.: What’s Bruin :.

Down by 18 to the Gators with 16 minutes left. I don’t think it will be UCLA’s time to raise Banner 12.

Well, so much for “Big Baby”. The game was over early in the first half. At one point, UCLA had a lead of 24 points. LSU led only once, after the first basket of the game, 2-0. All that talk about LSU being more athletic and having an imposing front court was just that, talk. The real talk of the game, again, was UCLA’s DEFENSE. I must say I really like this brand of UCLA ball. Even Mr. East Coast Bias himself, Dick Vitale, is lauding the Bruins.

So in my running around today before the national semifinal games, I hear the sports analysts on AM 570 saying that UCLA is a two-point underdog against LSU. The offensive powerhouse “Big Baby” is going to be unstoppable. On top of it all, Ryan Hollins, one of the Bruins’ top players in the tournament injured himself at practice with a bruised hip.

UCLA is going to the Final Four!

I’m so tempted to buy tickets to the Final Four but ONLY if UCLA wins. I’m monitoring eBay right now. The trick will be to get two days off from work and then to find a place to stay.

UCLA’s Farmar stripped the ball on the ensuing inbounds play from a careless and off-guarded Gonzaga player. Mbah a Moute made the go ahead layup with about 10 seconds to go. 72-71 UCLA. Stifling defensive pressure again on Gonzaga’s inbounds play resulted in another steal by Mbah a Moute with only 2.6 seconds left in the game. Gonzaga’s fate was sealed, even though the Bruins’ leading scorer, Afflalo, made only one of two free throws. 73-71 UCLA. After a Hail Mary inbounds pass across the court, Gonzaga’s desperation shot was too strong with 1.9 seconds remaining . Time expired. UCLA advances to the Elite Eight to face Memphis in the Regional Final this Saturday.

With all the gloating that I’ve been doing over the teams that have lost, I hope I don’t jinx the Bruins who have certainly played extremely well!

UCLA’s free throw shooting was horrible. If the Bruins had made all their free throws, this would not have been a close game at all. It would have been at least an 11-point victory. In any case, the W is all that matters in basketball, especially during the Tournament. So here’s to the next round of Sweet Sixteen.

It’s nice to finally see the Bruins playing well during the latter part of the season. For the past several years, we Bruin fans have had to endure mediocre to lousy Bruin teams and the teasing of our friends when the Bruins have exited early in the tournament. So for now, while UCLA is still playing very well, I’d like to gloat in the following first round losses of other teams with a big “ha=ha” in a Jim Carrey kind of tone:

UCLA annihilated the Cal Golden Bears 71-52 to become double Pac-10 Champions! Regular season and tournament champs. It’s time to bring home another banner!

Another highlight this season was sweeping Arizona and Snodfart. I very happy to see that both of those basketball programs suck this year. Things seem back to its natural order again now that the Bruins are Pac-10 Champs. It’s on to the conference tournament where I am hoping for a final showdown with Washington — time for revenge for the two losses to those purple hounds with a margin of loss of only 4 points in both games.

Here in north San Diego County, where I have Cox cable, we are subjected to a football coaching program about Mike Ditka instead of the UCLA vs. Arizona basketball game.

Now don’t get me wrong. After having grown up in LA County, I still have some loyalties to some LA teams, like the UCLA Bruins, the Dodgers, and even, the Lakers. But this is just plain pathetic. Since Tomjanovich resigned as coach, the Lakers have gone 9 for 22 and last night they were eliminated from the playoffs. My God, even the lowly Clippers are ranked higher than them.

I did not take the time to watch this year’s NCAA Championship game. I’m glad for Roy Williams after being a “choker” for so many years that he finally “won it all.” But I really hate UNC. So that’s the negative. On the other hand– sorry Dr. Shah– I’m glad the Illini did not win. They would have been a “one-hit wonder.” Now they can go back into obscurity and keep reciting their retarded chant.

Tell me this was a girl’s baskebtall game. Apparently it was not. Can you say “what a bunch of wussies”.