Formula For Success

So as the Madness draws near, I've been thinking a lot about about past BenBall teams and why this year's team hasn't enjoyed the same success so far.  While that has been very well debated here on BN, it got me thinking about something else...3 straight final fours.  Obviously you need talent to make a deep run in the tournament, but talent comes and goes, especially over a three year span.  There is something else that has maintained this program's success, something else that Coach Howland knows that few other coaches seem to.  That something else is our style of play, and so long as we have that, we will always be one of the most dangerous teams in the tournament.

* (I preface the rest of this post by saying that while I certainly do not expect a fourth straight final four, I do believe that this team will go farther than many expect them to)

When I say style of play I mean more than than just the smothering defense and efficient offense that have become Howland trademarks.  Our style of play also (maybe even more importantly) includes intensity, physicality, and poise.  These are the wild cards that make us so dangerous come mid-March.  When I watch us during Pac-10 play and even in the Pac-10 tournament, I care less about wins and losses and more about the whether or not we are playing up to these standards.  Marques Johnson (at least I think it was him) made an excellent comment last Wednesday that really helps explain what I am trying to say.  He pointed out that it is extremely difficult to beat a team three times in one season no matter how good you are.  The winless team continually tries to exploit your weaknesses and correct theirs, while the winning team often becomes complacent and ends up getting trapped.  I think this can also be expanded to the regular season, where teams have gotten three full seasons of our style of play and have adjusted accordingly.  People say the Pac-10 is weak, but it would not suprise me to see two or even three other teams make a sweet-16 run because playing the best brings out the best.

However, come tournament time this whole idea of familiarity goes out the window.  Teams face each other for the first time and it becomes more about style of play and less about a specific game plan.  Under Howland, UCLA has always been a very physical and intense team, and I think this takes a lot of other teams by surprise, leading to some unexpected victories.  It's one thing to notice that a team plays tough, but that experience cannot be replicated in practice and in a one-and-done style tournament that spells trouble for our opponent.  Just look at how Notre Dame (who IMHO is a good team despite their record) fared against our bruising style.  Toughness and physicality also allow you dictate pace, and nowhere was this more evident than in our 05-06 run to the final four where we were winning game sin the 50s and 60s.  I truly believe that with DC, JS, PAA, DG, and ML this team has just as much toughness as past teams.  The way we create turnovers and steals almost at will when down at the end of games is evidence of this, our warriors just need to find a way to maintain that intensity for 40 minutes.

Another important aspect is poise.  Poise only comes with experience (or players mature beyond their years such as JF, AA, and LRMAM), and with our seniors we have plenty of experience.  Last year against Western Kentucky we remained calm even when down by double digits and rode JK's inspired play to a victory.  While we have not seen as much of that poise under pressure this year (see ASU in Pauley), I believe that has more to do with lacking a go to scorer.  However, DC has clearly shown the ability to fill that void (see Cal at Cal) so long as he is healthy for the tournament.

So there you have it.  I believe that our team's intangibles often get overlooked come March, and a lower seeding this year will only add to that.  While this team still has other issues to address, the fundamentals are still as strong as ever, and nowhere are fundamentals more important than under pressure in the clutch.  While I still caution those of you clinging to Final Four hopes, I hope this post give hope to those who foresee and early exit.  So long as Howland is on that bench and DC, JS, and PAA are giving it their all, this Bruins team will live to fight another day.