Christia Brown, UCLA assistant professor of psychology, can tell
you she’s a Bruin fan. But for today’s men’s
basketball game, pitting No. 2 seed UCLA against No. 15 seed
Belmont ““ with both teams sharing the same mascot ““ she
has to clarify which kind.
Brown, who graduated from Belmont University in 1996, but
currently teaches at UCLA, said she will be rooting for her alma
mater over her employer in today’s game.
The reason for her loyalty? Belmont’s underdog ““ or,
in this case, under-Bruin ““ status.
“Belmont has fewer fans pulling for them,” Brown
said. “They’re going to get creamed, but just getting
to this point is a big thing.”
The game, written off by many as an easy win for UCLA, will
nevertheless be Belmont’s first NCAA Tournament
appearance.
Belmont, located in Nashville, Tenn., has a 4,300-person
undergraduate and graduate student body, compared to a total of
almost 40,000 students at UCLA.
Before joining the NCAA in 1995, Belmont competed only with
local Tennessee schools as part of the much smaller National
Association of Intercollegiate Athletics.
UCLA, on the other hand, will be making its 40th tournament
appearance ““ with 28 conference and 11 national titles
already under its belt.
“I usually don’t hear UCLA and Belmont in the same
sentence,” she said, “except when I’m the one
talking.”
Brown, who grew up in Nashville, still feels a very strong
connection to her small-town school despite working at such a large
and prominent campus as UCLA.
“Belmont fans still recognize the disparity,” Brown
said. “I just want the team to have a good show. I want them
to feel proud.”
Brown plans to wear her Belmont sweater during the game today to
show support for her alma mater, but said her second allegiance
remains with the UCLA Bruins.
“Assuming UCLA beats Belmont, I want UCLA to win the whole
thing.”