Restless, anxious, but cautiously optimistic, UCLA sat down to
watch the announcement of the NCAA Tournament bracket, confident it
would receive an invitation for the first time in three years.
And the Bruins got one ““ along with a clear message from
the NCAA selection committee that their position may not have been
as secure as they had assumed.
UCLA, which received the 11th seed in the Albuquerque region and
will face sixth-seeded Texas Tech in the first round on Thursday in
Tucson, Ariz., appears to have been one of the final three at-large
teams to be included in the 65-team field.
The Bruins, Northern Iowa and Alabama Birmingham ““ all
11th seeds ““ were the lowest-seeded at-large teams to receive
bids.
“That lets you know how fortunate we are,”
UCLA’s Arron Afflalo said. “You can’t take a game
or a play for granted, knowing you were three teams away from not
even competing in this.”
It was an anxious weekend for the Bruins (18-10) following their
upset loss to Oregon State in the first round of the Pac-10
Tournament on Thursday night.
Each of the players said after the game they were confident 18
wins would be enough to merit an NCAA Tournament berth, yet they
all admitted there was some doubt.
Josh Shipp played video games and concentrated on his schoolwork
to take his mind off the Bruins’ postseason fate.
Jordan Farmar relaxed, watching basketball all weekend.
And Dijon Thompson went to church on Sunday morning and prayed
his long hours in the gym during the offseason would not be in
vain.
“My prayers were answered,” Thompson said.
When UCLA heard its name called midway through the selection
show, the players said they did not rejoice so much as sigh with
relief.
But it was clear that the Bruins understood that this was a
landmark moment for a program which had advanced to the NCAA
Tournament 14 consecutive times before its most recent two-year
drought.
“Even for the teams that seem to get there every year,
it’s special when you make the NCAA Tournament,” UCLA
coach Ben Howland said. “We’re headed back in the right
direction as a program, and I feel good about it.”
Howland and his staff began breaking down game film of Texas
Tech (20-10) within an hour of the announcement of the NCAA
Tournament pairings Sunday afternoon.
The Red Raiders, coached by the legendary Bob Knight, finished
fourth in the Big 12 but have been on a hot streak recently,
defeating Oklahoma on Saturday to advance to Sunday’s
conference title game where they succumbed to Oklahoma State.
While the Bruins, one of four Pac-10 teams to make the field,
expected to receive a higher seed, they were not at all dismayed to
be headed to Tucson.
“Because of the proximity to Los Angeles, this would
probably be the most desirable first-round site that we could have
picked,” said Howland, who expected to be shipped to the East
Coast.
“The way everything worked out, going to Tucson,
we’re pretty fortunate,” Farmar said. “It’s
going to be a great experience for us.”