Author Archives: David Regan

INDIANAPOLIS “”mdash; At one point during Monday’s second half, Florida’s Joakim Noah gave a little wink and a smile to the UCLA dance team and cheer squad. Heckled all game, teased about his hair and called “ugly” by UCLA fans, he just wanted a little love. “They were just talking crazy to me like, “˜You’re […]

INDIANAPOLIS “”mdash; He’s the Bruins’ leading scorer. And their best defender. But for nearly 30 minutes of UCLA’s 73-57 loss to Florida in the NCAA Championship, Arron Afflalo was virtually nonexistent. And unlike in previous victories, no one was there to pick up the slack. Against the Gators, Afflalo couldn’t get it going offensively, beaten […]

INDIANAPOLIS “”mdash; While UCLA is a basketball program with a tradition unlike any other and expectations higher than any other, moments like this are still special. Second-seeded UCLA (32-6) has a chance tonight to bring home its 12th NCAA basketball title and first since 1995 when it meets third-seeded Florida (32-6) in the NCAA Championship […]

INDIANAPOLIS “”mdash; Florida sophomore Joakim Noah generally says what he thinks. And generally, it’s pretty entertaining. Sunday, he was talking about his father, Yannick Noah, a former tennis star. Yannick Noah won the French Open in 1983, and was the last Frenchman to do so. Yannick Noah has been watching his son play in the […]

INDIANAPOLIS ­””mdash; There were so many indications that it wasn’t supposed to be like this, so many signs that this wasn’t the year, that there was simply too much adversity to overcome. There was just too much youth, too much inexperience to be a factor. There were so many injuries, some slight, others significant, and […]

INDIANAPOLIS “”mdash; One group of players came out swinging. And they didn’t relent. The other group came out wide-eyed and tense. And for them, it only got worse. In a game that was supposed to resemble a heavyweight fight, second-seeded UCLA was the only team actually throwing punches, as the Bruins (32-6) built an early […]

INDIANAPOLIS — It’s down to the Final Four, and the atmosphere is like a circus. People are everywhere. The excitement is growing. There is incessant talk about soaking it all in because no one knows if they’ll have a chance to be back. But for second-seeded UCLA (31-6), set to face fourth-seeded LSU (27-8) Saturday […]