Well, it happened. The Bruins get their chance to dance, and it
would be an absolute shame to see them waste the opportunity.
Because that’s what this is, more than anything else.
It’s an opportunity to show the rest of the country how
far this program has come. An opportunity to prove critics wrong
after such a lackluster effort against Oregon State in the
conference tournament. An opportunity to prove to themselves that
they can compete with the nation’s best when it really
matters.
“It’s special, even for teams that seem to get there
every year,” coach Ben Howland said. “It’s
special every time you lace it up in the NCAA Tournament. This is a
dream come true.”
A dream because last season was more of a nightmare.
Let’s not forget how far UCLA has progressed in just one
season. On Selection Sunday last year, many of us were indifferent.
With a team that finished 11-17, all Bruin fans could do was wait
one more year for the first step in a return to glory.
One year later, that first step has been made. And there’s
little reason to think that more steps can’t be made right
now.
A No. 11 seed in the Albuquerque region, UCLA faces Bobby
Knight’s sixth-seeded Texas Tech Red Raiders on Thursday. The
NCAA Tournament committee clearly considers the young Bruins to be
the underdogs. And that’s fine.
In the end, all of this talk about RPI, strength of schedule,
and “bracketology” is meaningless. So what if UCLA was
on the bubble? So what if they were one of the last teams in the
tournament? So what if they could have made things easier for
themselves by showing up against the Beavers?
None of that matters, because UCLA is in the NCAA Tournament,
and now the real fun begins.
It’s fun because it’s such a great chance for this
team. The fact that UCLA made it here, starting three freshmen, is
impressive. But it’s not time to grow complacent. The Bruins
have already done that once this postseason, and it’s not fun
to watch.
Postseason basketball is serious stuff, and you can’t win
if you don’t show up for an entire half. Hopefully the Bruins
have learned that, because they’ve certainly proven that they
can play with almost anyone if they play with passion and
desire.
Thursday’s game is a winnable game, and that’s an
exciting thought. It’s the next step back to greatness.
UCLA is a good basketball team, and the Bruins have to believe
that. They battled back from a 21-point deficit to defeat No.
1-seed Washington. They won a must-win game at Notre Dame.
They’ve grown and learned and improved, and now they sit
here, six wins away from a title.
That sounds cool, doesn’t it?
Even though a title isn’t a realistic possibility, a
couple of wins are. Texas Tech, Gonzaga and who knows? This team
has the talent to make it happen, and now they have the opportunity
as well.
“We left a lot of doubt in the air and a hard decision for
the committee,” Arron Afflalo said. “Fortunately we
made this tournament and it’s time to take advantage of
it.”
E-mail Regan at dregan@media.ucla.edu.