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By Joel Welser
UCLA Bruins
Pacific 10 (26-5, 13-3)
Seed: #2
UCLA Region
RPI: 2
Big Wins:
11/21 vs Kentucky (73-68), 12/9 Texas A&M (65-62), at Arizona (81-66)
Bad Losses:
1/28 at Stanford (68-75), 3/3 at Washington (51-61), vs California
(69-76)
Last NCAA
Appearance: 2006, National Runners-up
Coach:
Ben Howland (9-5 in 5 NCAA appearances)
Probable
Starters:
Darren
Collinson, Sophomore, Guard, 12.6 ppg, 6.0 apg, 2.3 spg
Arron Afflalo,
Junior, Guard, 16.7 ppg, 1.9 apg
Josh Shipp,
Sophomore, Guard, 13.5 ppg, 2.5 apg, 3.7 rpg
Luc Richard
Mbah a Moute, Sophomore, Forward, 8.7 ppg, 7.7 rpg
Lorenzo Mata,
Junior, Center, 6.7 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 1.2 bpg
Key
Roleplayers:
Russell
Westbrook, Freshman, Guard, 3.5 ppg, 0.7 apg
Michael Roll,
Sophomore, Guard, 5.0 ppg, 1.1 apg
Alfred Aboya,
Sophomore, Forward, 4.4 ppg, 4.4 rpg
Why They Can
Surprise:
Few teams can
compete with the dynamic backcourt of UCLA. Arron Afflalo, Josh Shipp and
Darren Collison combine to average nearly 43 points per game. Afflalo is the
go-to-guy and is the player UCLA fans want to take the big shot. Shipp is a
superb athlete on the wing that will slash to the basket.
Collison took
over for Jordan Farmar this season and has done a quality job. The shifty
6-1 point guard averages 6.0 assists per game. He is no slouch in the
scoring department either. Collison will use his speed to get to the basket
and has a nice stop and start move that leaves defenders guessing. He does
not take a lot of three’s, but he knocks down nearly half of what he
does take.
Why They Can
Disappoint:
With the
perimeter orientated team, UCLA tends to settle for jump shots instead of
using their speed to get to the basket. Young players like Collison and
Shipp need to remember where their strengths are, although Coach Ben Howland
will be quick to remind them. By the numbers, free-throw shooting is the
sore spot of the UCLA offense. If you want to see how not to shoot a
free-throw, watch Lorenzo Mata and his 37.9% shooting from the charity
stripe. In case you are wondering, release the ball with one finger instead
of three and watch the basket, not the ball, after the release and the
free-throw shooting will improve. As bad as Mata is, and it will affect
UCLA’s line-up down the stretch, the three guards get to the line more often
than anybody else on the team and each shoots just under 80%.
Who To
Watch:
Luc Richard
Mbah a Moute has developed into more than just a contributor on both ends of
the floor. The 6-8 forward can explode and put up major points under the
basket. His best attribute may be his ability to hit the mid-range jumper.
When the opposition is running a zone, Mbah a Moute will find the soft spot
around the free-throw line and knock down that shot all day. On the
defensive end his long arms account for a couple steals a game and he is a
monster on the glass.
Joel’s
Bracket Says: Sweet Sixteen loss to Pitt
▪
2007 NCAA Tournament Bracket
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