In the final minute of UCLA’s First Four overtime victory over Michigan State on Thursday, Johnny Juzang suffered an injury that looked bad. Juzang had his ankle rolled after contact from a Michigan State player, and went down on the ground in serious pain. Juzang’s UCLA teammates helped him walk off the floor, but he was unable to put any weight on the ankle.
A slower look at Johnny juzang’s injury pic.twitter.com/Y9F2LU50VN
— Troy Machir (@TroyMachir) March 19, 2021
Juzang’s status for the Bruins’ first-round game against the BYU Cougars was very much in question, but the sophomore felt good enough to give it a go. And either the ankle fully healed quite quickly, or Juzang did an incredible job to shake off any pain.
The sophomore guard — and Kentucky transfer — scored a game-high 27 points to lead No. 11 seed UCLA to an impressive 73-62 victory over No. 6 seed BYU on Saturday. The Bruins were a 3.5-point underdog.
Juzang made 10-of-16 shots from the field (3-of-7 on threes), and went 4-of-5 from the charity stripe. His shooting was particularly deadly in the first half.
Johnny Juzang can't miss 🎯
He's got 17 in the first half pic.twitter.com/gmIRyMgkNw
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) March 21, 2021
Three-point shooting was the difference in this one. The Bruins made 8-of-19 threes (42.1%), while the Cougars made just 3-of-17 triples.
After losing four straight games and being left on the bubble entering Selection Sunday, the Bruins have pulled off consecutive upset victories and look much more like the team they looked capable of being throughout the season. UCLA is much more talented than your typical 11-seed, and they look very capable of making a deep run in the tournament.
