunardi currently has UCLA as a No. 7 seed in his bracket.
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