UCLA Bruins’ Johnny Juzang Joins Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in Historic March Madness Record

The UCLA Bruins are no longer in the NCAA’s March Madness tournament, but they left with a bang. Led by sophomore guard Johnny Juzang, they had a superb Cinderella run which took them to the Final Four.

The Asian American star joined the Bruins on a transfer from Kentucky this season. After a superb regular season, he continued his form in the NCAA tournament and broke a few records on the way. In the six games they played, Juzang scored a mammoth 137 points. This is the second-highest total of all-time in Bruins history for the first six games.

He is only second to Lew Alcindor, also known as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Juzang overtook Bill Walton, a Hall of Famer and UCLA great, by 20 points. Being mentioned along with these legendary players is a tremendous achievement for Juzang.

Looking back at Johnny Juzang’s exploits in the March Madness tournament

The Bruins started their 2020 March Madness campaign with a game against the Michigan State Spartans. Right from the first game, Juzang started firing. It was a close six-point win for them, and he scored 23 points while shooting 9-20 from the field.

In their next game against the BYU Cougars, he continued his scoring form, putting up 27 points on just 10-16 shooting. While some of his other teammates struggled, Juzang stepped up and got the win.

The Bruins faced the Abilene Christian Wildcats and the Alabama Crimson Tide next. Juzang wasn’t at his best and had two inefficient nights, but they still managed to win both games.

But when UCLA was up against the Michigan Wolverines in their biggest game of the season, Juzang showed that he was a big-game player. He crushed their defense by scoring 28 points while shooting 11-19 from the field. No one predicted them to overcome the Wolverines, but the Bruins had other ideas.

Juzang saved his best for the last and had an outstanding performance in what became the Bruins’ last game in the tournament. He scored 29 points off 12-18 shooting against the mighty Gonzaga Bulldogs. Sadly, they just fell short by three points, and their incredible journey came to an end.

Will Juzang stay for another season with the UCLA Bruins?

The season has now ended, and the Bruins will be looking at their future plans. The biggest question will be if Juzang chooses to stay another year, or bank on his March Madness form and enter the draft. There is a good chance he could become the first Asian American to be a lottery pick if he declares this season. GMs will have their eyes on him after his excellent 2020-21 campaign.

So the young star has a big decision to make in the coming days, and Bruins fans will be hoping they see more of him in a UCLA jersey.

ALSO READ – Seven Teams Who Dominated NCAA Basketball With Unbeaten Championship Runs