UCLA vs. Memphis: Game Day Stories

By Bruin Basketball Report

Stories from outside the L.A. Writer's Beat Beltway

Tigers loose, free in trip to San Antonio: In an odd way, even the news Wednesday night that backup point guard Andre Allen was suspended for failing a drug test seemed to be business as usual. "It's sad to say; I don't want to say we're used to it, but there has been a couple incidents even with myself getting in trouble," said junior Robert Dozier, referencing his one-game suspension in February for violating team rules. "Guys just learn to look past that. You can't worry about it and harp on it, because that'll affect how you play and how your team thinks." Memphis Commercial Appeal

Tigers, fans have reason to be giddy: None of the other Final Four teams answered questions Friday about the places they represent. UCLA center Kevin Love was not asked about Watts. Does this mean that Memphis fans care more about their program than UCLA fans care about theirs? Of course not. But it does speak to the bond between the city and the team, a bond unlike almost any other you'll find. Lousville, maybe. UNLV in the glory days. But UCLA does not have a grip on Los Angeles the way the Tigers have a grip on Memphis this morning. Los Angeles has the Lakers, for one thing. And the beach. Memphis has this basketball team, and this trip to the Final Four, and who knows when it will happen again? Memphis Commercial Appeal

Bruins Have a Fan on the Charts: Last month, when U.C.L.A. went to overtime against Stanford, the Linkin Park guitarist Brad Delson convinced his bandmates to not take the stage for a concert in Las Vegas until the game ended. The move paid off for Delson, who got to watch the Bruins close out a 77-67 victory. “We had to see the end of the game,” Delson, a founding member of the Grammy-winning rock band and a 1999 graduate of U.C.L.A., said in a telephone interview. “It worked out pretty good.” New York Times

Memphis plays no-respect card: "We are here and we are looking forward to this," junior forward Robert Dozier said. "People are saying it is us against the world, but we are just focusing on ourselves. "We are starting to get a little respect, but we are not focusing on that. We are just concerning ourselves with what we do." Topeka Capital Journal

Memphis More Than Party Crasher: It's all so pedigreed. And then there's Memphis. Somebody obviously forgot to call the barons of Kentucky, because John Calipari and his peasants showed up in their place. Ladies and gentlemen, refined taste has left the building. (Sorry about the Elvis reference, but it is Memphis.) "Between UCLA and Memphis, we've won 11 national titles," Calipari said at the Alamodome Friday, a day before his team meets the Bruins in the semifinals. UCLA 11, Memphis 0. Hartford Courant

Bruins all business: "This is a business trip," said Collison, who averages 14.8 points and 3.8 assists for the Bruins. "It is not about the Final Four; it is about the final one. We want to be the final one." Collison said that this year's Final Four mindset is much different than the past two seasons. "The last couple of years we were happy to make it to the Final Four, but this year we are just trying to take it one game at a time," he said. Topeka Capital Journal

Dorsey avoids trash talk on Love: "I watched Love a lot this year for UCLA," Dorsey said. "He's a great passer out of the post. The outlet passes that he throws like Wes Unseld, that's incredible. It's going to be a big key to the team." Somewhere in the Alamodome, Tigers coach John Calipari probably exhaled. That's because in the same building last year, Dorsey had a very different tone when speaking of another center before the Tigers played Ohio State in the South Regional final. Dorsey was asked if he thought he could raise his stock among scouts with his play against Buckeyes center Greg Oden. Oregonian

Brown has connections with all four in semis: The 2008 Final Four might be subtitled the Larry Brown Invitational. Not only did the Long Beach High School product coach the San Antonio Spurs in the ABA many years ago, he has a connection with three of the participating schools and with the coach of the fourth. Brown attended North Carolina, led UCLA to the 1980 championship game and was the coach when Kansas earned its most recent national title in 1988. He also gave Memphis coach John Calipari his first full-time job when he hired him at Kansas in 1983. Newsday

UCLA may be team to beat if Shipp can find his shot: Shipp said he wouldn't qualify it as a slump, but said, "I'm just not shooting the ball as well as I usually do. I'm a shooter . . . I can't second-guess myself.'' It's the outside influences that have been the most annoying thing. He's getting advice from everyone about his shooting. "Man, it is ridiculous,'' he said. "It has been crazy.''The best advice?
"Most of the advice I have received is to shoot more and stay confident,'' he said. He's tried to block out a lot of outside influences. Tucson Citizen Times

Rose's phenomenal tournament run has drawn attention of NBA, nation: Highly regarded for years in basketball circles and a lead-pipe lottery cinch before he took his first dribble for the Tigers, Rose's play over the past few weeks has propelled him into something approaching superstardom. No one would now be surprised to see him go first overall in June's NBA Draft, should he decide to enter it. Memphis Commercial Appeal

(photo credit: AP)