Whole lotta Love takes UCLA all the way to Final Four against Memphis
SAN ANTONIO -- A whole lotta Love has taken UCLA a long way this season.
Expectations were already outsized when Kevin Love walked onto the Westwood campus as the greatest high school player in Oregon history. The 6-foot-10 freshman was the coveted big man the Bruins had been lacking since Bill Walton and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar starred on John Wooden's teams in the late 1960s and early '70s.
"I've heard the comparisons. Those are unfair, because they are probably the two best college players of all time," Love said. "Those are the hardest footsteps ever to follow in college basketball."
But he's trying.
Love chose UCLA ahead of North Carolina and quickly won over the Bruins' demanding fans, dazzling them with old-school outlet passes, 3-point scoring and low post moves.
He's kept his cool all the way to the Final Four, where Love wants to give the Bruins a record 12th national championship before likely heading off to the NBA draft.
"It's been the ride of my life," he said.
Love thrives on playing the biggest games under the hottest spotlight, which makes Saturday's national semifinal against Memphis his ideal situation.
He's averaging 21.8 points and 11 rebounds while shooting 61 percent from the field and 77 percent from 3-point range in the NCAA tournament. He's blocked 17 shots, including seven in a thrilling two-point win over Texas A&M in the second round.
"He came in with so much expectation and hype," UCLA coach Ben Howland said. "To have all that on your shoulders and not only reach all the expectations and exceed them, he's been incredible."
Love has learned to play Howland's style of hard-nosed defense, something that wasn't necessary in high school, where he "just sort of stood around and got easy baskets and waited for rebounds," he said.
The turning point in Love's memorable first, and likely only collegiate season came against Texas in early December. The Bruins were beaten by two points at home, their first loss, and Love played just 24 minutes -- nearly 10 minutes less than the other starters.
"I wasn't doing that great on defense. Lorenzo (Mata-Real) had to step in being a fourth-year guy," Love said. "From then on, I just tried to study film and listen to my coaches."
Unlike most of the team, Love has been injury-free throughout the season, except for tweaking his back in the Pac-10 tournament. He's scored in double figures in all 38 games, including 23 double-doubles, with 16 of those in the Bruins' last 22 games.
He stepped into one of the best situations any freshman had in the country. Love has a strong supporting cast, with backcourt mates Darren Collison and Russell Westbrook and forwards Luc Richard Mbah a Moute and Josh Shipp already veterans of back-to-back Final Four appearances.
"I was still a little bit nervous if I was going to be accepted on the team," Love said. "They took me in as part of the family, and there was never any mixed emotions or jealousy about it."
Having most of the attention on him is "a little weird sometimes," Love said. If he's on a podium with his teammates, Love will pass a question directed at him to one of them.
"He's a team player and for a youngster who had so much publicity in high school, the ability to not let it go to his head," Wooden said. "I've been very impressed with him as a player and as a person."
Love's signature outlet passes, rarely seen in college anymore, have made countless TV highlights and prompted older UCLA fans to tell him, "I used to see Walton throw that." Against Xavier in the West Region final, he stood on the baseline and fired a pinpoint pass the length of the court to Westbrook, who made the easy layin.
"He's got the arm of Elway. Westbrook sprints like he's Jerry Rice," Memphis coach John Calipari said. "There's potential, and there's performance. He performs."
Love honed his passing skills by watching cable replays of Magic Johnson during the Los Angeles Lakers' "Showtime" era of the '80s and doing drills with his father Stan Love, a former Oregon star who played in the NBA.
"He gets joy like a Magic Johnson or (Larry) Bird from making a great pass," Howland said.
So does Stan, who takes unabashed pride in his youngest son. Dressed in Bruin blue, he frequently jumps up to cheer and pump his arms in the stands. Wife, Karen, wears Kevin's No. 42. Having Kevin at UCLA has reunited the entire Love family, whose Southern California roots run deep. Kevin was born in Santa Monica before Stan and Karen moved to Lake Oswego, Ore., where he grew up. His uncle Mike Love formed the Beach Boys in the region famous for its beach culture.
The Loves rent an apartment in the same complex near campus where Kevin lives with brother Collin. Their teenage sister Emily has turned up at games, as has Mike, Stan's brother.
