I have seen them play several times this season and I think they have the most good players, even more than talent rich North Carolina and Memphis.
UCLA has been to the Final Four two years in a row but this season with the addition of Kevin Love their offense has improved to championship caliber.
I also give them the nod over North Carolina because they still play airtight aggressive defense. Darren Collison and Russell Westbrook are dogged defenders who frustrate even the best opponents.
And while Kevin Love is a little too slow to be a great defender, UCLA can sick Lorenzo Mata-Real on Tyler Hansbrough in the championship game to show him which player in the nation really gets the most out of their talent through effort and determination.
And I know people will say that they got lucky to beat Stanford and Cal, but I view luck as a key ingredient to surviving a crapshoot like the NCAA Tournament.
There are only two people who can derail UCLA's title run:
1) Luc Richard Mbah a Moute. They can get by without him through the first weekend, and maybe even the second weekend if the upsets I'm expecting do happen, but they'll need him at his best in San Antonio.
2) Darren Collison. He's great on defense, and if the inevitable UNC matchup does happen, I think he can keep up with Ty Lawson. He is also great leading UCLA's break but in the halfcourt he tends to be a ballstopper. He dribbles as if he's trying to remove the varnish from the floor.
If those two guys are at the top of their games UCLA will reclaim its place atop the college basketball world.
1 comment:
I enjoy watching UCLA for their athleticism and all the reasons you've mentioned, but I think their streaking shooting will catch up with them this year. If UConn can't beat them, then they'll lose to Memphis or Texas in the Final Four.
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