The fourth-seeded (28-8) UCLA Bruins, one of 16 college basketball teams still dancing in the March Madness boogie, are at the FedEx Forum in Memphis, Tenn. tomorrow to face the first-seeded (34-2) Florida Gators. UCLA head coach Steve Alford has been able to snap his one-and-done streak, restoring hope in the basketball program, as the Bruins have played solid basketball. They were able to cruise past the Tulsa Golden Hurricane and the Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks recently with back-to-back 17-point wins.
UCLA is on a five-game win streak. Coach Alford has the Bruins playing a fun, open-court style of play now; vastly different from the methodical, plodding half-court style of his predecessor. It has rejuvenated the California faithful and has several people asking the question: “Where was this style of play when athletes like Russell Westbrook, Darren Collison, Jordan Farmar, Aaron Afflalo, Trevor Ariza, Jrue Holiday, Kevin Love, Ryan Hollins, Dijon Thompson, Luc Richard Mbah a Moute and Shabazz Muhammad donned the true blue and gold?”
The fact of the matter is that college basketball is about coaches and their systems. The NBA is about players and their talent. The UCLA Bruins are one of 16 programs to have advanced to the Sweet 16 four or more times in the last nine seasons. And they’re currently led on the court by Kyle Anderson — a 6′ 9″ match-up nightmare for opponents — who has become the first NCAA D-1 player since at least the 1996-1997 season, to log over 500 points, 300 rebounds and 200 assists in one season.
The Bruins’ Norman Powell has shined in Alford’s offense, averaging 17 points and shooting 56.4 percent from the field in his last four games. This is a huge turnaround for a guy who was averaging 5.8 points and shooting 40.8 percent from the field in his first two seasons at Westwood. UCLA is 19-3 when Powell scores in double digits. It is one of three schools this year (including the University of Michigan and the University of Louisville) to win 10 football games, a bowl game and to advance to the Sweet 16 in the NCAA tournament.
UCLA is the underdog facing the tough task of matching up with the top-seeded Florida Gators. In order for the Bruins to pull off the upset, they have to set the pace, get out in transition and play through the post. The team must attack the Gators inside due to their undersized front court and lack of depth. UCLA is averaging 33 points in the paint… the team will have to shoot well and force the Gators’ limited shooters to come up huge.
The Bruins scored 20 points in transition against Stephen F. Austin’s 100th ranked defense. The real question is: “Can Kyle Anderson stay hot vs. the Gators’ team defense?”
At 6′ 9″ Anderson can handle the ball as well as a 6′ 2″ guard. He can see over defenses better than most. He is an excellent passer with an impressive 34.9-percent assist rate and he always looks one step ahead of everyone on the court. Anderson is averaging 15 points, 9 rebounds and 7-assists per game.
This player can post up smaller defenders and is also shooting 48-percent from behind the arc. The Gators have to find a way to speed up Anderson’s game and force him into some bad decisions. The Bruins have to get out in transition and knock down timely three-point shots.
Florida head coach Billy Donovan, owner of two National titles, has the Gators back in the mix and a favorite to win a third title in 2014. The seniors on the University of Florida basketball program have made four straight Sweet 16 appearances, the longest active streak. The last time this happened, Donovan’s roster was littered with future NBA Draft picks.
Despite being the number one team in the nation and top-seeded team in the tournament, the two questions facing the Gators were: “Will the Florida Gators be challenged?” and; “Will the Gators be tested?” Reaching their fourth straight Sweet 16 should offer an emphatic, “Yes!” However, UCLA has the size and talent to challenge as well as upset the Florida team.
The Gators have been solid on both ends of the court. The Bruins scored an average of 82 points a game in the tournament, literally feasting on porous defenses. The Gators’ second-ranked defense has held every school it has played, including the Memphis, Pittsburgh, Connecticut, Wisconsin, Kansas, Kentucky (three times) and Tennessee (three times); to an average of 16 points below their average points per game. The Gators have allowed an average of 50 points per game in the tournament.
MEN’S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP – SOUTH REGION – Sweet 16 – March 27, 2014, UCLA vs. Florida State
STARTERS:
Bruins: Kyle Anderson, Jordan Adams, Norman Powell, Travis Wear, David Wear
Gators: Michael Frazier II, Scottie Wilbekin, Casey Prather, Will Yequete, Patric Young
Tip-Off: 6:45 pm PST, 9:45 pm EST
TV: CBS
Prediction: Florida – 71, UCLA 66