Mick Cronin’s Bruins Set for Surprise Surge: Could This High Seed Spark a March Madness Cinderella Run?

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Full college basketball schedules for this season have yet to be announced, but UCLA currently has 11 non-conference games on the books, with just one road contest against Gonzaga Dec. 13. The Bruins will host Eastern Washington, Pepperdine, West Georgia, Arizona, Sacramento State, Presbyterian, California Berkeley, Arizona State, Cal Poly and UC Riverside. In addition to those 11 contests, UCLA is expected to play 20 Big Ten games, per Monday’s press release.As the leaves start to change and college football huddles its first plays, you might think basketball’s big dance is nowhere near — but hold up, that’s not how the guru Joe Lunardi rolls. The man’s been burning the midnight oil, churning out his 2026 Men’s Bracketology with that sharp, razor-focused eye we all count on. Here’s the kicker: Mick Cronin’s UCLA Bruins are pegged as a No. 4 seed in the South Region, a bold nod that echoes their impressive spot at No. 15 on ESPN’s early top 25 list. Now, you and I both know a bracket like this can turn a fan’s head faster than a fast break, especially when Lunardi drops a hint that UCLA, along with Illinois and Michigan State, could not only make it to the tournament but seriously contend come April. The Bruins prove no strangers to tough competition, and with 11 solid non-conference matchups plus a hefty Big Ten slate looming, the stage is set for a season of high stakes and higher hopes. If you’re craving all the gritty details behind this forecast and what’s in store for Cronin’s squad, you’ll want to dive right in.LEARN MORECronin’s squad posted a 23-11 (13-7 Big Ten) record last season. The Bruins finished fourth in the conference behind Michigan State, Maryland, Michigan and Purdue, though they had the same Big Ten record as both Purdue and Wisconsin. The Bruins are one of 11 Big Ten Conference teams in Lunardi’s latest tournament prediction. Other 4-seeds in the Aug. 26 bracket were Arkansas, Illinois and Auburn. A No. 7 seeded UCLA fell in the second round of last year’s March Madness Tournament to No. 2 Tennessee, 67-58.Lunardi’s latest 2026 Men’s Bracketology, released Tuesday, predicted Mick Cronin’s UCLA Bruins to take a No. 4 seed in the South Region. The Bruins were ranked No. 15 on ESPN’s most recent men’s college basketball early top 25 list, released Aug. 5.  “And UCLA, Illinois and Michigan State could legitimately play in April,” Lunardi wrote in the bracketology’s short introduction.College football season is just getting started, which means the 2026 March Madness tournaments are still months away, but ESPN college basketball analyst Joe Lunardi doesn’t rest.