Guard play in the NCAA tournament and its importance to success is a March Madness tale as old as time.

For the UCLA men’s basketball team, it’s been a matter of consistency throughout the 2024-25 season.

Now, as the seventh-seeded Bruins prepare for Thursday’s opening-round contest against 10th-seeded Utah State at Rupp Arena in Lexington, Ky., the backcourt — particularly on offense — will be back under the microscope.