SACRAMENTO ““ History. Tradition. Success.
All three of these qualities are staples that can interchangeably be used to describe both Indiana and UCLA.
UCLA (27-5) remains focused squarely on the game at hand as it prepares to face the Hoosiers (21-10) in the NCAA Tournament Round of 32 on Saturday. But the players realize the significance that the teams’ past achievements add to the matchup.
“It puts a lot of meaning on the game,” sophomore point guard Darren Collison said. “Everybody knows what they’re playing for. We’re not just playing to win, we’re playing to protect our program. “¦ It’s not just the players looking forward to it, but everybody in the country is.”
UCLA has 11 national titles, one of the most legendary coaches in basketball history in John Wooden, and has a running tradition of success that has extended into the 21st century.
Indiana has five national titles and was coached for 29 years by Bobby Knight, the NCAA’s most victorious coach; and after missing the NCAA Tournament two years in a row in the 2003-2004 and 2004-2005 seasons, the Hoosiers have rebounded to make the last two tournaments and continue to improve as a team.
First-year coach Kelvin Sampson has led Indiana to its first 20-win season in four years and hopes that the team’s NCAA Tournament results will make a positive statement about the program’s direction.
“I think the most important thing we could do this year is give our fans and the people that love and care about Indiana University hope and to get excited for the future,” Sampson said.
But regardless of any future or past implications, the big story for both teams is the here and now.
Indiana and UCLA both use defense as the foundation of their teams and both like to use a lot of the shot clock in their half-court offenses.
“We’ve just seen the mirror image of us,” Indiana junior guard A.J. Ratliff said after studying film on UCLA. “They do the same things we do. I think it’s going to be a game in the 50s. It’s going to be a defensive battle.”
A slow-tempo, grind-it-out game wouldn’t be anything UCLA isn’t used to by now. The Bruins have experienced plenty of those games over the past two seasons both in non-conference and Pac-10 play. But this season, UCLA has been able to create more turnovers and impose a faster tempo on some opponents as well.
“We have to be willing to play at any pace,” junior guard Arron Afflalo said. “If we can get up and down and get some early shots, then we’ll do that. If not, we’ll have to do whatever it takes to win the game.”
While junior center D.J. White is Indiana’s biggest threat on the court, UCLA coach Ben Howland is concerned with the Hoosier’s guards as well. Indiana nailed nine 3-pointers against Gonzaga on Thursday and gets a lot of open looks when teams try to double White, which UCLA will almost surely do.
“The thing about Indiana that’s so impressive is their 3-point percentage,” Howland said. “Ratliff comes off the bench and shoots 48 percent in conference. All four of those guards are absolutely great shooters which stretches the floor and spreads you out and then they isolate D.J. White.”
UCLA also has a strong backcourt though and Sampson is concerned with the fact that Afflalo and sophomore forward Josh Shipp are bigger than any player in his backcourt.
“They aren’t the hardest team in the world to prepare for, they’re just hard to play,” Sampson said. “I think UCLA’s strength is their identity. They’re tough. They beat you up.”