PALO ALTO ““ Following UCLA’s overtime victory over
Cal on Thursday, Bruin coach Ben Howland said he would allow his
team two hours to soak in the victory. After their 75-54 smothering
of Stanford on Saturday to win the Pac-10 title outright, the
Bruins were awarded two days off. They might need that time to
prepare to be inundated with questions pertaining to this
week’s Pac-10 Tournament and next week’s NCAA
Tournament, as Saturday’s victory had major implications on
each. By virtue of winning the Pac-10 title, the Bruins are the No.
1 seed in the Pac-10 Tournament and on Thursday face the winner of
Wednesday’s night’s game between Arizona State and
Oregon State. UCLA swept both teams during conference play. How the
Bruins perform in the Pac-10 Tournament ““ which they
haven’t won in its most recent four-year installment ““
could affect UCLA’s NCAA Tournament seeding the following
week. Leading up to the final week of the Pac-10 season, most
bracket projections pegged the Bruins as a No. 4 or No. 5 seed.
After their sweep of the Bay Area schools, the Bruins will most
likely move up in the national rankings and could even be
considered a No. 3 seed. And what if UCLA happens to win the Pac-10
Tournament? That would mean UCLA’s record would stand at
27-6. And in some people’s opinions, that could put the
Bruins as high as a No. 2 seed. “The way things are going
nationally, and the way we’re finishing, I think we deserve
it,” Howland said. Stanford coach Trent Johnson agreed.
“Boy, they’re pretty good,” Johnson said.
“If they continue to play the way they’re playing, they
can go deep into the NCAA Tournament.” That of course would
be a lot easier if the Bruins were to earn a No. 2 or No. 3 seed,
which would potentially allow them to avoid playing a No. 1 seed
until the Elite Eight. If UCLA was to be seeded fourth or fifth in
a region, it would most likely meet a No. 1 seed in the Sweet 16.
While motivation and incentive haven’t been a problem for
UCLA this season, a strong showing in the Pac-10 Tournament could
also ensure the Bruins stay close to home in the NCAA Tournament.
The selection committee typically rewards major conference
champions by scheduling them to play at sites close to home for the
first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament. According to most
projected brackets, UCLA will play its first two rounds of the NCAA
Tournament in San Diego. Winning the Pac-10 Tournament could also
help UCLA’s case to remain in the Oakland Region, which would
potentially mean the Bruins wouldn’t have to leave the state
of California until the Final Four.
NOT-SO-SPECIAL DAY: Stanford starting seniors
Dan Grunfeld, Chris Hernandez and Matt Haryasz didn’t exactly
go out with a bang on Senior Day. In fact, they quite possibly left
Maples Pavilion on an ultimate low. UCLA’s 75-54 victory over
Stanford was the Cardinal’s worst loss of the season, and the
three seniors ““ who were part of a No. 1 Stanford team back
in the 2003-2004 season ““ had little to say about the outcome
on Saturday. In the first half, Haryasz and Hernandez combined to
shoot 0-for-6 and scored one point, as Stanford trailed 38-24. The
outcome notwithstanding, the trio still received a standing ovation
after the game.
FUN WITH NUMBERS: Aside from wins, UCLA led the
Pac-10 in four other statistical categories: field goal shooting
(46.9 percent), scoring defense (59.3 points allowed), scoring
margin (+8.4 points) and rebounding defense (28.1 per game).
Individually, freshman Luc Richard Mbah a Moute led the Pac-10 in
shooting (56.4 percent) and Jordan Farmar tied for the lead in
assists (5.1 per game). Arron Afflalo finished fourth in scoring,
averaging 17.1 points per game.
DRIBBLERS: UCLA averaged 10,046 fans at Pauley
Pavilion this season, third in the Pac-10 after Arizona and Cal.
… The Bruins finished 15-1 in night games and 9-0 on Thursdays.
They play their next game on Thursday. … The 21-point margin of
victory on Saturday was UCLA’s largest at Stanford since
1987, when the Bruins beat the Cardinal 93-62. … Saturday’s
attendance was 7,334.