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Don't take 1st Round games for granted. Just ask Duke.
UCLA dismantled the Weber State Wildcats on Thursday 70-42, after a slow start that gave the 'Cats some hope. The Bruins came out a little cold, and allowed Weber State to take a 10-9 lead about halfway through the First Half. It should have been about TWENTY to 9, but Weber State missed a shipload of easy shots. Then the rust fell off the Bruins, who started to make some shots and tighten the screws on Defense.
The Bruins went on an 18-4 run and led at the Half by 18. The Second Half was more of the same, as the Bruins built a huge lead and coasted the rest of the way. "Coasted" does not imply that they didn't continue to play smothering Defense, which they did, holding WSU to 34% shooting. Even when the Reserves came in, the Wildcats couldn't get anything going. A 6-point spurt was about all they could muster.
The Bruins were led by their two All-Americans, Arron Afflalo and Darren Collison. Afflalo scored 22 and had 8 Rebounds, while Collison, who didn't seem to be hampered by his recent ankle sprain, scored 14, with 8 Assists and 3 Steals.
As usual, Lorenzo Mata played tough, and Josh Shipp played crafty. Both were instrumental in the win, as was Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, who had only 4 Boards and 4 Points, but played solid, inspired Defense (But expect the announcers to continue to butcher his name like they did on Thursday).
Maybe we take the Starters for granted, but it was the Reserves who impressed us the most. Michael Roll hit two three-pointers that started the Bruin onslaught, and James Keefe provided 9 quality minutes, getting down and dirty under the boards. Surprisingly, he got more Rebounds than Alfred Aboya, in about half the time. Keefe and Ryan Wright were both pressed into service when Lorenzo Mata got sick during the game and lost his lunch on the sidelines.
But it was the Wildcats who were nauseous after the game. Actually, one of them pulled an Adam Morrison, and got caught on National TV crying pathetically in defeat. Speaking of Morrison, his Gonzaga team got whipped by Indiana on Thursday, so the Bruins don't get to break the Zags' hearts for a second consecutive year. Instead, the Bruins get the Hoosiers, on Saturday evening. Don't expect a 28-point win in that one, as the Bruins are favored by only 8.
Speaking of big names in College Basketball, Coach K and the Duke Blue Devils got knocked out by Virginia Commonwealth, an 11th Seed. It was a nail-biter, with VCU's Star (Maynor) hitting three huge shots in crunchtime, including the game-winner with about 2 seconds left.
It is the first time since the mid-nineties that Duke has made such a premature departure from the Dance. One can imagine that even John Wooden might have cracked a tiny smile at that news, seeing as he has been inundated lately by comparisons between Duke's recent history, and Wooden's glory years.
Once Wooden got the machine functioning, he never let his team choke in the Tourney (and in the season) like Duke just did.
Below are 4 and a half photos of the Bruin Spirit Brigade, because it's been way too long since the last set (Do we really need a reason?). And one last note, and we SWEAR it is true: We did MULTIPLE Brackets, in contests with AOL, CBS, and ESPN, and for the first time in our lives, on one of the entries, we went 16-and-0. Of course THAT entry has Georgetown, NOT UCLA, winning it all, so it isn't going to stay perfect. Arron and Darren will see to it.
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