UCLA received the fourth seed in the East Region of the NCAA men’s basketball tournament and will face 13th-seeded University of Akron in a first-round game tonight in Portland, Ore.
Oddsmakers have made the Bruins a 13 1/2-point to 15-point favorite. The ABC News-owned data prediction website FiveThirtyEight.com gives UCLA a 93-percent chance of winning.
The Bruins (25-7) are the overall 13th seed in the 68-team tournament. The Zips (24-9) are the 54th overall seed.
Since the tournament expanded to 64 teams in 1985, the fourth seeds have a 113-31 record against the 13th seeds in the first round.
The Bruins will be making their 51st appearance in the NCAA tournament, although their 1980 and 1999 appearances were vacated because of NCAA penalties. UCLA reached its 19th Final Four last year, with its 1980 appearance vacated.
Akron won the Mid-American Conference Tournament to be assured of reaching the tournament for the first time since 2013 and the fifth time since becoming a Division I school in 1980.
The game is set to begin at approximately 6:50 p.m. and will be televised on TBS.
