Winter quarter is the middle child of the UCLA calendar.
Fall quarter means a new year, endless possibilities and a
return to school after a long summer. Spring quarter means the
school year is almost over, the temperature is getting warmer, and
endless possibilities for the upcoming summer (or future for those
who are graduating).
But winter?
No one cares about winter. It’s gloomy. It’s rainy.
And it seemingly gets dark as your last class of the day ends.
Winter quarter is a necessary evil.
Luckily for you sports fans, winter quarter is probably the best
time of the year for on-campus sports. Among the highlights:
“¢bull; Tonight’s men’s basketball home game against
Washington State. While many more marquee teams play in Pauley
every year, the Washington State game is always near and dear to my
heart.
Cougar coach Dick Bennett has his team utilize a slow-paced
style of basketball, commonly referred to as
“Bennett-ball”, which keeps the scores of games very
low.
Earlier this season, Washington State beat Idaho 37-36. And that
was just a few days after the Cougars tallied 29 points in a loss
to Oklahoma State.
I don’t just enjoy this because I’m sick and
twisted. It’s different. It’s something unique. Who
needs another bland 65-60 or 75-73 final score?
My prediction for tonight: UCLA 27, Washington State 25, with
Lorenzo Mata scoring the game-winning basket with seven minutes
left ““ no one scores after that.
“¢bull; Getting to watch a nationally-ranked basketball
team.
While watching ESPN over the break, I noticed a UCLA score flash
on the bottom line, but it was different than any Bruin score
I’ve seen on the bottom line in years. UCLA had a little
number on the left of it ““ a national ranking.
The UCLA women’s basketball team is ranked No. 22 in the
country, and is off to a 9-3 start. The Bruins made the NCAA
Tournament last season and haven’t lost at home yet this
year. Their games in Pauley are a good excuse not to study and/or
to get out of the rain.
Game to watch: Feb. 20, v. Stanford at Pauley. It’s not
just because Stanford is good in women’s basketball.
It’s because Stanford, as a whole, is evil. Evil.
That, and the USC game happened over winter break.
“¢bull; Men’s volleyball season and the return of
volleyball god/deity/creator Al Scates.
I’ve said this before, and I’ll say it again ““
the best sport to watch at UCLA is men’s volleyball when a
good team comes to town and they use the contained Collins Court
setup in Pauley Pavilion.
The games are super-fast paced (they make basketball look slow).
The fans get loud ““ really loud.
And at some point this year, Scates is bound to do or say
something that will annoy the rest of the volleyball world (think
Hawaii and BYU).
Game(s) to watch: v. Hawaii, Feb. 25-26.
Hawaii fans actually care about volleyball. Most of their
matches are televised there, so it annoys them that UCLA is always
really good and seemingly always beats Hawaii.
“¢bull; Afternoon tennis everyday at the LATC in perfect
weather. Well, it’s going to rain for 40 days and 40 nights
this quarter, so unlike past years, the weather won’t be
perfect. But if while walking back from class on Bruinwalk, you
ever thought to yourself, “is there a tennis match?”
The answer almost everyday is, “Yes.”
The men’s team alone plays eight home matches, all on
weekdays, from Jan. 20-Feb. 8. That’s eight home matches in
14 weekdays. And the women’s tennis team plays at home on
three of the other six weekdays.
Games to watch: Men ““ Feb. 25, v. Stanford. Women ““
Mar. 6, v. USC. USC is more evil than Stanford, if that’s
possible.
“¢bull; The surest preseason lock to win a championship,
ever.
The UCLA women’s water polo team returns all of its
starters from last year’s No. 3 team in the nation. Then on
top of that, the Bruins get back four U.S. Olympians, who
redshirted last season, and a fifth ““ an Olympic alternate
““ who will be a freshman this season.
It’s kind of nice to have five Olympians on your roster.
Essentially, the bronze medal team at the Summer Olympics will be
starting for UCLA, and last year’s No. 3 team in the nation
will be on the bench, making this the deepest team ever in the
history of sports.
Insane.
Game to watch: Mar. 5, v. USC. The surest bet for a UCLA win
over evil, ever.
“¢bull; A new era of Bruin baseball ““ no more Gary
Adams.
No knock on new coach John Savage ““ he was a very good
coach at UC Irvine and has already brought in what was rated the
No. 3 recruiting class in the nation.
But it will be very weird and sad to see a Bruin dugout without
longtime UCLA coach Gary Adams, who retired after last season. He
was quite possibly the nicest human being. Ever.
It will be interesting to see what Savage does with this
year’s team in what is essentially a transition year. Last
year’s UCLA team made it to the NCAA Tournament but lost
several key players to graduation and the MLB Draft.
Game to watch: Jan. 28, v. Cal Poly ““ Savage’s first
game at UCLA.
Winter quarter may be the middle child of the scholastic
calendar, but it is sure to provide many great UCLA sporting
moments. Or at least a lot of rain.
Gil, like dogs, doesn’t like the rain. E-mail him at
gquinonez@media.ucla.edu.