Pac-10 Tournament Championship UCLA vs Cal

[Eric]

First Half Thoughts:
Cal had to go to double over-time against Oregon last night so UCLA was better rested.
The teams beat each other on the road this year so I'm not sure how they felt about playing this game at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.
UCLA started out hot, I knew things were going well when Bozeman hit a 3(as a guard Bozeman isn't known for his outside shooting (but he knows how to dish, leading the Pac-10 in dimes 2 years ago)). Cal got it going after Hollins picked up 3 fouls and sat.
Once Hollins was out, Powe turned into a monster and could not be stopped (it is easy to see why he was the Pac-10 freshman of the year 2 years ago).
Cal went on a nice run at the end of the first half and almost caught up.
As a UCLA fan it is hard to believe they were only up 32-29 at the half given how well they were playing at the beginning of the game.

[metaxy6]

Looks like they're running away with it now, and should get the win as well as the cover (6.5).
I've been really impressed w/ UCLA in the 2nd half of the season. Hard not to like what they do on defense. The D, the guard play, the decent bigs - adds up to a threat in the NCAA tourney.
Their bench is ok too, just don't know if they have anough experience up and down the roster to go real far.
Obviously a lot depends on matchups, but I def see them Sweet 16.
Elite 8 would ge gravy, imo.
But either way, it gives them a lot to shoot for next year.

[natdang]

My Bruins are really surprising me and have been dominant of late... Sweet 16 is likely, but they have what it takes to make a deep run.

They were +14 going into OSU, but destroyed them en route to a 32 point blowout... and watching the game, it was evident that this was a mercy killing, could've been about 50.

Look for the Bruins in the preseason top 5 next year.

[Eric]

Normally ESPN doesn't give UCLA much love which is why I was surprised by this part of the http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/ncaato...t&lid=tab2pos1 article:

...Without further ado, here are five non-top seeds that could be cutting down the nets in Indianapolis on April 3:

UCLA
For the 99 percent of you who don't have the Fox package on dish or digital cable, there's a pretty good chance you have missed seeing the Bruins play all season. If so, you've missed out on one of the bigger success stories of the season. In his third year in Westwood, Ben Howland successfully has integrated his hard-nosed defensive approach into a team with a good amount of individual offensive talent. The result was Pac-10 regular-season and tournament titles, despite a slew of injuries that would have felled lesser teams.

With any quasi-dark horse, the pick is reliant upon a combination of skill, location and draw. The Bruins are in the top 13 nationally in both offensive and defensive efficiency (points scored/allowed per possession) and also are in the top 20 in effective field goal percentage (accounting for 3-pointers). UCLA also will have about as home-friendly a path as there is in this year's Dance, playing in San Diego and then, if it makes the regional, in the Bay Area. Additionally, there aren't a lot of huge threats in the Bruins' half of the Oakland region and Memphis is probably the shakiest of the top seeds on paper...

[metaxy6]

Too bad they're in such a tough bracket.

[midas06]

I have UCLA making the final 4

[natdang]

I have UCLA making the final 4

You da man, Midas!

[Eric]

I have UCLA making the final 4

You da man, Midas!

Who do you guys like between UCLA and LSU? The Aladdin book in Vegas had LSU favored by 2.

[midas06]

I think I like LSU in this game. I'm pulling for UCLA though.

You da man, Midas!

Yeah, too bad I had two teams picked for the final 4 who choked in the elite 8...