Bruins seeded No. 6, will face Minnesota
March, 17, 2013
MAR 17
3:43
PM PT
By Peter Yoon | ESPNLosAngeles.com
LOS ANGELES -- The UCLA Bruins received a No. 6 seed in the South Regional and will face the No. 11 Minnesota Golden Gophers in the second round of the NCAA tournament Friday in Austin, Tex.
UCLA (25-9) was the Pac-12 regular-season champion but fell to the Oregon Ducks in theconference tournament final. Minnesota (20-12) tied for seventh in the Big Ten, which is widely considered the nation's top conference this season, and lost to Illinois in its conference tournament opening round.
This will be the seventh all-time meeting between the teams, with UCLA holding a 5-1 edge. The winner will play the winner of the game between No. 3 Florida and No. 14 Northwestern State.
UCLA (25-9) was the Pac-12 regular-season champion but fell to the Oregon Ducks in theconference tournament final. Minnesota (20-12) tied for seventh in the Big Ten, which is widely considered the nation's top conference this season, and lost to Illinois in its conference tournament opening round.
This will be the seventh all-time meeting between the teams, with UCLA holding a 5-1 edge. The winner will play the winner of the game between No. 3 Florida and No. 14 Northwestern State.
NCAA Tournament: UCLA to play Minnesota in Austin
posted by Ryan Kartje
OC Register
March 17th, 2013, 3:19 pm
UCLA is a six seed in the NCAA Tournament's South region and will play Minnesota in Austin, Texas on Friday.
If they win, the Bruins will likely earn a rematch with Florida, who they played in their last NCAA Tournament appearance.
Minnesota, however, presents a very difficult first-round matchup for UCLA, as Minnesota boasts one of the strongest frontcourts in the NCAA, anchored by athletic forwards Trevor Mbakwe and Rodney Williams. The Gophers rank just six spots below UCLA in RPI, and in KenPom.com's efficiency rankings, the Gophers actually rank 21 spots ahead of the Bruins.
UCLA finished the season 27th in RPI with a 13-6 record against the RPI Top 100. They also played a tough schedule, ranking 17th in SOS, according to ESPN.com.
But UCLA's season ended in disappointing fashion in the Pac-12 championship game, less than 24 hours after the Bruins' lost key freshman Jordan Adams for the season with a broken foot. Still, UCLA finished with its first regular season conference title since 2008 and finished the season with a 25-9 record -- its best record since 2009.
There was concern after UCLA's defeat on Saturday that the NCAA Selection Committee would punish the Bruins for Adams' injury, but given UCLA's sixth seed, it's doubtful that the committee took it into much consideration.
The Pac-12 was the topic of much discussion during the seeding, as conference tournament champion Oregon, who led the conference for much of the season, was named a 12-seed. Cal and Colorado were also announced as 12th and 10th seeds, respectively. Strangely enough, however, Cal was slotted against UNLV, which they played earlier in the season, violating one of the guidelines.
NCAA Tournament: First look at Minnesota
Some quick facts about Minnesota, UCLA's opponent in the second round of the South Regional.
Strengths of schedule: The Golden Gophers didn't finish off strong this season, but it's hard to blame them, given the fact that Minnesota's schedule was the third-strongest in all of college basketball.
Minnesota head coach Tubby Smith hasn’t won an NCAA Tournament game since coming to Minneapolis.
NAM Y. HUH, AP
The coach's son: Like UCLA point guard Larry Drew II, who has a father that coaches in the NBA (Atlanta Hawks), the father of Minnesota point guard Austin Hollins is Memphis Grizzlies coach Lionel Hollins.
Don't tell Tubby: While UCLA coach Ben Howland has won plenty of NCAA Tournament games since coming to Westwood, Minnesota coach Tubby Smith hasn't won an NCAA Tournament game since coming to Minneapolis, losing both tries.
Common opponents: The Bruins and Golden Gophers had two common opponents: Stanford and USC. UCLA swept Stanford in the two games they played, winning 68-60 at home and 88-80 in Palo Alto. Minnesota beat Stanford, 66-63, on Nov. 24. The Bruins split their season series with USC, losing their first matchup at home and winning on the road at the Galen Center. The Golden Gophers beat USC in their lone meeting, 71-57, in Los Angeles.
Notable alumni: Tony Dungy, Warren Burger, Henry Fonda, Loni Anderson, Bob Dylan,
NCAA matchup: UCLA vs. Minnesota
Bruins have more momentum than Gophers, but is a loss to Cal Poly worse than a loss to Northwestern?
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Minnesota guard Andre Hollins drives past Nebraska guard Ray Gallegos in the second half of a game earlier this month. (Nati Harnik / Associated Press / March 6, 2013)
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By Chris FosterLA Times
March 17, 2013, 9:15 p.m.
