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UCLA Bruins junior guard Jaylen Clark has suffered a season-ending injury after tearing his Achilles in the second half of Saturday’s game against Arizona, the Bruins’ final game of the regular season.
BREAKING: UCLA’s Jaylen Clark is out for the rest of the season with an Achilles injury, source told @Stadium.
— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanHoops) March 8, 2023
Brutal blow to the Bruins hopes of going deep in the NCAA tourney.
Clark is arguably the best defender in the country, also emerged as a solid third scoring option.
The Bruins are the No. 1 seed in the Pac-12 tournament and are projected to get a top seed in the NCAA Tournament, as well. Clark has been a key defensive player for the Bruins all season and is the second-highest scorer on the team, averaging 13 points per game. He leads the team in steals with 2.6 per game, and is the second-best rebounder on the team, grabbing six boards per game.
Clark will be an enormous loss for UCLA in the Pac-12 tournament as well as the NCAA Tournament. They may take a hit in seeding in his absence, especially if they’re unable to reach the conference championship game. The Bruins will take on the winner of Washington vs. Colorado in their first tournament game.