UCLA women enjoy 'home-court advantage' during Final Four run
UCLA women enjoy 'home-court advantage' during Final Four run
Marcus D. Smith, USA TODAYWed, April 1, 2026 at 10:08 AM UTC
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SACRAMENTO, CA ― UCLA has felt right at home during its second consecutive Women's NCAA Tournament run to a Final Four.
The Bruins lucked out, being the only team in the Final Four that hasn't had to change time zones throughout March Madness.
UCLA has played every round in the Pacific time zone, beginning with the first and second rounds on their home court at Pauley Pavilion in Los Angeles.
The Sweet 16 and Elite Eight were played in Sacramento, California, which is a little more than an hour flight or a five- to six-hour drive. Again, Bruins fans, students and alumni traveled to pack the Golden 1 Center. They "showed up and showed out."
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The Alabama bench celebrate after a big three-point shot by Alabama Crimson Tide guard Karly Weathers (22) in the fourth quarter against Louisville during the 2026 NCAA Women's March Madness Second Round basketball at the KFC Yum Center In Louisville, Ky. Weathers finished with 13 points. March 23, 2026.
In their Elite Eight game against Duke, there were 9,627 people in attendance, nearly half the max capacity of Golden 1 Center. Still, it sounded as if it were jam-packed for a Sacramento Kings game the way fans cheered for their SoCal squad.
It served the Bruins well on the court. They were down in the contest against Duke but fed off the energy of the friendly fans to stage a comeback and ultimately take a lead in the second half which they never relinquished.
"Just tremendous," UCLA forward Angela Dugalic told USA TODAY Sports about the crowd presence. "I'm so happy that we got an opportunity to play. It just felt like a home-court advantage. Honestly. In fact, we were able to play in California. I know it's a little bit away from LA, but it just still felt like a homecoming advantage."
Dugalic scored 15 points against Duke. She was able to channel to energy of UCLA fans and apply it to the court. She had a determined look all game and was dialed in, shooting 7-of-13, 53% from the field.
"Thank you for everyone who came in and showed up and showed out for us. And I know some people obviously couldn't make it. It's a long Friday flight for some people," Dugalic said. "... but it just really is such a blessing the fact that we were able to play in front of our fans and our crowd."
But UCLA isn't new to playing in Sacramento or Golden 1 Center. They had a trial run during a non-conference Nov. 10 game against Oklahoma, holding it in California's capital city.
For what it's worth, the Bruins won 73-59. And yes, UCLA fans were rambunctiously loud in rooting for their team.
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UCLA head coach Cori Close believes being so close helped the team with preparation and being familiar with their surroundings.
"It was palpable, right? When we walked out, the energy in the building, and we're really thankful to Sacramento for being great hosts," Close told USA TODAY following their win against Duke. "But also what they did with us, we had a game fall through with Oklahoma that was supposed to be played in New York, and we decided we were going to bring it here, and that they got behind that game in November.
"There was a familiarity. We stayed at the same hotel. We had the same rhythms, you know, and ... we were really planning intentionally for what it was going to be like here."
This isn't your ordinary college basketball team. They get support from all over, because their players are from all over. Dugalic, for example, is Serbian but grew up in northwest Chicago. Her brother, Milos Dugalic, texted her she said, as he tuned in with his pro team in Bristol, England. Her teammate Lena Bilić is Croatian.
"I can proudly say that we're international or worldwide," Dugalic said.
And that worldwide support should give them a leg up during the Final Four in Phoenix, Arizona, on April 3.
Los Angeles is literally a hop, skip and a jump away from Phoenix. Pick your mode of transportation. It takes about 90 minutes to fly and driving can be around six hours, maybe less if you do it right.
UCLA anticipates using their proximity will be an advantage and looks forward to their crowd arriving in bunches during the Final Four, and potentially, a national championship.
"It was really fun to just have the energy and the people behind us," Close said following their Elite Eight win against Duke on March 29. "I got to share a moment with Denise Curry and Debbie Halliday, and who are part of the '78 and '79 teams that also went to back to back Final Four's when it was AIAW, and want to give them their flowers.
"It's really only meaningful if you get to share it with genuine people. And I thought that having it here in Sacramento brought a different meaning, because we were able to share it with people that we really care about, and we know that people that helped us get here."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: UCLA enjoys home-court advantage during Women's NCAA Tournament
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