UCLA - Memphis Preview!

Everybody's gearing up for the Final Four in San Antonio. For some reason, I've got a bad feeling about UCLA.

Fred Roggin and I caught up with UCLA assistant Scott Garson before the team jetted off to Texas, and we talked about some of the ins and outs of playing John Calipari's Memphia Tigers. Of the 4 teams, Kansas has the longest odds against winning the championship, according to Vegas, and UCLA is #3. North Carolina is the favorite with Memphis 2nd.

The Bruins cannot, under any condition, fall behind by too many points. The come-from-behind-rally may have worked against Texas A&M, but get down to Memphis, and Derrick Rose will bury them. Nick Collison is great t the point for UCLA, but uber freshman Rose is better.

I'm rooting for the Bruins, and I did pick them at the start of the tournament to play in the title game against Carolina, but even if they survive Memphis, I don't believe they can play with the Heels, although I'd love to be wrong.

Regardless, Coach Ben Howland is state-of-the-art in the college game. I think he's got less talent than the other teams in the penultimate quartet, but his system gets it done. The whole for the Bruins is more than the sum of its parts. Three straight Final Fours, whether UCLA cuts down the nets Monday night or not, is a staggering achievement.

A 28yo guy called the show today and said that UCLA has made 4 Final Fours in his lifetime. 3 of them have been 2006, 2007 and 2008. It took Roy Williams 5 Final Four flameouts until he final won it all. Howland will get his. Even if it's not this year.