The best part about March Madness is the upsets, and the 2021 edition has had plenty. Neutral fans love to watch unfancied teams make deep runs, and the UCLA Bruins are this year’s Cinderella. Last night, they defeated the Michigan Wolverines, who were a favorite to win the title.

In what was supposed to be a seeding mismatch, the #11 seed Bruins pipped the #1 seed, the Wolverines, by one point. After the win, Hall of Famer and Bruins legend, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, congratulated his alma mater. “I loved watching every minute of the game tonight,” he wrote on Twitter.

He recollected the UCLA vs Michigan clash from back in 1965 when he was in high school. The Bruins cruised to an 11-point win in that game, and Kareem wanted something similar tonight. Instead, it was a nail-biting game, but the Bruins prevailed ultimately.

Jabbar also called pointed out how Charles Barkley was wrong for his predictions. In the pre-game analysis, Barkley had said that the Wolverines were too big for the Bruins to deal with. So he fancied the #1 seed to overcome the #11 seed. However, the Bruins proved that size is only a number, and heart matters more when winning the game.

UCLA Bruins upset the Michigan Wolverines in March Madness thriller

The Wolverines entered the tournament as one of the favorites. They had an impressive season until this game. Led by coach Juwan Howard, the Wolverines won the Big Ten regular-season title after being predicted to finish ninth.

So they came into the tie as the obvious favorites, but the Bruins didn’t care for the ranking disparity. They played solid defense right from the start, and despite being a low-scoring game, they provided entertainment throughout the match.

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Although it was not his career-high, sophomore guard Johnny Juzang had the most important game of his career last night. He scored 28 points while shooting 11-19 from the field to win the game for the Bruins. The Bruins bench scored zero points, so Juzang’s clutch performance gave them the momentum they needed.

The Bruins also forced 14 turnovers, which was because of their terrific defensive effort. So Juzang’s 28 points and their defensive discipline helped the Bruins to upset the Wolverines.

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