FACTS & STATS: Site: US Airways Center (18,422) -- Phoenix, Arizona. Television: CBS. NCAA Tournament Record: WKU 18-19, UCLA 96-34. Series Record: First-ever meeting.

GAME NOTES: For the 31st time in school history, the top-seeded UCLA Bruins will take part in the Sweet 16 when they battle the 12th-seeded Western Kentucky Hilltoppers at the US Airways Center in Phoenix. The Hilltoppers opened this tournament with a thrilling, 101-99 overtime victory over Drake. WKU followed that win with a strong, 72-63 victory over San Diego, and now will take part in its first Sweet 16 since 1993. WKU has amassed 29 victories, the second most in school history, and the most by any Sun Belt team in the conference's history. As for the Bruins, they avoided an upset against Texas A&M this past weekend, as UCLA grabbed a thrilling, 51-49 win. It was the 12th win in a row for UCLA, which opened tournament play with an easier, 70-29 victory over Mississippi Valley State. This is the third consecutive Sweet 16 appearance for UCLA, which has 96 tournament wins, second to only Kentucky (100). UCLA's 33 victories is the most in school history, snapping the team's previous record of 32 set during the 1995 National Championship run and the 2006 campaign. This will be the first-ever meeting between the Hilltoppers and Bruins on the hardwood. The winner of this matchup will take on either West Virginia or Xavier in an Elite Eight battle.

The Hilltoppers have performed at a high level offensively all season and are currently producing 77.3 ppg, while shooting 47.6 percent from the floor. Courtney Lee has been outstanding throughout the season and is averaging a whopping 20.5 ppg, while also pacing the team with 61 steals. Lee's backcourt partner Tyrone Brazelton has also been a force throughout the season, netting 13.9 ppg to go along with a team-best 129 assists. In the win over San Diego in the second round, the Hilltoppers continued their strong offensive play, shooting 48.1 percent from the floor, while also connecting on 16-of-21 attempts from the foul line. Lee was sensational in the 72-63 victory, shooting 9-of-15 from the field, finishing the game with 29 points and seven rebounds. Brazelton added 15 points and five assists for WKU, while Jeremy Evans posted nine points, seven boards and five blocks.

The Bruins had a much tougher time in their second round game, slipping past Texas A&M, 51-49. Once again it was UCLA's play defensively that was the main reason for the victory and in the first two contests of this event the Bruins have surrendered just 78 points, the lowest amount of points allowed since 1949 when Oklahoma State surrendered 69 points. Texas A&M shot 43.1 percent from the floor in the contest, but made just 2-of-10 three-point attempts and only 3-of-7 foul shots. At the other end of the floor the Bruins were led by Darren Collison and Kevin Love. Collison poured in 21 points in the victory, while Love posted 19 points, 11 rebounds and seven blocks. Collison has been one of the best guards in the entire nation, netting 15.1 ppg, while also dishing out 3.8 apg. As for Love, he might be a freshman, but he roams the paint like a senior and is currently averaging 17.3 ppg and 10.6 rpg. Josh Shipp and Russell Westbrook have also made solid contributions on the season, scoring 12.4 and 12.3 ppg, respectively. As a whole, the Bruins are producing 73.3 ppg, and have dominated the glass, outrebounding the opposition by 8.4 rpg.

The Bruins did not play their best this past weekend, but survived. Expect UCLA to return to top form, which does not bode well for the 12th-seeded Hilltoppers.

Predicted Outcome

UCLA 69, Western Kentucky 55