SAN DIEGO “”mdash; Cedric Bozeman called it crazy.
Ryan Hollins chose to describe the feeling as scary.
All that separated UCLA’s season from continuing or ending
at Cox Arena in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Saturday
was a scant 60 seconds.
“It’s kind of funny, but it’s really serious
at the same time,” said a chuckling Bozeman.
Trailing by two points in the final minute, No. 10 seed Alabama
had the ball right where it wanted it ““ in the hands of point
guard Ronald Steele.
The second-seeded Bruins had the man they wanted defending it
““ Arron Afflalo.
Apparently, the UCLA sophomore wasn’t ready to go home
quite yet.
After burying a 3-pointer with 34.4 seconds remaining to give
the Bruins a four-point lead, Afflalo buried Alabama by playing
lock-down defense on Steele, forcing a woefully short 3-pointer and
preserving a 62-59 victory and UCLA’s spot in the Sweet
16.
Following the game, freshman Luc Richard Mbah a Moute sprinted
into the locker room pumping his fists. Fellow freshman Darren
Collison was jumping up and down right behind him, flashing the
name on the front of his jersey. Hollins jumped into press row and
hugged his dad in the stands.
The Bruins, winners of nine straight, had been in many close
games this season, but not one quite like this, not with a trip to
the Sweet 16 and their season on the line.
“That was definitely a humbling experience, knowing that
your season can be over with one shot if (Steele) made it,”
Hollins said. “I can’t even explain it. Man, I’m
just glad we’re still going on.”
Where UCLA (29-6) is going is Oakland, where it will face No. 3
seed Gonzaga (29-3) on Thursday. The Bulldogs beat Indiana 90-80 on
Saturday to advance to the Sweet 16. The winner of Thursday’s
game will move on to the Elite Eight.
For UCLA coach Ben Howland, the Sweet 16 marks the furthest
he’s advanced in the NCAA Tournament, having taken his
Pittsburgh Panthers there in consecutive years before coming to
Westwood.
For Bozeman, it marks a triumphant return after earning a trip
to the Sweet 16 his freshman season in 2002, the last time the
Bruins advanced that far.
For everyone else, it marks uncharted waters.
But according to Howland, it shouldn’t feel like
unfamiliar territory.
“This is the 16th time in the last 18 years UCLA has been
to the NCAA Tournament, and Steve Lavin went to the Sweet 16 five
out of seven years as the coach, including an Elite Eight,”
Howland said.
“This is nothing new for UCLA. The standard is set.
We’re supposed to win every game, one at a time. Obviously
we’re a young team. We’re maturing rapidly as we
advance through this tournament.”
The Bruins had to be mature in dealing with many forms of
adversity on Saturday against Alabama (18-13).
UCLA jumped out to a quick 13-7 lead against Alabama’s
man-to-man defense. When the Crimson Tide switched to a zone
defense, UCLA’s offense switched off, scoring only three
points over the next 10 minutes.
“If we do see the zone again, we’ll attack it a lot
better,” said sophomore Jordan Farmar, who led UCLA in
scoring with 18 points.
The Bruins also had trouble stopping the Crimson Tide’s
frontcourt. Alabama’s Jermareo Davidson and Richard Hendrix
combined to make 10 of 15 shots from the field and helped Alabama
shoot a blistering 61 percent in the first half.
“Hands down, there’s no contest. That was the best
frontcourt we’ve faced all season,” said Hollins, who
finished with 12 points and three blocks.
But the Bruins’ troubles with Alabama’s zone defense
and big men paled in comparison to their self-caused anxieties at
the free throw line.
UCLA went 1-for-7 from the free-throw line, two of those misses
coming in 1-and-1 situations during a seven-minute stretch toward
the end of the game. Some were long. Some were short. One went in
and out. Only one went in.
It was part of a miserable 5-for-13 shooting performance from
the charity stripe that ““ combined with being pounded on the
glass 30-21 by Alabama ““ isn’t exactly the model of
success Howland plans to replicate for the rest of the NCAA
Tournament.
“I feel very fortunate and happy for our team. Typically,
if that happens, we’re not going to win,” Howland said.
“All of the stats went against us.”
“We should be in trouble if that happens,” Bozeman
said. “But I think our defense did a great job
again.”
At no point was it better than Afflalo’s performance
against Steele at the end of the game. The Alabama point guard
wanted to drive the ball into the lane, but Afflalo cut him off.
Steele then tried to gain some separation from Afflalo, but there
wasn’t much. The Crimson Tide sophomore found an inch of
room, stepped back beyond the arc, and let it fly for the win.
“I thought we had the game won,” Davidson said.
“Ronald Steele is clutch and comes through time after time. I
counted that shot.”
“I thought I had a good look when it left my hand, but it
came up just a little bit short,” Steele said.
For Alabama, so too did their upset bid.
UCLA is now one of 16 teams with a season still left to play.
That’s right where Farmar envisioned the Bruins would be at
this time of year.
“We’re excited; going to the Sweet 16 feels pretty
good,” Farmar said.
“But we expected to be here.”