LAS VEGAS, Nev. – The No. 2-seed UCLA men's basketball team returned to Las Vegas early Tuesday evening and met with reporters during a media session at T-Mobile Arena on Wednesday afternoon.
 
The Bruins (31-5) will return to action against No. 3-seed Gonzaga (30-5) in the NCAA Tournament's Sweet 16 on Thursday. Game time at T-Mobile Arena is scheduled for 6:45 p.m. (PT). The Bruins' game will begin approximately 30 minutes after the conclusion of the regional semifinal between Arkansas and UConn.
 
Bruins' head coach Mick Cronin and Amari Bailey, Tyger Campbell and Jaime Jaquez Jr. spoke to the media in a press conference format on Wednesday at T-Mobile Arena.
 
This marks the sixth season in the last 10 years in which UCLA's program has advanced to the Sweet 16 (that's six appearances in the last nine NCAA Tournaments, as the NCAA Tournament was canceled in 2020 due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 virus).
 
UCLA will be facing Gonzaga for the third consecutive season – and for the second time in the last three NCAA Tournaments. The Bruins lost a regular-season contest to Gonzaga, 83-63, in Nov. 2021 in Las Vegas. Gonzaga edged UCLA in overtime, 93-90, in the NCAA Final Four in April of 2021.
 
"Great to be back," said Bruins' head coach Mick Cronin. "Obviously we're happy to be here – not easy to get here. There's only 16 of us left. We take the opportunity very seriously. So we're not here for vacation. Everything we work for is hopefully to win four more games – got to find a way to win tomorrow night. I have great respect for our opponent. Obviously, we've played them the last couple of years. Everybody knows about the Final Four game, so have great respect for them."
 
The Bruins advanced to the Sweet 16 after winning back-to-back games last week against No. 15-seed UNC Ashville on Thursday night and No. 7-seed Northwestern on Saturday at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento.
 
UCLA earned a No. 2 seed in the tournament's West Region after having advanced to the Pac-12 Tournament championship game in Las Vegas (March 9-11) at the same venue, T-Mobile Arena.
 
For UCLA's seniors, the group has led the Bruins to a third consecutive Sweet 16 appearance. UCLA advanced from the First Four to the Final Four during the 2020-21 season, when the NCAA Tournament was played in a "bubble" format in the state of Indiana – primarily in Indianapolis. Last season, the Bruins won their first- and second-round matchups in Portland before losing to North Carolina in the Sweet 16 at Wells Fargo Arena in Philadelphia.
 
UCLA's seniors have helped the Bruins' program to a 9-2 record through three consecutive NCAA Tournament. In addition, UCLA is one of just four schools in the nation, along with Gonzaga, Arkansas and Houston, to have advanced to the tournament's Sweet 16 in 2021, 2022 and 2023.
 
"It becomes surreal for me," Jaquez Jr. said, in reference to the attention UCLA has received and the success the program has generated "I think Tyger and Amari can speak to that as well. I think it's hard. Me and Tyger talk a lot after games about just trying to understand and realize the bigger picture, taking ourselves out of our shoes and looking at what we've really done as a group together. We look back, and we're proud of what we've accomplished so far. Obviously, we're still here. We're still playing and we've got a lot more to do. But when we look back, we're very proud of the effort and hard work that we put in to building this program to what it is today."
 
Thursday's national semifinal between UCLA and Gonzaga will be televised on CBS, with Kevin Harlan, Dan Bonner and Stan Van Gundy on the call. Lauren Shehadi will serve as the network's sideline reporter.
 
UCLA's game will be broadcast on AM 1150 radio in the greater Los Angeles area, with the Bruins' radio team of Josh Lewin and Tracy Murray calling the action. Westwood One Radio will also provide Thursday evening's national radio broadcast, as Ryan Radtke and P.J. Carlesimo will have the call from T-Mobile Arena.