UCLA NOTEBOOK: BRUINS' FIRST STEP IS USUALLY TRICKY RECENT HISTORY GIVES THEM NO REASON TO BE OVERCONFIDENT.Byline: Jon Wilner Staff Writer UCLA UCLA University of California at Los Angeles UCLA University Center for Learning Assistance (Illinois State University) UCLA University of Carrollton, TX and Lower Addison, TX is in Minneapolis. It is the No. 6 seed in the Midwest. It will play Ball State on Thursday in the first round of the NCAA Tournament NCAA Tournament can mean: Men's Sports
Which begs the question: So what? A series of lackluster first-round performances has rendered location and opposition meaningless for the Bruins. ``We know we can get beat by anybody,'' forward Rico Hines said. ``We found that out last year against Detroit. And two years ago, (first-round opponent) Miami was tougher than Michigan (in the second round). ``The key is getting past the first round. It doesn't matter who we play. We just have to be focused.'' They rarely are, at least in the first round. The Bruins have lost three of their last four first-round games when they've been seeded lower than No. 2 (i.e.: when they haven't played a patsy). As a No. 5 seed in 1994, they lost to No. 12 Tulsa. As a No. 4 seed in 1996, they lost to No. 13 Princeton. As a No. 5 seed last year, they lost to No. 12 Detroit. The only victory in that stretch came two years ago, when the No. 6 Bruins edged No. 11 Miami in the final minute. But UCLA was fortunate this Selection Sunday. Ball State, the Mid- American Conference American Conference may refer to:
No, it wasn't a bad draw - unless they make it one. ``I don't think we'll let up,'' Hines said. ``There was no sigh of relief (when the pairings were announced). If we prepare like we have the last three weeks, we can do some special things in the tournament.'' The Bruins (19-11) are familiar with the one-and-done pressure of March Madness March Madness may refer to:
Essentially, Thursday's matchup is an extension of their regular season. ``The last three weeks, we've had to play with a tournament sense of urgency,'' coach Steve Lavin Steve Lavin (born September 4,1964), a San Francisco, California native is a former college basketball coach and current ABC and ESPN TV analyst. As UCLA head basketball coach from 1996-2003, Lavin compiled a record of 145-78. said. If Lavin feels attention wane, a quick history lesson should grab his players' attention: MAC teams have won first-round games in four of the last five years. In 1995, Miami-Ohio stunned No. 5 Arizona. In 1996, Eastern Michigan beat No. 8 Duke. In 1998, Western Michigan
Western Michigan, also known as West Michigan, is a region of the U.S. state of Michigan. upset No. 6 Clemson. And last year, Miami-Ohio beat No. 7 Washington. That's a better first-round record than UCLA's. --Note: Forward Jason Kapono Jason Alan Kapono (born February 2 1981 in Long Beach, California) is an American professional basketball player in the NBA, currently with the Toronto Raptors.[1] His previous team was the Miami Heat in 2006-07. became the first UCLA freshman to earn All-Pacific-10 honors. He was also named co-freshman of the year with Stanford's Casey Jacobsen Casey Gardner Jacobsen (born March 19 1981 in Glendora, California) is an American professional basketball player for the Memphis Grizzlies. He has an extensive European basketball career and most recently played for the Brose Baskets, where he won the German Basketball . A LOOK AHEAD BALL STATE Nickname: Cardinals Location: Muncie, Ind. Record: 22-8 Conference: Mid-American Coach: Ray McCallum (seventh year) Best players: Senior guard Duane Clemens is the top scorer (18.8 ppg). Freshman forward Theron Smith is the top rebounder (7.7 rpg). Best win: Beat Purdue 72-52 How qualified: Won MAC tournament NCAA history: The Cardinals are making their first tournament appearance in five years and seventh overall. In 1990, they defeated Oregon State and Louisville before losing a close game to eventual national champ UNLV UNLV University of Nevada, Las Vegas . Famous alumni: David Letterman, Jim Davis (``Garfield'' creator), Joyce DeWitt (Janet on ``Three's Company''), Bonzi Wells (Portland Trail Blazers The Portland Trail Blazers are a professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. They play in the National Basketball Association (NBA). The franchise, based in Portland throughout its existence, entered the league in 1970 and has won the NBA Championship once, in 1977. ). - Jon Wilner CAPTION(S): box Box: A LOOK AHEAD (see text) |
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