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A glorious season ends in optimism for the future

BY WENDY SODERBURG
Today Staff Writer

PHOTO BY LIZA DAVID

The prize was within their grasp, but in the end, the Bruins' reach came up just a little short.

In losing to the Florida Gators, 73-57, in the NCAA championship game on April 3, the UCLA men's basketball team suffered its worst defeat of the season but never gave up. They hustled and scrapped to the end, even when the tenacious defense that had carried them through five tournament rounds finally broke down against a stronger, taller, more experienced Florida team led by sophomore forward-center Joakim Noah, the Final Four MVP.

“You have to credit Florida. I thought they were terrific tonight. They did an outstanding job of dealing with our pressure,” said UCLA Head Coach Ben Howland. “But we'll learn from this. Our players that are returning to the program have definitely grown a lot from this season. And again, I'm really, really proud of their efforts.”

The Bruins' magical run at the title began when they finished the regular season with an impressive 24-6 record and then emerged triumphant at the Pac-10 Conference tournament, a feat that helped earn them a No. 2 seed in the Oakland region of the NCAA tournament. They used a stifling defense to fight their way through the tournament, easily overpowering Belmont, 78-44, in the first round and hanging on to beat Alabama, 62-59, in the second round.

UCLA then defeated Gonzaga in a 73-71 heart-stopper that saw the Bruins fall behind by as many as 17 points, then slowly claw their way back, finally leading with 9.2 seconds to play. In the fourth round, both UCLA and Memphis had what was arguably their worst game of the tournament, with the Bruins managing to eke out a 50-45 victory. In the fifth round, they stunned Louisiana State with a second-half blowout and won easily, 59-45.

This set the stage for the championship game, which took place at the RCA Dome in Indianapolis. Many UCLA fans made the trip, but back home, approximately 7,000 fans — students, faculty, staff and alumni — did the next best thing: They crowded into Pauley Pavilion to watch their beloved Bruins on four giant screens. They cheered every Bruin basket, booed every bad call, performed endless eight-claps and screamed “Deee-fense!” for a team that couldn't hear them from 2,000 miles away. And when the game's outcome could no longer be denied, some fans began filing out of the arena; many others, however, stayed behind to give their team one last standing ovation.

The loss was disappointing for the younger Bruins, who desperately wanted to win the title for departing seniors Cedric Bozeman, Ryan Hollins, Michael Fey and Janou Rubin. The outlook for the Bruins remains bright, however, as sophomores Arron Afflalo, Jordan Farmar and Lorenzo Mata will likely be back, and freshmen Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, Alfred Aboya, Darren Collison and Michael Roll all gained valuable experience. Next year the Bruins will resurface — stronger, wiser and more determined than ever.