Saturday, March 24, 2007
SAN JOSE, Calif. — The reminders are everywhere. Two tradition-rich programs will face this evening with the goal of adding another banner to their already full rafters.
None of the Jayhawks have been to a Final Four, but they’ve all heard the stories. During the summer months, former players come back and train with the current Jayhawks, playing pickup ball and building connections with the team. They’ll be watching today.
“Keith Langford called from Italy all fired up after we won the first two games, because he knows he’s a part of it,” coach Bill Self said. “He wants these guys to do well just like he did well.”
UCLA is no slouch at tradition, either. The school boasts 11 NCAA basketball titles, most of them under legendary coach John Wooden.
“You think of UCLA, and the first thing that comes to mind is UCLA basketball,” coach Ben Howland said.
The game is expected to be a detail-oriented defensive battle, with both teams having only a limited number of possessions to score in. The Bruins play a slower style of basketball than the Jayhawks, but faster than Southern Illinois, who Kansas defeated to advance to the game.
Self said that a slower game isn’t necessarily an indication that Kansas is failing, but an indication of how intense postseason basketball is.
“Usually in the NCAA tournament scoring averages start to go down,” he said. “Possessions are more magnified.”
Intensity is another word that gets thrown into the mix in a game like this. Both schools are used to fielding championship teams, and both are getting ready for a fight to make the Final Four.
The coaches have their own battle trying to keep the players away from the hype surrounding the game. Self said he hopes his players are enjoying the ride.
“This is the reason kids come to Kansas, to play in this game,” he said. “So enjoy it. That’s what I would say. Enjoy it, because this is why you pick a school.”
The players agreed. Junior guard Russell Robinson and sophomore guard Mario Chalmers know that there’s only room for the very best teams to be celebrated in the Kansas history books.
“We think about tradition a little bit when we’re out there,” Chalmers said. “We got a national championship back in eighty...”
“....eight,” Robinson finished.
For this year’s team to be successful, it’ll have to break UCLA’s defense with the same passing and teamwork the players displayed at the podium on Friday.
— Kansan.com will have complete basketball coverage all weekend long.
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