The younger Love used to be embarrassed about his uncle's music. Mike teased him that Love was just worried about losing his street cred. "If I listen to it," Love said, lowering his voice, "what will my friends think?"
Now Love embraces his family's musical heritage. He lists "Good Vibrations" and "California Girls" as his favorite Beach Boys songs. Least favorite? "Surfer Girl."
Ever the contrarian, he said, "I don't like that one because it's my dad's favorite."
Love said his uncle was going to try to make Saturday's game. The Beach Boys are on an eight-date United Kingdom tour, with shows in London on Friday and Cardiff, Wales, on Sunday.
"What is he thinking? Who makes his schedule?" Love joked. "He's going to try to either pay off the show or do something to get out here. This is a pretty special time for my family and for myself as well, so he's going to try."
Love and his teammates will go for the school's 99th NCAA tournament victory against Memphis on Saturday. He figures to be the center of attention again.
"No matter how much press I get, no matter what people say about me, I'm just going to be Kevin, the nice kid that my parents raised me to be," he said.
Maybe a national champion, too.
Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press
No. 13 Louisville 79, No. 5 Tennessee 60
CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Louisville's suffocating defense has Rick Pitino a step away from a sixth trip to the Final Four.
Earl Clark scored 13 of his 17 points in the second half and added 12 rebounds, and Pitino's mix of defenses made life miserable for Tennessee in a 79-60 win Thursday night that put Louisville in the East Regional final.
Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press
Coppin St. brings 20 losses to NCAA tourney vs. Mount St. Mary's
DAYTON, Ohio -- Fifty-eight teams in the NCAA tournament field of 65 have won at least 20 games. Only one has lost that many.
At least Coppin State is unique.
The Eagles will be the first team to start the NCAA tournament with 20 losses, when they take on Mount St. Mary's in the opening-round game Tuesday night.
"We're definitely not looking at their record to see how good they are," Mount St. Mary's coach Milan Brown said Monday. "They're going to be a tough test."
At one point this season, Coppin State lost 17 of 18 games and was 4-19. But the Eagles finished with a rush, winning 12 of their final 13 games, including the Mid-Eastern Conference tournament championship, and earning an automatic NCAA bid.
Coppin State, from Baltimore, won the conference championship by beating Morgan State 62-60. Mount St. Mary's (18-14), from Emmitsburg, Md., won the Northeast Conference tournament, beating Sacred Heart 68-55.
The Mountaineers are making their third NCAA tournament appearance and first since 1999. Coppin State is making its fourth appearance and first since 1997.
Mount St. Mary's is 3-0 against Coppin State, and the two teams haven't met since 1984. The winner of Tuesday's game will face top-seed and No. 1-ranked North Carolina in the East regional in Raleigh, N.C.
Brown is especially worried about Coppin State's senior point guard Tywain McKee, who is averaging 16.6 points a game and tied a season-high 33, including a floater in the lane with two seconds remaining, to lift the Eagles over Morgan State.
"That's always scary in a one-game situation that a player can have a night where he can just beat you by himself," Brown said. "We're going to try to make sure we give him a few different looks, hopefully, and just make him take a lot of potentially tough shots."
Coppin State coach Ron "Fang" Mitchell said the Eagles were having team chemistry problems earlier in the season, but turned things around when the seniors took a greater leadership role and the younger players got game experience.
"We had to mix that together, and it took some time," he said.
Mitchell said his team will have to worry about the perimeter play of Mount St. Mary's guards Jeremy Goode and Chris Vann. Goode averages 14.3 points a game and 5.5 assists and Vann averages 14.4 points.
Brown said his team is playing its best basketball of the season, reaping the benefits of several sophomores beginning to click at the same time. He said the bench is deep, with eight or nine players getting significant playing time in an effort to wear out opponents.
"We're overwhelmed that we're here. We have a chance to do big things," Vann said. "We're enjoying every bit of it."
Brown said he had a sense over the weekend that his team might end up playing Coppin State, so on Sunday his team practiced as if they would play the Eagles.
"I guess maybe it looked like I was a genius," he said.
Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press
McKenzie misses practice, Tollackson still hurting
MINNEAPOLIS -- If Minnesota seniors Spencer Tollackson and Lawrence McKenzie are going to play in their final game at Williams Arena, they will likely be limping through it.
McKenzie missed practice on Monday with a foot injury and Tollackson is still recovering from an injured ankle himself the day before the Gophers take on Maryland in the NIT.
It will likely be the last game they play in Williams Arena, unless they defeat the Terrapins and Robert Morris upsets No. 1-seed Syracuse.
"It's the last go-round," Tollackson said. "It means a lot. I want to end this year the right way. A lot of teams, when they get in the NIT, just kind of give up. That's definitely not our case."
Coach Tubby Smith said both players, normally starters, would come off the bench on Tuesday night. Al Nolen will start in McKenzie's place and Jonathan Williams will start for Tollackson. Both played well in the Big Ten tournament.
Blake Hoffarber, who hit the buzzer-beater to shock Indiana in the conference tournament quarterfinals, will also get a start, but Smith knows his seniors will want to contribute.
"I'm sure they'll step up and be there," Smith said.
Tollackson said his ankle is still swollen, but he doesn't plan on missing this one.
"My four years here have been up and down. It would mean a lot to just really try and fight and compete while we're alive," Tollackson said. "I only have one guaranteed college game left. We're definitely fighting for our lives right now."
Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press
Givens' free throws clinch 56-55 win for Jackson St over Soutehrn
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- Catraiva Givens made two free throws with six seconds left as to clinch a one-point win for Jackson State over Southern University Thursday in the quarterfinals of the Southwestern Athletic Conference tournament.
The Tigers (13-19) will face Alabama State, which beat Texas Southern 67-49, in Friday's semifinal game.
After starting the second half with a seven point advantage, Jackson State held its lead until Southern (11-19) pulled ahead, 47-46, on a 3-pointer by Joe Holliday with 5:32 to play. The lead went back and forth after that, staying within three points. The Jaguars led 55-54 when Steffon Wiley fouled Givens, sending him to the line to make the game-winning shots.
Game high scorer Darrion Griffin led the Jackson State with 18 points, and Jeremy Caldwell added 12 more. Grant Maxey snagged 11 points for the Tigers.
Barry Honore' led Southern with 16 points and eight rebounds, and Chris Davis chipped in with 11 more.
Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press
Beasley scores 33 points to lead Kansas State past Colorado 78-72
MANHATTAN, Kan. -- Michael Beasley, with an appreciative crowd hoping it wasn't his final game in Bramlage Coliseum, had 33 points to break Kansas State's season scoring record and lead the Wildcats past Colorado 78-72 on Tuesday night.
The 6-foot-10 Beasley, with one regular-season game left in the finest season any Kansas State player has ever had, seems to be reaching his highest levels as things wind down. It was his fourth straight 30-point game and he grabbed 14 rebounds for his 26th double-double, extending his own NCAA freshman record and setting the Big 12 mark.
Shouts of "One more year, Michael," and "Please don't leave, Michael" were heard all over the arena as the game began. While Beasley has said all season he would like to stay in school, he's likely to be the No. 1 overall pick if he goes into the NBA draft and would command a three-year contract worth about $14 million.
Fellow freshman Bill Walker snapped out of a two-game shooting slump with 25 points for the Wildcats (19-10, 9-6) snapped a four-game losing streak and may have assured themselves of their first NCAA tournament bid in 12 seasons.
Marcus Hall had 22 points for Colorado (11-18, 3-12) and Richard Roby, held to one point on 0-for-5 shooting in the first half, finished with 15.
With Beasley scoring 20 points on his typically impressive variety of moves and shots, Kansas State led 41-27 at halftime. But the Wildcats committed turnovers on five of their first seven possessions in the second half and Roby and Hall led the Buffaloes' comeback.
Hall's fastbreak basket got it to 56-52. Then Beasley, seeming to hang in the air, popped in a short jumper and a moment later completed a three-point play to lead an 8-0 run.
Roby followed Levi Knutson's 3-pointer with two baskets that shaved the lead back to 71-65.
