While it may still be over a month away, it has already begun to
creep into the minds of the members of the UCLA women’s
basketball team. Talk of whether this Bruin team, which currently
stands with a precarious record of 13-7, has what it takes to make
the NCAA Tournament has commenced. Back from two consecutive road
trips, the Bruins will be looking to bolster their resume with a
two-game home stand against the Washington schools, beginning
tonight against Washington (9-12, 5-6 Pac-10). Though UCLA coach
Kathy Olivier feels it’s still too early to start using the
words “bubble team” and “tournament berth,”
she feels that after this weekend, the Bruins will have a pretty
good idea of where they stand with respect to receiving an
invitation to the big dance. “It’s a premature
conversation,” Olivier said. “I want to talk about it
so badly. I’ve been trying to maneuver things and figure it
out. But after this weekend, we’ll either be clumped in or
we’ll separate ourselves out, and hopefully we’ll be in
the better half of that.” The return to Pauley Pavilion will
be a welcoming sight for Olivier and her team, who haven’t
played a game in Pauley Pavilion since Jan. 16, and haven’t
won on their home court since Jan. 4 against Oregon. With a sweep
of the Washington schools, UCLA would run its victory tally to 15,
with five more conference games left plus the Pac-10 Tournament in
early March. Last season, the Bruins qualified for the NCAA
Tournament with a record of 17-12, and did not boast the type of
quality wins this team already has under its belt, with victories
over Texas and Purdue. “I think a sweep and we can start
talking about the future,” Olivier said. “But
it’s still too early to talk about it.”
FRESHMAN WALL: For most of the season, freshman Lindsey Pluimer
has played with the poise of a seasoned veteran. But 20 games into
her first year on the collegiate level, and Pluimer may have hit a
wall. Having been relied on to play a lot of minutes and contain
some of the Pac-10’s bigger players on defense, Pluimer has
seen her offensive numbers drop. In her last six games, Pluimer has
shot the ball at a 24 percent clip, going 14-for-59 from the field.
“She needs to get back to her normal self,” Olivier
said. “She’s played a lot of minutes for us, and so I
think maybe the minutes are catching up with her a little bit.
People are playing her a little different. They’re banging
her around a little more, and she has to be ready for the
physicality of the Pac-10.”