ANAHEIM, Calif. -- This is supposed to be the home of Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck. This is supposed to be the "happiest place on earth."

But on Saturday, the happiest place on earth got overtaken by suspense. It got overtaken by Darren Collison and Kevin Love and UCLA's smothering defense in the end.

It wasn't pretty, but somehow, some way, the Bruins are moving on to the Sweet 16. And yet, it certainly didn't come without a few deep breathes from fifth-year coach Ben Howland.

Despite trailing by as many as 10 points with 18:27 left in the second half, the top-seeded Bruins in the West Regional are headed to Phoenix thanks to Darren Collison's team-high 21 points, Kevin Love's back-to-back field goals in the final three minutes and a crucial block by Josh Shipp on a last possession drive by Donald Sloan in securing a 51-47 come-from-behind victory over No. 9 seed Texas A&M at the Honda Center.

"That was reminiscent of a lot of games we seem to be in lately, where we're having to make dramatic comebacks in the last few minutes," Howland said afterward in his post-game press conference, "but the one thing I love about our team is that they know in their heart they're always going to win the game."

It's clear that UCLA didn't play it's best game, but the Bruins did enough to win, and in the NCAA Tournament, that's all that really matters.

"We did not play well the first 35 minutes," Howland continued. "That had a lot to do with Texas A&M and how well they played. They are a very, very good team and very well-coached."

So with their backs against the wall and third straight Final Four appearance in jeopardy, UCLA found it's rhythm with its freshman star taking over and carrying the Bruins on his back when it counted most in crunch time.

"Your season's on the line, and you can step up and make those plays," Howland said of Love, who finished with 19 points, a game-high 11 rebounds and an impressive seven blocks. "That's why he is a great player...These are the kind of games you have to come out on top to be able to advance in this tournament. The seedings mean absolutely nothing in the NCAA Tournament...The margin between these two teams that played today is very, very slight."

A play here, a play there, and the Bruins could have very well been headed back up to Westwood for the rest of the season. Instead, they're headed to desert for the third round, where either No. 12 seed Western Kentucky or No. 13 seed San Diego will meet them.

"I feel like we were in control of the whole game," Texas A&M coach Mark Turgeon said. "It just came down to Collison and Love at the end making plays...[I] wouldn't change a thing.

"I just hate to see it end, because I think we were just really coming on."

Turgeon's certainly right.

Had the Aggies been able to upset UCLA, A&M would have had as good a chance as anyone in the West Regional to reach San Antonio -- a three-hour drive over from College Station -- after No. 2 seed Duke was ousted by No. 7 seed West Virginia out in Washington, D.C., earlier in the day.

"It look them a long time, but I finally had them playing the way my teams play," Turgeon further explained. "We're not playing as fast as I'd like to play, but I thought our execution was at a much better level...and we were going to win the national championship."

But that dream has ended for A&M and remains for UCLA, which showed it can win even when things aren't necessarily going right, when Russell Westbrook and Josh Shipp combined for seven points -- all from Westbrook -- and when Luc Richard Mbah a Moute struggled with foul trouble in his return from an ankle sprain last week in the Pac-10 Tournament.

"You are always going to have games where certain players may have an off night, but when you have a good defensive team, you stay in games and you find a way," Howland said. "Some people only see things from an offensive standpoint, whereas I see the complete game. And at the end of the day these guys helped us win."

Sure, it wasn't pretty, but Howland will take it.

Any coach would, because in March, it's all about surviving and advancing.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 11:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Kevin Love has awoken.

With three minutes remaining, the freshman forward just hit back-to-back shots to give UCLA its first lead at 47-45 since 3:18 in the first half.

One of the shots, in particular, was a beautiful fade-away that brought the house down here at the Honda Center, and it's pretty clear that UCLA has gained momentum in this one.

Texas A&M, though, has been tough all along, and I wouldn't count the Aggies out at all. Mark Turgeon's team has played a heck of a ballgame so far in staying right with the No. 1 seed out in the West Regional, and the Aggie fans are pushing hard for their team to stun the three-time Pac-10 champs on what's as close as it comes to a home floor in the NCAA Tournament.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 11:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- With less than eight minutes remaining, Texas A&M is still UCLA, 44-38, as both teams battle hard on the defensive end.

UCLA is still struggling from the field at just 37.8 percent, and Darren Collison is managing to keep the Bruins close with 17 points.

