Saturday has arrived — Gameday Roundup

After an extremely long week in between games, the day we’ve all been waiting for has arrived. UCLA vs. Memphis in the Final Four — a battle of two great teams with many talented players.

The last time these two met was that epic 50-45 Elite Eight game in 2006. Both teams have changed significantly since then, but as Bruin Basketball Report points out, there are some similarities:

Similar to 2006, many people this year have questioned whether the Bruins match-up well against the Tigers on the court.

In 2006, Memphis was considered the more athletic team with bigger and longer players. The Tigers had a high-octane offense, averaging over 81 points per game.

The Bruins in 2006? Well, they were considered the ‘disciplined’ team.

Sound familiar to recent articles in the media?

Yes it does BBR. Yes it does.

I’d like to point out one of the best features on Ben Howland I’ve ever read, written by Jeff Eisenberg of the Riverside Press-Enterprise:

In the five years since UCLA hired Howland to restore its decaying basketball program, he has earned a reputation for being controlling, demanding and maybe even a little bit pushy. From draping blankets over the clocks at Pauley Pavilion so players don’t know how much time is left in practice, to making sure they wear two pairs of socks under their sneakers to avoid blisters, no minutia is too small for Howland’s discerning eye.

Another excerpt from later in the article:

To change the program’s underachieving culture, Howland instilled newfound toughness, intensity and discipline. It’s not uncommon for players to receive down-to-the-minute itineraries before road trips or to watch tape of a blown defensive rotation up to five or six times.

“He is on top of every detail,” assistant coach Scott Duncan said. “He knows what’s going on in the training room, he knows what’s going on in the weight room, he knows what’s happening on the court and he knows what’s going on with academics. I think that gives the players a sense that they should be detailed, too. If this is so important to our coach, this should be important to us.”

Go read the article already.

As Bruins Nation found before me, Luc Richard Mbah a Moute is getting a special surprise today. The Daily News’ Brian Dohn is reporting that for the first time ever, Luc’s parents are going to see him play in person. That is fantastic news and hopefully inspires Luc to play at a higher level than usual, if possible.

Lastly, Bruin Report Online’s Tracy Pierson gave Gutty Little Bruins permission to upload an amazing video on YouTube of Kevin Love draining full-court shots.

Amazing.