In the finals of last season’s Pac-10 Tournament, the UCLA men’s basketball team beat Cal, a feat that helped the Bruins attain a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
Today, the No. 4 Bruins will need to get a win over the Bears to advance to the next round of the Pac-10 Tournament. Only then can they reach their ultimate goal of repeating what they accomplished last season, with a No. 1 seed perhaps depending on their performance.
“We need to take full advantage of this tournament and attempt to play three good games, one at a time,” junior Arron Afflalo said.
“Our job is to just go out there, compete and play hard. I think if we continue to win, (the seedings) will take care of themselves.”
The Bruins have become quite familiar with all of their Pac-10 foes throughout the course of the season in their run to becoming the regular season Pac-10 champions. They went undefeated at home and lost just three games against conference teams.
UCLA players view the Staples Center location as optimal not only for the conference as a whole, but also for themselves. They remain so close to home, only a bus ride away from Westwood.
“It’s going to be like a home game since we’re so close,” sophomore Josh Shipp said. “It’s definitely going to be an advantage for us.”
“Every team is better with their support system behind them,” Afflalo added. “We’re just another case study of that this year.”
The Bears defeated Oregon State on Wednesday night 70-51, giving the Bruins less than a day to prepare for today’s matchup.
That doesn’t bother UCLA, as the focus during practice has been on its own play. Nonetheless, they will still watch film from Wednesday night’s game.
“We’ll be well-prepared for that,” Shipp said. “Hopefully, the end result of the tournament is us staying on the West Coast, staying close to home and keeping the fans coming out.”
AFFLALO’S ADDITIONAL ACCOMPLISHMENTS: Afflalo was selected first-team All-America by the National Association of Basketball Coaches on Wednesday.
Afflalo joins freshman Kevin Durant of Texas, senior Alando Tucker of Wisconsin, senior Acie Law IV of Texas A&M and sophomore Tyler Hansbrough of North Carolina on the first team.
The Bruin junior was also named a first-team All-American by ESPN.com and Dick Vitale.
Earlier this week, Afflalo was named the U.S. Basketball Writers Association District IX Player of the Year for his performance this season in helping to guide the Bruins to the Pac-10 regular-season championship.
He leads the Bruins and is third in the Pac-10 in scoring, averaging 17.2 points per game. Afflalo also led the Bruins in scoring in 17 games this year.
GUERRERO ABSENT: UCLA Director of Athletics Dan Guerrero will be limited in his role as a member of the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Committee because of the passing of his father, Gene Guerrero.
Guerrero’s role as a member of the selection committee will alter slightly through arrangements made by the committee, which will allow him to still communicate via telephone and cast his ballots via computer while the remainder of the committee is in Indianapolis.
“As the selection process continues, the committee and staff have Dan and his family in our thoughts and prayers,” said Gary Walters, the chair of the selection committee.