Even discounting history, UCLA has all the elements
UCLA is a No. 1 seed.
But don't make the mistake of thinking it's about tradition.
The tradition is why you know the name, why most know the chant, why they made that 'C' in UCLA gold on the jerseys to symbolize the school's 100 different national titles. Sure, that's all tradition.
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| Kevin Love's aching back is a cause for concern as UCLA prepares for the tournament. (AP) |
They are Ben Howland.
And Darren Collison.
And Kevin Love.
That trio has UCLA operating with one of the top five coaches in America, one of the top five point guards in America and one of the top five big men in America, and a team with those qualities will always have a hard time losing. Which is why the Bruins rarely lose.
They are 31-3 overall after winning the Pac-10 regular-season and tournament titles, recording an astonishing 11 victories over schools possessing top 40 RPIs. They beat Stanford three times and Washington State, Southern California and Arizona twice each while also handling Michigan State and Davidson outside the league despite battling injuries the entire way.
And did I mention the injuries?
Man, they just won't go away.
Collison missed the first six games of the season with a sprained left knee, but he's fine now. Love? He's not quite as fine, and perhaps you noticed that if you watched the Pac-10 tournament championship game. Love hobbled throughout and held his back, where spasms limited the sensational freshman to 12 points and six rebounds, well below his season averages of 17.1 points and 10.6 rebounds.
Then there's Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, who has been troubled for one reason or another for roughly the past seven weeks. First a concussion cost him two games in late January. Now a sprained ankle could hold him out of the NCAA tournament, and if it does the Bruins will be without one of their key contributors.