Josh Carter and Donald Sloan have taken care of business for A&M, tallying 10 points each as the Aggies regain the rebounding battle with a 24-22 edge.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 11:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- After one half of play in our second game tonight at the Honda Center, it's No. 1 seed UCLA trailing No. 9 seed Texas A&M by a 29-26 deficit.

While Darren Collison leads all scores with 14 points, the Aggies have got eight points each from Bryan Davis and Donald Sloan in what's been the one-two punch so far for Mark Turgeon's game.

Kevin Love has eight points on 3-of-6 shooting, but the Bruins are shooting just 39.1 percent for the game. Texas A&M, on the other hand, has got its shots from inside the arc to drop, knocking down 56 percent even with an 0-for-5 performance from three.

The Aggies are holding a 14-12 advantage on the glass and Love has grabbed the most so far with five rebounds.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 10:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- With four minutes gone in the second half, UCLA is still trailing Texas A&M by five at 36-31.

The Aggies made a big run after halftime to push their lead all the way up to 10, but the Bruins responded with a Luc Richard Mbah a Moute putback and a three-pointer from the top of the key by Kevin Love.

UCLA has started out the second half shooting the ball a little bit better, hitting five of 12 shots after halftime while A&M is 3-for-5 from the floor and 1-for-6 from three after Josh Carter's first three of the game from the right corner.

The Bruins have had a hard time taking care of the ball, committing 10 turnovers already with A&M having six.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 10:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- With four minutes gone in the second half, UCLA is still trailing Texas A&M by five at 36-31.

The Aggies made a big run after halftime to push their lead all the way up to 10, but the Bruins responded with a Luc Richard Mbah a Moute putback and a three-pointer from the top of the key by Kevin Love.

UCLA has started out the second half shooting the ball a little bit better, hitting five of 12 shots after halftime while A&M is 3-for-5 from the floor and 1-for-6 from three after Josh Carter's first three of the game from the right corner.

The Bruins have had a hard time taking care of the ball, committing 10 turnovers already with A&M having six.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 10:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- With four minutes remaining before halftime here at the Honda Center, it's No. 1 seed UCLA leading No. 9 seed Texas A&M, 24-21.

The Bruins are getting some stellar shooting from Darren Collison, and if it wasn't for a few rim-outs, UCLA might have a larger lead than three.

But give credit to the Aggies, who have really battled so far and are staying right with their opponent as we near halftime.

That's thanks to 12 points already from Collison along with eight from freshman star Kevin Love, who has also pulled down five boards.

Bryan Davis is the high scorer for Texas A&M with eight points on 4-for-4 shooting and the Aggies are winning the battle so far on the glass with a 13-10 edge.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 10:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- With half of the first half gone between UCLA and Texas A&M, it's the Bruins leading by five at 20-15 after a jumper from the left elbow by senior Lorenzo Mata-Real.

Darren Collison has been on fire to start this game, as the preseason All-American point guard knocked down a three from the top of the key to open the game and give UCLA a 3-0 start before canning another one from way downtown.

Texas A&M has been able to get its points inside between DeAndre Jordan, Bryan Davis and Joseph Jones, but the Aggies have missed all three of their three-point attempts, including two from Dominique Kirk.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 10:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- We're underway in our second game of the evening out at the Honda Center, as No. 1 seed UCLA takes on No. 9 seed Texas A&M in what should be a war between the Pac-10's best and a physical Big 12 team.

The Bruins are coming off a 70-29 spanking of No. 16 seed Mississippi Valley State on Thursday night here, but Ben Howland's club will have a much tougher time with an Aggie team that has a big front line with senior center Joseph Jones and freshman 7-footer DeAndre Jordan.

It's a good thing that UCLA (32-3) will have Luc Richard Mbah a Moute back after the junior forward re-sprained that left ankle that he hurt back in January against cross-town rival USC. Even so, the Bruins have got it done without Mbah a Moute's presence in the last two contests, in large part because of James Keefe's improved play. The 6-foot-9 reserve forward was actually going to red-shirt the season after injuring his shoulder during the offseason, but Howland is sure happy he didn't with all the big minutes that he's been playing of late.

For Texas A&M, Josh Carter will need to have a big game as he did against BYU on Thursday, posting a season-high with 26 points on 6-for-10 shooting from three-point range. Donald Sloan will also need to contribute from his point guard spot, and Dominique Kirk will certainly need to be a factor if Mark Turgeon's team wants to upset the two-time Final Four participant Bruins and reach the Sweet 16 in Phoenix.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 09:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- If there was any question about who Stanford's go-to guy is, there shouldn't be any more.

