No. 4 UCLA is just over 24 hours away from squaring off against No. 8 North Carolina in the Sweet 16 , and they still don't know if they'll have star guard Jaime Jaquez available. The First-Team All-Pac-12 player suffered an ankle injury during the Bruins' 72-56 win over No. 5 Saint Mary's in the Round of 32, and despite having nearly one week between contests, Jaquez's status may go down to the wire.
UCLA's Jaime Jaquez (ankle) told reporters that he's "day-to-day" entering Friday's Sweet 16 game against North Carolina.
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) March 24, 2022
Would be shocked if Jaquez doesn't play.
Averaging 15 PPG, 5 RPG, and 3 APG in his first two NCAA Tournament games.
During Saturday's victory over the Gaels, Jaquez finished with 15 points and two assists on 6-of-11 shooting. The guard went for 15 points, a team-high nine rebounds and a game-best six assists when UCLA knocked off No. 13 Akron in the opening round on March 17.
Jaquez led the Bruins in rebounds (5.7) and steals per game (1.2) and was second in both points (14.0) and assists per contest (2.3) this season.
The survivor of the Bruins-Tar Heels matchup will take on the winner of No. 3 Purdue vs. No. 15 Saint Peter's in the Elite Eight.
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