Thursday, March 13, 1997
UCLA:
Team propelled by unity, leadership of Dollar, O’BannonBy Hye
Kwon
Daily Bruin Staff
Having won its last nine games over tournament-bound Pac-10
opponents like Stanford, Arizona and USC, as well as second-seeded
Duke, the UCLA men’s basketball team heads into the NCAA Tournament
as one of the hottest teams in the nation.
One huge reason why is the play of Charles O’Bannon, who stepped
up his game as the Bruins (21-7) got hot. In UCLA’s current winning
streak, O’Bannon has averaged 19.9 points and 8.3 rebounds.
"We have this confidence when we step on the court," O’Bannon
said. "It’s not a cockiness like we had at the beginning of the
season. It’s confidence that if we play together, we’re going to
win. The five guys on the court, whoever they may be, won’t outplay
the five guys that we have."
The Bruins have averaged 81 points per outing in their winning
streak, but they feel that they have room to improve when they hit
the floor in the Palace at Auburn Hills.
"I still think our best basketball is ahead of us," UCLA head
coach Steve Lavin said. "I don’t think we’re hitting on all
cylinders yet, and that’s the exciting thing."
UCLA is also one of the most experienced teams at the Big Dance.
The Bruins, led by O’Bannon and Cameron Dollar’s eight postseason
appearances apiece, have combined to play 40 games in the NCAA
Tournament.
To beat UCLA, teams will most likely force the Bruins to play a
half-court game and shoot from the outside. Most recently, Oregon
utilized this strategy and almost pulled off an upset in Pauley
Pavilion on March 1.
"We know we are going to face a few zones. We expect that,"
O’Bannon said. "But whatever defense a team throws at us, I think
because of the way we are sharing the ball, we are going to do
well."
Adding fuel to UCLA’s desire to succeed, a remark by CBS
basketball analyst Quinn Buckner has given the Bruins extra
incentive. Buckner remarked on national television that he was
surprised that the tournament selection committee placed UCLA as
the No. 2 seed in the Midwest.
"Everybody has their own opinion," McCoy said. "That’s his
opinion. If we’re not ready to play, then we have no business
playing basketball. (The tournament) is what this whole season’s
about. We’re going to go out there and play basketball."