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The USD Toreros head north to Westwood this evening to play the UCLA Men’s Basketball team. By all accounts, USD is not a very good basketball team. They were predicted to finish last in the West Coast Conference and they have lost their first two games.
They opened the season last Friday against San Diego State and, while the Aztecs have been one of the best basketball teams in California, if not the best, the past few years, SDSU only beat the Toreros by 10. In their home opener against Samford, USD lost by 18.
The last time the Bruins hosted the Toreros was on December 7, 2014. In that game, UCLA squeaked one out as USD closed the gap to just 4 with 1:17 remaining. Interestingly, San Diego led 35-33 at the half of that game and UCLA was shooting from the perimeter during the entire first half.
Well, gee, that sounds an awful lot like UCLA’s first two games of this year, too. CSUN led at the half on Sunday and the Bruins relied on 18 3-pointers on Friday against Pacific.
Tonight should be another easy win for the Bruins.
While you’re waiting for the game to start, check out today’s article from Myron Medcalf on ESPN.com. Medcalf goes into good detail about how upset fans have been about Steve Alford’s performance at UCLA. But, he also presents Alford’s view on things and discusses how Alford joked about the movement to fire him after last season. Medcalf writes:
Steve Alford said he made light of the "Fire Alford!" banner during an offseason Pauley Pavilion function in which the names of key boosters were etched onto a ribbon board.
"When it was my time to talk, I said, 'We appreciate everything you do and the money, but I got all you beat. ... My name is on a ribbon on the back of a plane,'" Alford joked. "So I think it just becomes humorous."
That’s a slap in the face by Alford to everyone who signed the petition to fire him last Spring. Mull on that a little while you wait for tonight’s game to tip off.
#16 UCLA Bruins (2-0)
Opponent: University of San Diego Toreros (0-2)
When: Thursday, November 17, 2016, 8:00 pm PT
Where: Pauley Pavilion, Los Angeles, CA
Game Notes:
TV: Pac-12 National and Los Angeles with Ted Robinson and Don MacLean
Stream: Pac-12.com and the Pac-12 No App
Radio/Audio:
- 570 AM in Los Angeles with Josh Lewin and Tracy Murray
- XM 197 (UCLA Feed)
- And, of course, the Bruins Nation Game Thread!
Live Stats: UCLA Bruins Stat Broadcast
Go Bruins!