Underdogs always look good on paper.
UCLA had upset the No. 1 team in the nation four years running,
a veritable tradition for the Bruins. The stars seemed to have
aligned themselves perfectly for Saturday’s showdown with
Stanford: UCLA was at home, coming off one of its better
performances of the season. On the other hand, the Cardinal had
struggled in its game against USC. Stanford was undefeated, a
perfect 22-0. They had to lose one, didn’t they?
Make that 23.
The student section, uniformly clad in blue wigs, seemed
dismayed as the final seconds ticked off the clock. But maybe they
should have been happy, because UCLA learned a great deal about
itself with the loss.
The game served not to continue a Bruin tradition of defeating
No. 1 teams, but rather as a way to establish something new. UCLA
under Lavin was a cheap thrill. Those wins over the top teams in
the country felt great and looked good on SportsCenter, but in the
end, where did that path lead?
The unpredictable Bruins of years past had, it seemed, all the
talent in the world without any of the motivation. These new
Bruins, the ones Ben Howland will have to mold, are going in a
completely different direction. Howland demands aggressiveness on
defense and patience on offense. What he demands, basically, is
that UCLA start playing a lot more like Stanford.
“I know coach (Howland) loves how Stanford plays,”
senior Jon Crispin said after the game. “They play smart,
physical . They’re a coach’s dream.”
Crispin, who made his first start this year and played the most
significant minutes of his UCLA career, recognized the
metamorphosis UCLA is making.
“We’re in a transition stage right now. It’s
more about business this year. We do recognize that we’re
building something,” he said.
“We’re playing a lot harder, because we’ve got
guys out there that care,” he added later.
If the Bruins are going to return to the level of a
national-caliber program again, they might as well take Stanford as
a blueprint. The Cardinal adapted to every look UCLA offered, and
withstood every rally the Bruins could muster.
The Bruins put up a reasonable effort, even leading at one point
midway through the first half. But then Stanford slapped on a zone,
UCLA went cold and the game was over. Stanford made their shots,
especially Matt Lottich, who hit four three-pointers. Rob Little
scored inside easily and often against soft post defense.
The Bruins didn’t.
The Cardinal took apart UCLA with a methodical ease befitting
the top team in the country. But Crispin still wouldn’t say
that Stanford was flat-out better.
“I honestly believe we have more talent than them.
It’s just that they don’t make mistakes, and we
do,” he said.
For years the Bruins got by on little more than smoke and
mirrors. They had the talent, but not the will. But no longer.
Perhaps Crispin’s assertion is overly optimistic, because it
is probably a lack of talent that keeps this UCLA team from pulling
off the miracle upset.
Seemingly the only thing this team does well is find ways to
lose.
But Howland is slowly establishing the discipline required to
turn a bottom-dweller into a powerhouse. Maybe one day some other
Pac-10 team will play the role of spoiler to UCLA’s perfect
season.
Until then, the Bruins will have to take their licks and learn
from them.
I still say Stanford is going down in the Elite Eight.
Gilbert Quiñonez’s column, which normally appears
in this spot on Mondays, will print later this week. E-mail Yuhl at
cyuhl@media.ucla.edu.