A Few Basketball Notes
by Ryan Rosenblatt on Nov 21, 2008 12:52 PM PST
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PrintLet's start with a look at next season where the UCLA schedule is starting to take shape. According to Dohn, UCLA and Kansas are on the verge of completing a deal that would see the two historic programs face off in '09-'10 and '10-'11.
An agreement is close to being completed for UCLA and Kansas, two of the most successful programs in college basketball history, to play in each of the next two seasons as part of the Pac 10/Big 12 challenge, sources said.
The programs have combined for 16 national titles (11 by UCLA), and they last met in the 2007 NCAA Tournament's Elite Eight, with the Bruins winning 68-55.
With the Bruins already due to travel to South Bend for our return game with Notre Dame next year I expect Kansas to visit Pauley next season and the Bruins to visit Lawrence in 2010. Dohn also has a note on next season's preseason tournament.
Also, the Bruins are scheduled to play in the eight-team Anaheim Classic next season, sources added. The tournament is played at the Anaheim Convention Center during Thanksgiving weekend.
This will provide the Bruins to play quality competition, get exposure on ESPN and get credit for neutral court wins in a building that should be filled with blue and gold. The neutral court games will be a big RPI boost and will help with our quest to stay out west in March of 2010.
Here's what we know of our schedule for the next two years:
2009-2010- Anaheim Classic, @ Notre Dame, Kansas (could be home or away, bet on home)
2010-2011- @ Kansas (again could be home, but bet on away)
In addition, I've heard that we're looking to get in the Preseason NIT in 2010 and w're eying a return to Maui in 2011.
Dohn came through with an update on the Pauley renovation too. The UC Regents approved $6.5 million to be spent on preliminary plans for the renovation and according to the report given to the Regents, the project will cost $175-185 million. Here's what else Dohn had to say.
UCLA still must raise $68 million for the project.
And according to the report, the renovation will include "a below-grade addition at the north side of the structure" for "new basketball locker rooms, sports medicine, media, equipment storage space, and a new multi-purpose reception and meeting facility; and an enclosed concourse at the perimeter of the building with new lobby, restroom, and concession space."
If you want to check out the report that was given to the Regents, you can do so here. This is more detailed than anything we've seen before, but we're still a long ways off from walking into a renovated Pauley. As has been said here before, the Pauley renovation could define DG's legacy at UCLA so let's hope he gets it right. I'm willing to wait a little longer for them to get it right, but at some point it's got to get done. If we begin next basketball season without any concrete plans I'll be worried, but for now I'm taking a wait and see approach.
On a final note, while last night's game was certainly disconcerting, it's not the end of the world. We've had performances similar to last night's before and it hasn't stopped us before. CollegeHoopsNet.com took a look at the Pac 10 the past five years and confirmed what we already know. The Bruins have been the class of the Pac 10 for the last five years, tough early season losses or not.
This is a FanPost and does not necessarily reflect the views of BruinsNation's (BN) editors. It does reflect the views of this particular fan though, which is as important as the views of BN's editors.
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Pauley
I am going to wait another year to see what happens but I am getting a little worried.
The home and home with Kansas is going to be awesome.
Ditto on Pauley
How long has this renovation idea been kicked around? The longer it drags on, the less likely it seems it will happen.
Thankfully, I don’t see any negative impact (yet) on CBH’s recruiting efforts resulting from the lack of renovation of Pauley; however, I know this is always a concern.
Get ’er done.
Pete Carroll wears ladies' clothes.
Seems like CBH has recruited himself into a corner
I hope the administration doesn’t figure that CBH will be able to bring in the cream of the crop regardless of the state of our facilities. His recent recruiting classes do seem to suggest this, but why make things more difficult than they have to be?
Just a theory
I think CBH…HURTS…the Pauley renovation efforts.
I started to post this yesterday, and Ty is hitting on it exactly. If we were still struggling the way we were under the greaseball, and weren’t bringing in the top recruiting classes every year, and weren’t winning games, I think there would be a huge sense of urgency and desperation surrounding the program, and everyone (admin and alumni) would be looking at ways to improve the program. As a result, upgrades to Pauley would be a big priority.
With CBH turning the program around and establishing it as one of the top 5 programs every year, and with him bringing in the best recruiting classes every year, lots of the admin and alumni are going to ask why we have to spend money on Pauley, since everything is otherwise going so well.
T Boone Pickens didn’t donate a mint to Ok St because they were doing so well – it was because they weren’t doing well, and he wanted to give the school the best facilities to be able to compete for the best talent, believing that will translate to better success on the scoreboard. We need to look beyond the current success of our basketball program and consider its long term health. The admin needs to prioitize this issue and the alumni need to open their checkbooks.
And of course, the current economy isn’t helping so much, either.
greg in denver - UCLA guy for life
I worry about the economy
and its effect on renovation plans.
The regents may find it harder to justify spending 100m+ on pauley renovations when the university’s endowment has decreased by so much. (speaking of which, does anyone know what exactly the financial meltdown has had on the UC’s endownment?)
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