UCLA's Zach LaVine floats to the basket for two points in the first half during the second game of the NCAA Tournament at Viejas Arena in San Diego on Sunday. UCLA defeated Stephen F. Austin, 77-60, to advance to the Sweet 16.
Published: March 23, 2014 Updated: 9:41 p.m.
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The Bruins roll into their first Sweet 16 since 2008 with a dominant victory over Stephen F. Austin. Up next: Florida, the NCAA Tournament’s No. 1 seed.
UCLA vs. Florida
Thursday, 6:45 p.m.
KCBS/2
SAN DIEGO – All around them, giants fell. Goliaths of March were struck down by the unlikeliest of Davids. Cinderellas stomped away in their glass slippers.
But as the dust cleared on the wildest of opening weekends to the NCAA Tournament, UCLA stood tall, with only a bit of sweat to wipe from its brow.
For the Bruins, the only sign of the madness that swept the rest of the nation came from the television inside their locker room at Viejas Arena. On the court, they had little trouble exerting their will in a 77-60 victory over Stephen F. Austin on Sunday -- the Bruins’ second consecutive 17-point triumph and fifth win in a row overall. UCLA advances to face Florida, the tournament’s top seed, Thursday in Memphis.
In the locker room, the mood was strikingly casual – almost as if they’d been there before, even though this will be UCLA’s first berth in the Sweet 16 since 2008. There was little celebration. Surrounded by reporters, sophomore center Tony Parker held court, cracking jokes about Tyus Edney and Steve Alford, the coach who came to Westwood with a reputation for falling short of expectations in the tournament.
“You want to win for that guy,” Parker said of his first-year coach.
In the past five games, since the start of the Pac-12 Tournament, UCLA has had little problem winning for Alford, who hadn’t taken a team to the Sweet 16 since Southwest Missouri State in 1999. The Bruins stomped their way through Vegas and brutalized their opponents in San Diego, and they did so with a confident sort of ease that had been missing for most of the season, when each success was met soon after with a near-equal letdown.
“Coach just told us don’t be so uptight,” said Jordan Adams, who had a team-high 19 points. “Teams are so uptight now. Teams are losing, day in and day out. He just told us to enjoy it.”
It was never more evident than on Sunday, as UCLA toyed with Stephen F. Austin, shooting 55 percent, gliding down the court on the fastbreak, laughing and smiling as time ticked down. As the rest of the sport’s giants collapsed around them, UCLA walked unscathed into territory it had struggled to navigate for the past six seasons.
Duke lost in the opening round to Mercer. Kansas barely beat Eastern Kentucky, then lost to Stanford. Ohio State and Syracuse were beaten by Dayton. Three 12 seeds advanced from the Round of 64, and at least one double-digit seed will make the Elite Eight.
But UCLA – with a huge size advantage on its first two opponents and an offense loaded with potential NBA prospects – showed little interest in entertaining Cinderella stories.
Up against a Lumberjacks defense with the fourth-highest turnovers-forced rate in the nation, the Bruins coughed the ball up just three times. Their offense attacked the basket early and often, with 42 points in the paint. They held Southland Player of the Year Jacob Parker to just one field goal and five points. They limited the Lumberjacks to 35 percent shooting.
Stephen F. Austin, winner of 29 in a row, had burned through the Southland since Thanksgiving and captivated the nation with its late, miraculous comeback against VCU on Friday. But UCLA slammed the storybook shut from the get-go Sunday.
For Alford, however, this felt like a crucial chapter in what quickly has become a tale of redemption. After coming to UCLA with a wave of criticism, he has silenced questions about his postseason prowess. His players sang his praises in the locker room.
“Coach has always said he has our back,” said Norman Powell, who scored 16 points. “We have his back.”
They certainly did through the tournament’s first weekend, as the long-running narrative following Alford’s lack of postseason success abruptly changed directions. Still, there’s history to be overcome. Florida ended UCLA’s NCAA Tournament runs in 2006, ’07 and ’11.
Only then, with a victory over a similar-sized power, will Alford truly be able to change the narrative. Only then will we know if this year’s Bruins really can walk with the giants.
Contact the writer: rkartje@ocregister.com
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