UCLA's Savage Reflects Following Shocking NCAA Tournament Loss

In truly stunning fashion, the UCLA Bruins were defeated in the Los Angeles Regional in the NCAA Tournament at the hands of Saint Mary's.

The Bruins entered the tournament as the No. 1 overall seed and amongst the favorites to take home the title at the end of this year's postseason. Now, they won't even get the chance to compete in the College World Series, going home after just three games.

"They had a wonderful career that came to a harsh ending, but you can't take away what they did, and they left this place in a much better place than when they found it. We've had championship teams, we've been preseason No. 1 before. We've been the number one seed before. At the end of the day, we didn't play up to our standards and didn't get it done. That's where we're at," Savage added.

This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/ucla as UCLA's Savage Reflects Following Shocking NCAA Tournament Loss.

Copyright ABG-SI LLC. SPORTS ILLUSTRATED is a registered trademark of ABG-SI LLC. All Rights Reserved.

This story was originally published June 3, 2026 at 6:00 AM.