Dear Desmon, I just wanted to send you a thank-you note for
allowing UCLA to enter the Pac-10 tournament. Sometimes, with the
crosstown rivalry, what’s really important gets lost ““
and that is the fact that both L.A.-area schools should be at the
Pac-10 tournament in Staples Center. With your 24-point
contribution in USC’s 63-60 win over Oregon State, you
eliminated the Beavers and allowed the Bruins to enter as the
seventh seed. On behalf of all Bruin fans, thank you again.
Graciously yours, The UCLA fan
And so, UCLA is in. This, after losing 13 of its last 15 games
… after seemingly losing hope and heart … after playing a style
more characteristic of the Lavin era. So does UCLA really deserve
to be in? More than anything, the Bruins seemed to back their way
into the tournament, instead of heading in with all gears clicking.
The Bruins benefited from a weak Pac-10 with so much parity that
Washington State nearly beat undefeated Stanford and Washington
finished with the second seed. How else do you explain the
Cardinal’s first loss of the season to the Huskies, a team
that UCLA swept this year? Over the past few weeks, UCLA has looked
like a stumbling boxer that has been knocked down one too many
times. They’re back on their heels, wildly flailing about,
hoping to simply land a punch. And they almost connected with one
against Oregon. Janou Rubin’s game-winning attempt from half
court was just an inch or two off, and UCLA once again came up just
short. Stanford, UCLA is not. But this was an atypical Bruin
performance, because for the first time in a long while, UCLA
actually fought and showed they wanted the win. They punched away
balls, wrestled Ducks for steals and hustled down rebounds. This
time, it wasn’t heart, but intelligence and consistency UCLA
lacked. UCLA had a fairly good offensive game, shooting 47 percent
from the field and with solid flow. But it was the Duck blitzkrieg
coming out of half time that stole this win away from the Bruins.
Trailing by six, Oregon scored 18 points in the first four minutes
of the half. Comparatively speaking, Oregon only scored 23 points
in all 20 minutes of the first half Those first four minutes of the
second half ultimately determined the outcome of the game. Oregon
came out aggressively and rained three-pointers. Not that UCLA
helped itself much. Memo to center Ryan Hollins: okay, sure, you
fouled a guy on a three-point attempt once. But to do it again on
the ensuing possession? Has that ever occurred in the history of
basketball? Have you ever heard of the saying, “Fool me once,
shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.” Oh, forget it.
Then, the stupid plays. The telegraphed and tipped passes were
numerous. Leaving any Oregon Duck open behind the arch isn’t
smart, either. Not getting back on defense, allowing Oregon to run
like it wants. And the kicker, Trevor Ariza going for the steal and
fouling probable Pac-10 Player of the Year Luke Jackson with 13
seconds left and the Bruins up by one. That said, give credit where
credit is due. Ariza played his heart out, battling with his
undersized frame in the post to get four offensive boards. Point
guard Cedric Bozeman controlled the flow nicely, and even made a
tough shot over a seven-footer that gave UCLA its last lead. And as
a whole, UCLA looked like it was game for stealing the win. But
once again, the Bruins came up just short, and as a result, UCLA
needed help to get into the Pac-10 tournament instead of
controlling its own destiny. Instead of being able to watch the
Tobacco Road rivalry in peace on Saturday evening, any UCLA
basketball fans left out there ““ and probably the men’s
team itself ““ had to actually root for USC to pull out the
win over the Beavers. The irony is just too much.
E-mail Tran at btran@media.ucla.edu.