Monday, March 10, 1997
TOURNAMENT:
Bruins will face Charleston Southern in first roundBy Melissa
Anderson
Daily Bruin Staff
Once again, the UCLA men’s basketball team will take to the road
in the first round of the NCAA tournament. What the Bruins won’t be
doing this year, however, is making excuses.
After sweeping the Washington schools this weekend, there was
speculation that UCLA might have played its way to a No. 2 seed in
the West region. Instead, the Bruins will head to Auburn Hills,
Mich. as the second seed in the Midwest and a first round match-up
against 15th-seeded Charleston Southern Thursday at the Palace.
Last year, the Pac-10 champions suffered a similar fate. A
four-seed in the Southeast, a load of complaints from players about
the unfairness of the selection committee and ultimately a
humiliating loss to Princeton in the first round.
But make no mistake about it, this is not the same team or the
same scenario.
"What we’re really happy about is the fact that we got a
two-seed," UCLA head coach Steve Lavin said. "I told the players we
shouldn’t really concern ourselves over what region we go to.
That’s something we can’t really control. You want a favorable seed
and what we got is a favorable seed."
What the Bruins also got was a first-round game against a team
which no one knows much about. Charleston Southern received a bid
by winning the Big South tournament, but the Buccaneers’ (16-13,
7-7 Big South) most notable victory was an 85-81 win at South
Carolina in December.
"They didn’t get much exposure, but I heard they are a dangerous
team," UCLA guard Toby Bailey said. "They beat South Carolina, so
we are just going to go out there and play hard."
In a sign of maturation from the players, who have been through
everything this season from the firing of head coach Jim Harrick,
to the school’s worst-ever loss at Stanford, to three-peating as
Pac-10 champions, there were no complaints or signs of
disappointment at the announcement of the seeds. Just a desire to
keep winning.
"We were extremely upset last year. We thought we were robbed,
like they owed us something," senior Charles O’Bannon said. "This
year, we are actually excited that we are in the tournament. It’s
not a concern that we’re getting shipped away."
"We’re excited," agreed junior Kris Johnson. "We get to travel,
go across country to Michigan, the Palace, Auburn Hills. I kind of
didn’t want to go back to Arizona (site of the first round in the
West region). We’ve played there. I want something new. I’m glad to
go there."