(Zags) under pressure ...

by Nestor on Mar 20, 2006 2:52 PM PST in Basketball

Of course conventional wisdom spouted by clueless morons like Bill Plaschke is that UCLA is the program out West which will be shouldering the burden of unbearable crush of fan expectations. That is of course nonsense. We do expect and hope for a win in this year's Steve-16 against the Zags. But if it doesn't work out for us - the world is not going to end - considering our program is just getting (re)started under Coach Howland. Meanwhile, the pressure is really going to be on the Zags. They have been racking up bloated regular seasons (kind of like Dorrell's "10 win season") since 1999, however they have ZERO Final-4 (never mind NCs) to show for. Instead of annually whining about their seedings its time for them to do something more than notching some "upsets" and posting true moral victories against marquee programs. The pressure is going to be on the Zags to post a win against UCLA, otherwise considering UCLA's continued resurgence they will never amount to much more than a regional threat beyond the Pacific Northwest. They need this game. And at least one analyst from ESPN recognizes that the pressure Thursday night will be on the Zags:

Gonzaga
Pressure gauge: 7
The only way to torpedo the mid-major label forever is to make a Final Four. The Zags have never had a better opportunity than now: two victories away and armed with their best player since John Stockton. Winning the national title remains the dream, but just making it to Indy would be a landmark, program-defining achievement.

UCLA
Pressure gauge: 6.5
The Bruins once measured success by a single standard: They either won the national title or had a bad season. But after a bumpy decade since the last UCLA championship and a plague of injuries that threatened to scuttle this season, every March win is a thrill these days. A Final Four berth would be a great achievement; a national title -- although not out of the question -- would be a significant surprise.

By the way the team that is facing the most pressure in this tourney - not the Flukees - but Calhoun's UConn(victs):

Connecticut
Pressure gauge: 10
The Huskies have become annual title contenders, but this year is different. With UConn identified a year ago as one of the two teams to beat (along with Duke), the expectation of a third national title has been present on a daily basis ever since. Two less-than-dominant performances in Philadelphia didn't change that. Now, with a virtual walkover bracket in Washington, D.C., the pressure will only intensify.

Once again ladies and gentlemen - Bruins will have nothing to lose. Like I have said before if it doesn't work out this season for some reason with our youngsters we are going to come back even stronger in the next one. Its the Zag program (Little Darlings of ESPN) which sees its window of opportunity closing out West. The pressure on them not to choke (again) this Thursday night is going to be immense. All we need is our defense to come out play tight, play lock down inside-the-journey defense, and let it fly on our offense (and not miss our FTs). We really have nothing to lose on Thursday night. GO BRUINS.

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Pressure Index on UCLA -- 0.0

As a fan since '64, pressure was being at game number 87 at the end of the 88 game winning streak.

Today, nobody has any expectations. All us old-timers are THRILLED that we have a team that plays with poise, pride, and passion. Whether we win or lose from this point on, this season has been a smashing success because we FINALLY look like a real team after all these years.

So no, it doesn't really matter if we beat Gonzaga or not. Don't get me wrong, I would LOVE to be Gonzaga, payback and all, but we're on the road back to greatness now, so, pressure, not really any now!!

by waters96 on Mar 20, 2006 3:04 PM PST reply actions

Adjust the Clock!

Is it just me, or does the "Gonzaga Countdown" clock need to be adjusted by 3 hours for the 6:55pm PST start? Keep up the mojo, nestor!

by charnaw on Mar 20, 2006 3:22 PM PST reply actions

This Game Is Huge All The Way Around

If we(UCLA) can put away Gonzaga's best team ever, we'll recapture the 'Best Team In The West' label that we coined. It would be huge for recruiting. It's huge for Pac-10 basketball because Washington State is in Spokane, Washington too. And basically because Gonzaga is a blister on the Pac-10's ass. I blame the 'zags' for the whole "Pac-10 is down this year" rap. ESPN made it up to sell Gonzaga as a great team. The reason the analysts are really interested in this game is because the WCC's marketability is on the line. I think Dick Vitale proves my point, he talked up Gonzaga all year. But when the brackets came out he picked UCLA for the Final Four knowing full well that they would most likely play Gonzaga.
And finally, all this mid-major overachieving is a fluke. Next year the special 3 or 4 impact guys like Gerald Green or Andrew Bynum will be playing in college again. No more Bradley sweet 16's. No more Wichita State 7 seeds. I'm not saying it's impossible for them to overachieve. I'm saying it's going to take something special to do it. Like Steve Nash when he was at Santa Clara or Larry Bird at Indiana St.

by alcor805 on Mar 20, 2006 4:49 PM PST reply actions

Win or lose

This season has been a success. We are sitting at 29-6 with a Sweet Sixteen appearance. We are only two years removed from an 11-17 season. I'm glad to know the dark, dreary days of UCLA basketball are over. BEAT GONZAGA!!! GO BRUINS!!!

by bruinzete on Mar 20, 2006 6:39 PM PST reply actions