SAN DIEGO “”mdash; UCLA coach Ben Howland and Gonzaga coach Mark
Few have more than just a few things in common. They’re both
the sons of Presbyterian ministers. They both like to fly fish.
Howland acknowledges that Few is much better at it. And oh yeah,
they’re both still coaching in the NCAA Tournament, guiding
their teams to the Sweet 16. For one of them, however, that’s
where the road will end, when No. 2 seed UCLA (29-6) takes on No. 3
seed Gonzaga (29-3) on Thursday at 7 p.m. at The Arena in Oakland.
While the matchup is being billed as the battle for West Coast
supremacy in college basketball, the Bruins know there’s just
a bit more at stake than bragging rights in Oakland ““ namely,
a spot in the Elite Eight. “We’re very pleased to be
playing in Oakland as opposed to anywhere else that’s
left,” Howland said. “And now we get another chance to
prepare to play again, so that’s fun. But we have our work
really cut out for us, playing one of the top teams in the
country.” While the Bruins are riding a season-best nine-game
winning streak, the Bulldogs are currently on an NCAA-best 20-game
streak. Their last loss came on Dec. 27, 2005. Each of
Gonzaga’s three losses this season have come to teams still
alive in the NCAA Tournament ““ Connecticut, Washington and
Memphis. Most of the Bulldogs’ success, however, begins and
ends on the broad shoulders of Adam Morrison, arguably the
nation’s best player. The 6-foot-8 Gonzaga junior, a
mustached matchup nightmare, led the nation in scoring this season,
averaging 28.6 points per game. In 35 games this season, UCLA
hasn’t allowed an opposing player to score more than 26
points. Morrison has eclipsed the 30-point mark by himself 14 times
. “Adam Morrison is the best player in the country, and will
be a top-5 pick when he comes out,” Howland said. Gonzaga
also boasts one of the nation’s best big men in J.P. Batista,
who is averaging 19.3 points and 9.4 rebounds per game this season.
“They’re a great team, and I know everyone talks about
Adam Morrison, but everyone tends to forget everybody else on that
team,” UCLA senior Cedric Bozeman said. “That’s a
great team and we’ve got to be ready to play.” The
Bruins and Bulldogs have met only once before, with Gonzaga beating
UCLA 59-43 at Pauley Pavilion in 1999.
…
While basketball pundits around the country may be surprised at
Pac-10 teams’ success in the NCAA Tournament, Howland is not.
The Pac-10’s four teams in the tournament went a combined 5-2
in the first two rounds, with UCLA and Washington advancing to the
Sweet 16. “It’s really gratifying to see teams
advancing out of our league,” Howland said. “You heard
it all year, the Pac-10 is no good, blah blah blah. We had to put
up or shut up. Now we have two teams in the Sweet 16.” In
comparison, the Big Ten ““ the No. 1-rated conference
according to RPI ““ has no teams left in the Sweet 16. Only
the Big East, which had eight teams invited to the Big Dance, has
more teams still alive in the NCAA Tournament (4) – Connecticut,
Villanova, West Virginia and Georgetown.