Rene's Ramblings: Sports: Basketball Verbal Brawl

Tonight. Gonzaga Bulldogs vs. UCLA Bruins.

In this LA Times story we get these lovely quotes:

Asked at a Wednesday news conference why Gonzaga and UCLA don't play each other more often — Gonzaga won their only previous meeting, 59-43, at Pauley Pavilion in 1999 — Bulldog Coach Mark Few placed the blame on his UCLA counterpart, Ben Howland.

"One just needs to look at his schedules at Pittsburgh and Northern Arizona," Howland's previous head coaching jobs, Few said, "and you'll find he's the greatest scheduler in the history of mankind. Thank goodness for Dan [Guerrero, UCLA's athletic director] or else they'd be playing Alabama AT&T and four non-Division I schools. If Ben ever gets the schedule away from Dan, look out."

In this other LA Times story we get these tidbits:

Asked what he expects the Bruins to throw at him, Morrison said there are all sorts of possibilities.

"I've seen triangle two, box and one, face guard, beat the … out of me. I've seen everything," he said. "Nothing really surprises me anymore.

"When teams do that stuff, it opens it up for everybody else. That's the way I look at it. It's not just about me. I don't care how many points I score in this tournament. I just want to win."

Howland showed little sympathy when told Morrison talked about being beaten up by opposing defenses.

"He gets away with a lot himself," the UCLA coach said. "He'll grab onto a guy, then act like he's being fouled. He's a smart player. That's what smart players do."

Plaschke had these opinions:

Describing the Zags as this sweet little mid-major basketball team is like describing Aspen as a dusty little western city.

It's outdated, short-sighted and just plain wrong.

The Gonzaga basketball program is not a boutique, it's a bulldozer. Its players are more cocky than cute, its style is more Showtime than Spokane...
[snip]
Compared to Gonzaga's Goliath, UCLA is a bunch of ill-kempt kids with stones in their pockets.

Gonzaga is making its eight consecutive tourney appearance, UCLA is making its second.

Gonzaga was never ranked below the top 10 this season, UCLA was never in the top 10 during the regular season.

With three juniors and a senior in its starting lineup, Gonzaga needs to win now, while freshman and sophomore dominated UCLA is pointed toward next year.
[snip]
As expected, Gonzaga made the first move Wednesday by slapping UCLA in the belly.

"We got to attack them … on the inside first," guard Erroll Knight said. "I think they're vulnerable going into the inside."
[snip]
Of all the volumes written about the Zags as a preamble to this game, the only words necessary were two.

"Cinderella?" said Howland. "Ha!"