:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/72077959/usa_today_20129984.0.jpg "Jaylen Clark injury: Status for UCLA guard for 2023 NCAA Tournament")
The UCLA Bruins head into the 2023 NCAA Tournament as the No. 2 seed in the West region. They came up short against Arizona in the Pac-12 Championship but still had a 29-5 record this season. The Bruins were among the top teams nationally all season and will look to cut down the nets for the first time since 1995.
UCLA is known for its strong guard play. Junior Jaylen Clark played in 30 games this season and averaged 13 points, six rebounds, 1.9 assists and 2.6 steals per game. Clark suffered an ankle injury in the regular season finale against Arizona. It was ruled an Achilles injury and caused the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year to miss the Pac-12 Conference Tournament.
Jaylen Clark injury updates
Initially, Clark was just ruled out for the conference tournament. Since then, it has been reported that Clark is done for the year because of the Achilles injury. The Bruins will now rely on Jaime Jaquez Jr., Tyger Campbell and Amari Bailey as they try to make a deep tournament run. They begin by taking on No. 15 UNC Asheville on Thursday, March 16 at 10:05 p.m. ET.