UCLA coach Ben Howland met with the media Monday before he and his team take off for Tampa, Fla. Tuesday.
Howland talked about the difficult matchup problems that the Spartans present as well as the youth and lack of NCAA Tournament experience on his team.
UCLA, a No. 7 seed, will square off with Michigan State, a No. 10 seed, Thursday in the night cap of first-round games in Tampa at the St. Pete Times Forum. Florida and UC Santa Barbara will play at 3:50 p.m. and UCLA’s game will tip 30 minutes after the conclusion of that game.
Predictions on the game have been split fairly evenly. Three out of CBS.com’s eight “experts” picked the Bruins to win their first-round game.