No. 6 UCLA (25-9) vs. No. 11 Minnesota (20-12)
Friday, Erwin Center, Austin, Texas
How they got here: UCLA was the Pac-12 regular-season champion and reached the conference tournament final. Minnesota finished tied for seventh in the Big Ten and lost in the first round of the conference tournament.
Last 10 games: UCLA 7-3, Minnesota 3-7.
Record vs. NCAA tournament teams: UCLA 6-4; Minnesota 6-7.
Best wins/worst losses: UCLA defeated Arizona three times, including a 66-64 victory in the Pac-12 tournament, but the Bruins lost to Cal Poly at home, 70-68. Minnesota defeated Indiana, 77-73, and Michigan State, 76-63, but lost to Northwestern, 55-48.
Common opponent: UCLA split with USC, losing 75-71 in overtime on Jan. 30, and winning, 75-59, on Feb. 24. Minnesota defeated USC, 71-57, on Dec. 8.
UCLA lineup: Starters — F Travis Wear (11.2 ppg, 5.2 rpg), F Kyle Anderson (9.8 ppg, 8.6 rpg), GShabazz Muhammad (17.8 ppg, 5.3 rpg), G Norman Powell (5.9 ppg, 2.1 rpg), G Larry Drew II (7.6 ppg, 7.4 apg). Top reserves — F David Wear (7.0 ppg, 5.0 rpg), C Tony Parker (2.2 ppg, 1.1 rpg).
Minnesota lineup: Starters —- F Rodney Williams (10.3 ppg, 5.1 rpg), F Trevor Mbakwe (10,0 ppg, 8.7 rpg), G Joe Coleman (8.7 ppg, 2.1 rpg), G Austin Hollins (10.6 ppg, 3.3 rpg), G Andre Hollins (13.9 ppg, 3.4 apg). Top reserves — G Julian Welch (3.2 ppg, 1.4 rpg), C Elliott Eliason (2.2 ppg, 3.5 rpg).
It's a fact: The bloodlines are good, with sons of former NBA stars on both teams. Larry Drew II is the son of Larry Drew, who played with four NBA teams, including the Lakers from 1989-91. Austin Hollins is the son of Lionel Hollins, who won an NBA title with the Portland Trail Blazers in 1977. Both are currently NBA head coaches — Drew with the Atlanta Hawks and Hollins with the Memphis Grizzlies.
Friday, Erwin Center, Austin, Texas
How they got here: UCLA was the Pac-12 regular-season champion and reached the conference tournament final. Minnesota finished tied for seventh in the Big Ten and lost in the first round of the conference tournament.
Last 10 games: UCLA 7-3, Minnesota 3-7.
Record vs. NCAA tournament teams: UCLA 6-4; Minnesota 6-7.
Best wins/worst losses: UCLA defeated Arizona three times, including a 66-64 victory in the Pac-12 tournament, but the Bruins lost to Cal Poly at home, 70-68. Minnesota defeated Indiana, 77-73, and Michigan State, 76-63, but lost to Northwestern, 55-48.
Common opponent: UCLA split with USC, losing 75-71 in overtime on Jan. 30, and winning, 75-59, on Feb. 24. Minnesota defeated USC, 71-57, on Dec. 8.
UCLA lineup: Starters — F Travis Wear (11.2 ppg, 5.2 rpg), F Kyle Anderson (9.8 ppg, 8.6 rpg), GShabazz Muhammad (17.8 ppg, 5.3 rpg), G Norman Powell (5.9 ppg, 2.1 rpg), G Larry Drew II (7.6 ppg, 7.4 apg). Top reserves — F David Wear (7.0 ppg, 5.0 rpg), C Tony Parker (2.2 ppg, 1.1 rpg).
Minnesota lineup: Starters —- F Rodney Williams (10.3 ppg, 5.1 rpg), F Trevor Mbakwe (10,0 ppg, 8.7 rpg), G Joe Coleman (8.7 ppg, 2.1 rpg), G Austin Hollins (10.6 ppg, 3.3 rpg), G Andre Hollins (13.9 ppg, 3.4 apg). Top reserves — G Julian Welch (3.2 ppg, 1.4 rpg), C Elliott Eliason (2.2 ppg, 3.5 rpg).
It's a fact: The bloodlines are good, with sons of former NBA stars on both teams. Larry Drew II is the son of Larry Drew, who played with four NBA teams, including the Lakers from 1989-91. Austin Hollins is the son of Lionel Hollins, who won an NBA title with the Portland Trail Blazers in 1977. Both are currently NBA head coaches — Drew with the Atlanta Hawks and Hollins with the Memphis Grizzlies.
NCAA Bracket link
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