UCLA’s Jaime Jaquez Jr. completes practice drills, expected to play vs. North Carolina

Cross one main fear off the record for UCLA.

Jaime Jaquez Jr. will play for the Bruins of their largest sport of the season.

“Jaime goes to strive, guys, I can inform you,” UCLA coach Mick Cronin mentioned Thursday on the eve of his group’s NCAA event East Regional semifinal towards North Carolina. “Until one thing goes dangerous [in practice Thursday], I’d assume he’s going to strive. The query is, can he be efficient?”

Jaquez’s fluid motion through the quarter-hour of open follow Thursday afternoon on the Wells Fargo Middle solely bolstered the notion that the Bruins’ grittiest participant may push his approach by means of the sprained ankle that sidelined him on the finish of the group’s victory over Saint Mary’s final weekend within the second spherical.

Jaquez was coy when requested in regards to the ankle, calling himself everyday. He didn’t follow earlier than the fourth-seeded Bruins (27-7) departed to face the eighth-seeded Tar Heels (26-9). He’s averaging 14 factors and 5.7 rebounds and has been particularly productive recently, together with 21 factors during the last seven video games.

UCLA will seemingly want Jaquez to maintain that manufacturing towards surging North Carolina if it hopes to take one other step towards a second consecutive Closing 4.

Jaquez will seemingly guard North Carolina stretch ahead Brady Manek, who likes to hover across the perimeter and is a serious three-point risk.