[Online Exclusive]: Squad's success trumps individual performances

OAKLAND “”mdash; In UCLA’s first meeting with Memphis this
season, sophomore point guard Jordan Farmar played perhaps the best
half of his college career, scoring 23 of his career-high 28 points
after halftime. But the Bruins lost. On Saturday, Farmar scored
just four points on 1-for-9 shooting. His first field goal came
with 3:13 to play. But the Bruins won. Any guesses on
Farmar’s preference? “Me personally, 1-for-9, 50
percent from the free throw line, I couldn’t be happier right
now,” Farmar said. “I wouldn’t have it any other
way.” No frustrations, no regrets, only satisfaction.
It’s that team-first attitude, echoed over and over again,
that has come to define these Bruins. “For any guy in our
locker room, in our program, in this family, we really know
that’s all that matters,” Farmar said. “Nobody
cares about individual accolades. That’s why we’re
still playing today.” Back in November, Farmar had to
single-handedly pull the Bruins back into the game once they had
fallen to a 17-point halftime deficit. His late-game heroics
Saturday included his tough fade-away with 3:13 left that gave the
Bruins a 44-37 lead. And that was it. “I made one when it
counted,” Farmar said. “We needed a bucket and I made a
big one, and that’s just how it is. You keep face and you
keep playing hard.” As the season has worn on, Farmar has
appeared to become more and more of an extension of Howland. After
every game he extols the importance of defense, of playing hard, of
putting the team before the individual. “Jordan is our leader
out there,” Howland said. “He is the coach of the
floor.” But he still needs some coaching himself. Following
the Bruins’ victory, Farmar was instructed to put the
regional championship plaque on the table where he was seated for
the press conference. At first he happily obliged. But then Howland
stepped to the table, and after a few words with Farmar, the star
sophomore had put the trophy underneath the table and out of the
public eye. Later, one questioner asked Farmar to take the trophy
out from underneath the table and talk about what it means.
“I’m going to leave it down there,” he said.
“At UCLA, no other banner but national championships go up.
I’m going to leave it down there until we take care of
business.”

SENIOR MOMENT: For the second time in three
days, UCLA brought an opponent’s star player to his knees at
center court of the Oakland Arena. On Thursday, it was
Gonzaga’s Adam Morrison. And on Saturday, following a
2-for-12 shooting, five-point whimper of a showing, Memphis senior
Rodney Carney took his turn. “Basically I was reflecting on
my whole career, reflecting on having lost the game, reflecting on
how we played bad,” Carney said. “Everything was going
through my head. I needed to gather myself.” Carney’s
five points represented the second-lowest output of the season for
the All-American, who came in averaging 17.5 points per contest.
“He didn’t play that aggressive game you have to play
in this kind of environment,” Memphis coach John Calipari
said. “You can’t miss those ““ those five two-foot
shots. That’s a win.” Carney appeared frustrated and
bothered all game, and much of that frustration was likely caused
by the defensive pressure of Bruin sophomore Arron Afflalo. Or
maybe not. “He’s a great defender, but most of my shots
I missed were open, open layups,” Carney said. “It was
more me than anything. I couldn’t concentrate on knocking
down shots. I mean, I was just off. Everyone played
terrible.”

A SHIPP ON THE HORIZON: Though sophomore
forward Josh Shipp has grown accustomed to his role as a spectator
this season, that doesn’t mean it’s without
frustration. “It’s kind of tough,” Shipp said
after Saturday’s Elite Eight victory. “One side of me
wants to play, but the other side is a fan now. It’s just
amazing what the guys have done. Everybody was doubting them in the
beginning, and to see where they’re at now is amazing.”
For Shipp ““ who appeared in just four games before announcing
on Jan. 10 that he would sit out the remainder of the season and
seek a medical redshirt ““ each game is an emotional
rollercoaster. “When they’re winning, it’s a lot
easier,” Shipp said. “But when they get down,
it’s really frustrating and I want to put a jersey on.”
And with the Final Four approaching, Shipp didn’t completely
rule that possibility out. He said his right hip is about 80-85
percent and he has been practicing in a limited capacity. “If
there was (a chance of playing), it would be really slight,”
Shipp said. When asked what might compel him to play, Shipp was
vague. “I couldn’t even tell you,” he said.
“That would be a decision I would make with my mom and Coach
Howland. If he wanted me to play I would think about it, but right
now I don’t think I would.”

DRIBBLERS: This is UCLA’s 16th Final Foul
appearance in the school’s history. That ties UCLA for first
all-time with North Carolina. “¦ The Oakland Regional
All-Tournament Team included UCLA’s Ryan Hollins (Most
Outstanding Player), Farmar, Afflalo, Memphis’ Darius
Washington Jr. and Gonzaga’s Morrison. “¦ Memphis’
Shawne Williams made the team’s first 3-pointer of the game
with just 13.8 seconds remaining in the contest. The Tigers were
0-for-14 from downtime before that make. “¦UCLA holds a 7-0
advantage in the all-time series with LSU, the Bruins’ Final
Foul opponent.

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