Colorado's Cory Higgins drilled a 3-pointer that made it 76-72 in the final seconds. Then Beasley stepped to the line and made two free throws for the final margin.
Beasley, who was 8-of-10 from the line and 1-of-3 from behind the 3-point arc, got the season scoring record on a goaltending call. With 780 points, he surpassed the record of 768 set by Mitch Richmond 20 years ago.
Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press
Plaisted leads BYU over New Mexico, 70-69 in OT
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. -- Through the first 44 minutes and 54 seconds, Trent Plaisted shot 3-of-7 on his free throw attempts.
From there, he went 2-for-2.
Plaisted scored 23 points, hitting two big free throws with 5.7 seconds remaining in overtime as BYU survived a shaky first half to beat New Mexico 70-69 in a thriller on Tuesday night.
"It was easier to make the shots in those last few seconds," said Plaisted, who also blocked five shots. "When the game's one the line like that, you really don't care about anything else but winning the basketball game."
Plaisted, held to six points in the first half, was fouled as time ran down, then calmly stepped to the line and made the first attempt to tie it at 69 and, after a New Mexico timeout, made the next for a 70-69 lead.
"He was confident," BYU coach David Rose said. "We was very engaged the whole game. He did a good job."
Lee Cummard added 14 points for BYU (22-6, 11-2), which maintained its Mountain West lead and got back on track three nights after seeing a nine-game winning streak end with a 69-65 loss at San Diego State.
The Cougars made 7-of-8 from the free throw line in overtime, including a 4-for-4 effort by Sam Burgess, who finished with 12 points.
"We're a veteran squad," Plaisted said. "We've been really, really good under Coach Rose. We rarely lose again after we lose a game."
The ending featured some confusion and controversy.
New Mexico's Jamaal Smith raced downcourt and got an errant 12-footer airborne. It bounced off the backboard and then the horn sounded. BYU players celebrated, but officials converged to view a television replay.
They decided the ball had touched a BYU player and gone out of bounds before the horn and put 0.1 seconds back on the clock. That allowed New Mexico to try an inbounds play to score, but J.R. Giddens missed a catch-and-shoot attempt in the lane.
"They got the job done better by one possession than we did," New Mexico coach Steve Alford said.
Giddens scored 30 points and had seven rebounds for the Lobos (22-7, 9-5), who had their six-game winning streak snapped and fell to 15-2 at home this season.
"It's very frustrating," Giddens said. "We fought hard all game. We wanted this game. We really wanted to win, but we made some mistakes down the stretch."
New Mexico seemed to have control when Dairese Gary made two free throws for a 69-66 lead with 1:06 to play in overtime, but Burgess answered with two of his own to pull the Cougars to 69-68 with 57.1 seconds to go.
Each team missed a chance to win it at the end of regulation, with Gary's runner off the mark, and Jimmer Fredette unable to make a 55-footer at the horn.
"Our guys played," Rose said. "I was really proud of how they battled. It was competitive. It was back and forth, kind of what we expected in this game. The guys just gave it everything they had."
The Lobos hurt themselves by shooting an uncharacteristically poor 3-of-21 from 3-point range. Coming in, New Mexico was the nation's best 3-point shooting team, averaging 43.7 percent.
"We missed a lot of shots we normally make," Alford said. "That's one of the worst 3-point shooting nights we've had all year, and we lost by one point to the best team in our league."
New Mexico led 49-48 with 8½ minutes remaining in regulation when Roman Martinez hit a 3-pointer to bring the capacity crowd of 18,018 to full cheer. After a timeout, freshman Jonathan Wills added another 3-pointer to push the lead to 55-48.
Plaisted scored for BYU but Gary came away with a loose ball to start a fastbreak, which Martinez capped with a basket and a foul. He made the ensuing free throw, and the Lobos led 58-50 with 6:25 to go.
BYU wouldn't quit, though, and the Cougars tied it at 58 with 3:01 on the clock. Plaisted scored three baskets inside, Chris Collinsworth made a free throw and Cummard swished a 3-pointer, forcing a New Mexico timeout.
"This place is legendary for its hostility," Plaisted said. "It just feels so amazing. I walk down the floor and in 10 minutes you're getting death threats. So this feels great."
Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press
|
