UCLA fans gathered on Bruin Walk on April 2nd to give the mens college basketball team a special send-off as they departed for their 3rd consecutive Final Four.
After seeking their twelfth national title, the Bruins beat Xavier 76-57 to win the West Region. They are returning for their 3rd consecutive season. Its the first time the Bruins have gone to the national semi-finals 3 times in a row since John Wooden ended his career with 9 straight trips before his replacement, Gene Bartow, capped the run in 1976. The last time the Bruins won the title was in 1995.
UCLA will meet the winner of Sundays game between Memphis against Texas in the South Region final next Saturday. Kevin Lowe scored 19 points and had 10 rebounds and was named Most Outstanding Player in the region. Darren Collison also had 19 points and Luc Richard Mbah a Moute had 13 points and 13 rebounds as the Bruins won their forteenth straight and improved to 35-3 for the season. UCLA led by 9 points at the half and won the game with a 14-0 run early in the 2nd half.
Since John Wooden retired in 1975, the Bruins have spent the last 30 years trying to replace him. They have had 8 coaches from Larry Brown to Jim Harrick. UCLA finally appears to have found the right coach in Ben Howland to rebuild what they once had. Howland says that feels his team is finally starting to look whole again, which has him confident about the future.
The team says that they dont hang banners in Pauley Pavilion to commemorate their 18 Final Four appearances but rather only for national titles. However, they appear to be much more prepared to add a banner now than they did in games against Western Kentucky and Texas A&M in the last 2 games. They seemed to lack offensive skills when they played against the Aggies, and it struggled during their game against the Hilltoppers.
Luc Richard Mbah a Moute’s performance made a considerable difference Saturday as he had struggled with a sprained ankle. However, he made it seem as if he was in good health after he scored 13 points and had 13 rebounds. Darren Collison shook off an ugly 4 point, 4 turnover game against Western Kentucky with 19 points and 5 assists on Saturday.
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