It’s just the beginning of the season for the UCLA
basketball team.
But as the Bruins head to Maui for the EA Sports Maui
Invitational, the team will get to see how it stacks up early on
against some of the better teams in the nation.
“(The Maui Invitational) is one of the most prestigious
tournaments in the country,” coach Ben Howland said in a
teleconference on Friday.
“It’s a great location, great for the fans.
It’s a first-class event all the way through.”
UCLA opens up tournament play against host school Chaminade
tonight at 8:30 and is guaranteed to face at least two other teams
from a loaded Maui field.
Four of the eight teams participating are top-25 teams (UCLA,
Kentucky, Georgia Tech and Memphis), and three of the other teams
(Oklahoma, DePaul and Purdue) are established programs with
histories of success.
But the Bruins are not overlooking Chaminade tonight. Even
though the Swords are 4-60 all-time in the tournament, they had a
very successful season last year, winning their conference, the Pac
West.
“They’re well coached,” Howland said.
“They like to get up and down and play at a fast tempo.
We’re going to have to be ready to play in order to have
success.”
Should the Bruins defeat Chaminade, they would play at 6:30 p.m.
on Tuesday against the winner of the Depaul-Kentucky game.
The championship game takes place on Wednesday at 5 p.m.
The Bruins have played in the Maui Invitational two other times
in school history, with an overall tournament record of 3-3.
The last time the Bruins played in the tournament was 2001, when
UCLA defeated Houston and South Carolina but lost by 18 to Ball
State.
GOOD OMEN?: If the Bruins weren’t already
considered the favorites to win the Maui Invitational, the world of
technology seems to think they are.
A pre-tournament computer simulation of the Maui Invitational
was conducted using EA Sports’ “NCAA March Madness
2007.” UCLA came out as the winner, defeating Chaminade
72-47, DePaul 75-61, and Memphis in the final game, 79-74.