Tomorrow, Bruins, you’ll see something you’ve never seen before: ESPN in Westwood.
That’s right, the “worldwide leader” will bring all its bells and whistles to Pauley Pavilion for its College GameDay show. It’s the first time the network has ever broadcast from campus.
The festivities begin early, so get some sleep tonight. The Pauley gates open at 6:30 a.m., SportsCenter airs at 7 a.m., and the College GameDay show starts at 8 a.m. Four of ESPN’s analysts will be on hand: Rece Davis, Digger Phelps, Jay Bilas and Hubert Davis. ESPN will carry the Arizona-UCLA game live at 6 p.m.
The GameDay show is a typical ESPN spectacle. But for the basketball-obsessed, it’s a pretty big deal.
This is the first time ESPN has broadcast its college basketball show from a Pac-10 school. The network hardly ever shows Pac-10 games because the conference has a contract with Fox Sports.
It often seems that the Bristol, Conn., based network doesn’t care about UCLA’s league because they don’t broadcast Pac-10 games. North Carolina-Duke matchups broadcast on ESPN are treated like unofficial holidays. It’s no coincidence that Bilas played for Duke and Davis played for North Carolina.
But that hoopla rarely exists for a regular-season game in the Pac-10.
This year, though, it’s hard for anyone to ignore the Pac-10 ““ it’s clearly the best conference in the nation. Not only that, but two of the highest-profile recruits in the past decade ““ Kevin Love and O.J. Mayo ““ play in Los Angeles.
With this increased exposure for Pac-10 hoops, UCLA has a chance to send a message to the East Coast:
There’s more to college basketball than Duke and North Carolina.
On Saturday, UCLA’s pageantry and tradition should be displayed on the biggest stage of sports television. The Den should finally get the limelight often reserved for Duke’s Cameron Crazies.
A quick digression, for the sake of The Den: I spoke with one of the administrators of Oregon’s “Pit” earlier in the week. He didn’t want his name printed. But he told me that the organization was “embarrassed” after last week’s game against UCLA, when fans targeted Kevin Love, and that things had “gotten out of control.”
So to all those crazy kids in The Den: Keep it classy.
It may not be as easy as it sounds. Not only will the hated Arizona Wildcats be on the floor Saturday, but one of UCLA basketball’s greatest nemeses will be in attendance as well: Digger.
Don’t let his analyst job fool you. This is the man who coached the Notre Dame team that snapped UCLA’s 88-game win-streak in 1974. The Irish scored the last 12 points of the game to win 71-70. To this day, that win defines Digger’s coaching legacy. Don’t be surprised by his revelry, and don’t be afraid to call him out.
As much as any Bruin has to loathe the man who still celebrates the demise of one of the greatest streaks in school history, Digger can be mildly entertaining, and not because he’s an especially great analyst. He holds a highlighter while he talks. He often tries to coordinate that highlighter’s color with his tie. And that highlighter is often green ““ an homage to his days at Notre Dame.
There’s another thing you have to love about Digger: his unique descriptions of the game. For Digger, a team either loses or “gets it done.” He employs that phrase in myriad ways. It’s fascinating.
One other thing: Digger likes to call himself “the undertaker’s son.” It’s pretty sweet.
Hopefully the Bruins can handle Digger’s antics tomorrow. I expect The Den to look great, Russell Westbrook to further establish his baller status, and Darren Collison to once again prove that he should be nicknamed “the Capitol.”
I expect the Bruins to get it done.
E-mail Allen at sallen@media.ucla.edu if you match your writing utensils and clothing too.