INDIANAPOLIS “”mdash; While UCLA is a basketball program with a
tradition unlike any other and expectations higher than any other,
moments like this are still special.
Second-seeded UCLA (32-6) has a chance tonight to bring home its
12th NCAA basketball title and first since 1995 when it meets
third-seeded Florida (32-6) in the NCAA Championship at the RCA
Dome. Florida, in its third NCAA Championship appearance, is still
seeking the program’s first title.
“The pride of UCLA basketball, the pride of these kids,
everything they’ve gone through, all the adversity, sticking
together, supporting one another, playing for one another,
that’s what it’s all about,” coach Ben Howland
said.
In short, it’s about upholding a standard of
excellence.
All week the Bruins have been asked about tradition, about John
Wooden’s 10 titles in 12 seasons, about what it means to wear
the UCLA jersey.
Other teams have also been asked those very same questions.
Before the team’s semifinal victory over LSU, Tiger
forward Glen “Big Baby” Davis said that while the Bruin
tradition is impressive, UCLA was “just a couple letters on
the front of the jersey.”
On Sunday, it was Florida forward Joakim Noah’s turn to
speak about the UCLA legacy.
“Well, I know that they have great tradition ““ they
had a lot of great players go through that program ““ but I
don’t think that helps you win the game,” Noah said.
“Right now it’s not about tradition, it’s about
playing basketball.”
That may be easier to say at Florida, who lost in its national
championship appearances in both 1994 and 2000.
At UCLA, where Wooden’s indelible mark is spread across
the campus, it’s about both tradition and playing
basketball.
“Absolutely it means something,” Howland said.
“We’re playing for ourselves. These kids are playing
for one another. We’re also playing for the program and for
UCLA.
“I think that obviously is a motivator for us. I’m
sure for Florida it doesn’t matter, but for us it
matters.”
In the team’s first-ever meeting with the Gators, UCLA
will see perhaps the most balanced attack it has faced all season.
All five Florida starters average over 10 points per game, and
Noah, the team’s vocal leader, has averaged 14.1 points and
7.1 rebounds per game.
“Florida is a great team,” senior Cedric Bozeman
said. “They pose a lot of challenges both inside and outside.
We’re definitely going to have our work cut out for us, but I
think we’re ready to accept the challenge and fight on
Monday.”
In its run to the program’s 13th NCAA Championship
appearance, UCLA has done it with defense; nowhere has it been more
evident than during the team’s 59-45 semifinal victory over
LSU, in which the Bruins played their best defense of the
season.
UCLA’s opponents are averaging just 53.9 points per game
on 38.9 percent shooting during the Bruins’ 12-game winning
streak.
And tonight, one game represents not only the culmination of a
season, but the realization of a dream.
“At UCLA, there’s always the national championship
goal,” senior Ryan Hollins said. “There’s always
the Pac-10 Championship goal. It’s not like,
“˜We’ll come in third,’ or “˜We’ll just
make the tournament.’
“You want to win it all. You never want to lose a game. It
doesn’t always go as planned, but we fought and
persevered.”