WEST LAFAYETE, Ind. —
What might go down as the strangest NCAA tournament appearance in UCLA basketball history started with a day of hotel lounging while stuck in quarantine, followed by a ride through the Indiana darkness.
Point guard Tyger Campbell played chess on his iPad and binge-watched YouTube before boarding a bus bound for Purdue’s Mackey Arena, site of the Bruins’ First Four game against Michigan State on Thursday night. By the time the team completed the 75-minute trip from Indianapolis, the statue of John Wooden outside the arena wasn’t much of an attraction.