The UCLA men's basketball team knocked aside one of the most surprising teams in the NCAA tournament Saturday, punching their ticket to the Sweet 16 with a 92-75 win over UAB.
It will be the second straight Sweet 16 appearance for the 11th-seeded Bruins, who had five players in double figures led by Tony Parker's career-high 28 points and 12 rebounds.
The Bruins (22-13), the team many thought shouldn't had even been in the field of 68, have won six of their last seven games in earning their first consecutive Sweet 16 berths since reaching the Final Four three straight seasons between 2006 and 2008. They will play either Gonzaga or Iowa on Friday in the South Regional semifinal in Houston.
At halftime, the No. 11 seed Bruins led 14th seed University of Alabama Birmingham 46-37 behind a 19-point half from junior Tony Parker. They pulled away at the beginning of the second half and never threatened to lose their lead.
Both teams pulled upsets to advance to the Round of 32. UCLA rallied late against Southern Methodist University in a 60-59 victory Thursday. UAB toppled No. 3 seed Iowa State that day in one of the biggest March Madness surprises of 2015.
UCLA improved No. 11 seeds to a perfect 5-0 against 14 seeds in the NCAA Tournament, and the Bruins dominated inside and shot the ball as well as they have all season.
The Blazers (20-16) missed out on their first regional semifinal since 2004.
