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With any NCAA Tournament semifinal there are some stats and trends to know before the match begins — and this year is no exception.
Check out this breakdown of the upcoming NCAA Tournament semifinal matches.
No. 1 seed BYU (26-3, 19-3 MPSF) vs. No. 4 seed Long Beach State (25-7, 17-5 MPSF)
Match vitals: 6 p.m. in University Park, Pennsylvania
Season series: Tied at 1-1
All-time series: BYU leads 31-25
NCAA Tournament record: BYU (8-3); Long Beach State (13-7)
Last NCAA Tournament title: BYU (2004); Long Beach State (1991)
Last NCAA Tournament appearance: BYU (2014); Long Beach State (2008)
How they got here: BYU (won the MPSF Tournament to earn conference’s automatic bid); Long Beach State (defeated Erskine in the NCAA Tournament play-in match)
Historical stats to know: This is the second time since the NCAA Tournament expanded to six teams in 2014 that two West Coast teams will play each other in the semifinals. In addition, this is the first time since 1972 that three West Coast schools have qualified for the NCAA Tournament semifinals. Long Beach State is 3-7 all-time against West Coast schools in the NCAA Tournament, including two losses to BYU in the NCAA finals. The only time BYU qualified for the NCAA Tournament and failed to reach the NCAA finals was its last NCAA Tournament appearance in 2014.
No. 2 UCLA (25-6, 17-5 MPSF) vs. No. 3 seed Ohio State (29-2, 15-1 MIVA)
Match vitals: 8 p.m. in University Park, Pennsylvania
Season series: UCLA leads 1-0
All-time series: UCLA leads 1-18
NCAA Tournament record: UCLA (52-7); Ohio State (9-22)
Last NCAA Tournament title: UCLA (2006); Ohio State (2011)
Last NCAA Tournament appearance: UCLA (2006); Ohio State (2011)
How they got here: UCLA (earned the first at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament) Ohio State (defeated George Mason in the NCAA Tournament play-in match)
Historical stats to know: Coach John Speraw is 6-1 in NCAA Tournament matches during his coaching career. However, that one loss came at Rec Hall against UCLA when he was the head coach at UC Irvine. The Bruins have never lost a NCAA Tournament semifinal match in their 25 previous NCAA Tournament appearances. Ohio State outside attacker Nicolas Szerszen was named the AVCA National Player of the Year on Wednesday. Teams with that season’s National Player of the Year on their roster are a combined 4-3 in NCAA Tournament matches during the last five years. The Buckeyes are 3-15 all-time in NCAA Tournament semifinal matches, including eight losses to the Bruins. The No. 3 seed, though, has defeated the No. 2 seed in every NCAA Tournament semifinal match since the field expanded to six teams in 2014.