6. Zach LaVine Two-Steps to the Sweet 16 … But That’s it
Zach LaVine has always been a showman, even during his time with the UCLA Bruins. The 2014 Bruins had a lot of familiar faces, including Norman Powell and Kyle “SlowMo” Anderson. The Bruins were the No. 4 seed in the 2014 March Madness tournament, and made each game more and more difficult for no reason at all.
Their Round of 32 game against Tulsa was nip and tuck. Tulsa was able to pull the game within five points twice in the second half. Tulsa even got the lead down to 57-52 with less than five minutes to play in the game. But each time Tulsa hit UCLA with a run, one of UCLA’s eventual NBA players answered.
UCLA was able to pull away the final four minutes on a jumper by Bryce Alford, a layup by LaVine, and a three-point play by Powell.
But that game took away from UCLA’s legs in their Sweet 16 matchup against the No. 1 seed Florida Gators. The Bruins were outmatched physically, and couldn’t guard the perimeter — a problem that followed each of their eventual draft picks into the league.
UCLA tried to make runs throughout the game, but were effectively shut down each time. The Gators sent UCLA home by a score of 79-68.