The bitter feeling of narrowly missing the 2003 NCAA tournament
still resides with the members of the UCLA women’s basketball
team. One of the main factors that cost the Bruins a tournament
berth last year was the team’s soft non-conference
schedule.
No such problem exists this year, as UCLA (1-0) commences a
brutally difficult non-conference stretch tonight when they pay a
visit to perennial powerhouse No. 2 Texas (2-0).
“These players know that every game counts,” UCLA
coach Kathy Olivier said. “On selection Sunday, they
don’t want to sit home and watch TV and not see UCLA on the
board like last year.”
In only the second game of the season, a matchup with the
Longhorns might not be the best measuring stick with which to judge
this year’s Bruin squad.
“I think our team is going to get a lot better come
conference time,” Olivier said. “Texas will be a good
test. We’ll be on the road in a hostile environment, with
8,000 to 10,000 people there.”
UCLA will match up against a well-rounded Texas team that
recently defeated No. 4 Duke 85-77. The Longhorns, led by First
Team All-Big 12 players Heather Schreiber and Stacy Stephens, had
five of their top six scorers return from a Final Four team last
year.
Coached by the legendary Jody Conradt (817 career wins), this
year’s Longhorn team is expected to go deep into the NCAA
tournament once again.
But UCLA is not intimidated playing such a high-quality opponent
so early in the season. A relatively young Bruin team dominated by
freshmen and sophomores will have the chance to prove itself
against a seasoned and experienced Texas squad.
“This is a team that wants to compete with the
best,” Olivier said. “All right, guess what?
We’re playing the best, and we’re playing them in our
second game.”
After Texas, UCLA will face tough tests against Ohio State,
Purdue, Illinois and Michigan State, all of which qualified for the
NCAA tournament last year.
While UCLA’s defense in the season opener was up to the
task, forcing UNLV to commit 31 turnovers, the Bruins’
offense was sluggish, with many players forcing shots and missing
point-blank lay-ups.
The team will have to pick up the slack on the offensive side of
the floor if they want to keep pace with the Longhorns.
“We have to bring our A-game (to win),” Olivier
said. “(In the opener), we missed some easy opportunities and
missed some shots.
“If we get a lay-up, we’ve got to finish. If we get
an eight-foot open jumper, we’ve got to finish. I don’t
think we can miss the easy ones (against Texas).”