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There is one good thing about spitting up a #1 Seed in the NCAA Tourney: As a #2, you don't have to worry about being the first #1 ever to lose to a #16.
Not that UCLA really would have been nervous facing Niagara (or whomever), but every player knows about that factoid, and no one wants to go into the books as the biggest chokers in the History of the Tourney's First Round. Let Kansas have that burden. Because for UCLA, there are no gimmes. As Coach Ben Howland stressed to his team this week, the Bruins just lost two games to teams that didn't even MAKE the Tourney. Howland says that the whole team is aware, that on any given night, they can beat any team in the Country, but they can also LOSE to just about anyone.
If you listen to the Bruin players being interviewed now, you won't hear them talk about the Final Four, or Gonzaga or Pitt or Kansas. All they will discuss is Weber State, the Bruins' first opponent. Despite being a 20-point favorite, the Bruin are focused on this game, and only this game. If somehow they are upset, it WON'T be due to "looking ahead."
The Bruins might not be talking about their regional bracket as a whole, but Bruin fans are. The irony has escaped no one's attention, that Weber State is Ben Howland's Alma Mater, while likely subsequent opponents Gonzaga and Pittsburgh are schools where Howland coached. Weber State's Coach was recommended by Howland, while Pitt's was trained by Howland. The Selection Committee apparently likes to create some plotlines for Dick Vitale to scream about.
Regardless of all that human interest, it is our opinion that the Bruins have a relatively reasonable path to the Final Four. The teams the WE fear the most are far away, those teams being Ohio State, Florida, North Carolina, Georgetown, Texas, and most importantly, SUC. You never know what will happen with SUC. The other listed teams have put up some performances recently that were frightening. On the other hand, Kansas and Brandon Rush, despite winning their Tourney, showed some holes and had some droughts, and Pittsburgh and Duke looked extremely beatable in their final losses.
So, despite being UN-enthusiastic going into the pairing announcements, we are somewhat more hopeful afterwards. Oregon and Arizona have to get by Florida (or have the Gators get upset early), while Stanford has Ohio State and Memphis to contend with, and Washington State (and the SCumbags) have to tango with Texas, the Hoyas, and the Tarheels. We think UCLA got the best deal, but as Howland says, the Bruins can lose to ANY team on ANY night. And that includes Weber State.
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And here's the Dope:
A few days after the trOJans' Star Recruit O.J. Mayo got busted for Marijuana possession, their Mascot, and de facto Poster Boy for Marijuana possession, Snoop Dogg also got busted.
Snoop, who is basically the trojans' Twelfth Man, got arrested in Sweden for Narcotics. He was there to do a show with P. Diddy, but apparently had to stock up for incoming O.J. Mayo. Actually, in Sweden, you don't have to POSSESS Weed to get busted, you just have to be ON IT. The Swedish Cops (Is that like Swedish Fish? Yeah, if they're gumshoes) said that they know when someone is on Narcotics, and Snoop was on Narcotics. That's a little strict, isn't it? Didn't Hitler lose? Wow, poor Snoop. Maybe we should start a "Free Dogg" campaign, before he winds up in a Swedish jail making Swedish Erotica, Doggy-style, of course.
Actually, Snoop just had to pay a fine. But you can expect the United States to be flooded with Swedish Meatball-Rap fans, because there's no way Snoop will ever be going to Sweden again.
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