Not with Brook Lopez dressed in a Cardinal uniform.

The sophomore 7-footer made the game's winning shot with a turn-around leaner on the right block with one tick left on the clock, giving No. 3 seed Stanford an 82-81 overtime victory over No. 6 seed Marquette and a trip to the Sweet 16 next weekend in Houston.

Afterward, Stanford coach Trent Johnson admitted that he was "out of line" when it came to his ejection late in the first half after receiving two technical fouls in a matter of 10 seconds by stepping out on the floor and continuing to argue a foul call when the officials had asked him to return to the bench.

Johnson further went on to say that if the Cardinal lost the game, that it would be his fault and that he was very fortunate to still be coaching his team this season.

"I was out of line," Johnson offered. "Bottom line I was trying to fight for my kids, and there was no profanity or anything like that used, but I had been warned prior to that, and I put our team in a bad situation, and it's unacceptable."

That's in large part to Lopez's team-high 30 points, which featured 28 in the second half and in overtime after the Cardinal trailed, 36-30, at halftime.

"I just had to put the first half behind," he said. "We were basically down 6-0. We knew we had to get back in the game without Coach, so I was just attacking the basket and playing defense."

Twin brother Robin, meanwhile, wasn't too shabby himself, leading the way in the first half for Stanford (28-7) before finishing with 18 points on 7-of-10 shooting.

"We knew that we had to win that game from that point on," Robin said. "We weren't going out like that."

Jerel McNeal was quite the player for Marquette (25-10) despite the loss, knocking down 13 of his 25 field goal attempts, including a 4-for-12 mark from three, for a team-high 30 points in addition to eight rebounds and two assists.

Wesley Matthews also finished with a solid game for the Golden Eagles with 14 points and seven rebounds, and Dan Fitzgerald added 11 points in his 17 minutes of action. Point guard Dominic James just missed double figures with nine points, but he did drop 10 assists on the Cardinal.

Even better, however, was Stanford's Mitch Johnson, who dished out 16 assists against just one turnover, and managed the game from start to finish.

"We just talked about staying together," Johnson explained after the Cardinal lost its coach for the game. "It's kind of been the theme of our team for whatever reason this year. We just really wanted to stay together. We came in at halftime and kind of got that emotional high and kind of regrouped a little bit and took a deep breath and just got back to playing basketball."

And while Marquette won the rebounding battle in the end with a 45-38 advantage, it was the Golden Eagles' 33.3 percent mark from three that hurt, particularly in comparison to Stanford's 50-percent clip from downtown.

"We worked as hard as we could, all 40 minutes and overtime," McNeal said. "Everybody gave it all they had. This time of year, you need to be at your best. We were shooting jump shots in overtime and they were shooting lay-ups. They got the final shot. Lay-up. Game over."

Shooting 62.5 percent in overtime certainly seemed to be the difference for Stanford as Marquette shot 42.9 in the extra session.

"It was the type of game that we've experience this year, time and time again," Stanford assistant coach Doug Oliver, who took over as head coach once Trent Johnson was ejected. "We've been in close ball games. For the most part, we were able to keep the game in the half court, and it was just it was a hell of a basketball game."

That's at least one way to describe what took place for 45 minutes.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 09:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Robin Lopez wishes he had another chance.

The 7-foot sophomore went to the foul line with Stanford trailing, 71-70, but was only able to convert one of two attempts, leaving the score tied with eight seconds left.

Jerel McNeal got the inbound and had a chance to win it for Marquette, but his three-point attempt was wide left, clanking off the backboard and rim and leaving Stanford with control of the ball.

Fred Washington's heave from halftime sailed short of the rim and both teams are about to play an extra five minutes of basketball. The fans will certainly appreciate the free basketball after the way this one has played out so far, and with Ousmane Barro gone with his fifth foul for Marquette, you'd think the Cardinal would have a clear advantage inside.

Still, you never know with those big, burly and physical Big East teams...The Golden Eagles today have seemed to control the Lopez twins just enough to have a good shot at winning this game.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 08:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- With 1:46 remaining, Marquette senior forward Ousmane Barro has just picked up his fifth and final foul and is headed to the bench for the rest of the game. That could be a big turning point in this game, as Brook Lopez hit both free throws to give Stanford a 70-69 lead.

And it's certainly been an exciting one all the way throughout with both teams trading baskets back and forth for much of the game and particularly during this second half.

Who will take the big shot now for Marquette and Stanford is the real question, as this is the time when you find out what kind of guts and smarts your players really have.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 08:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

ANAHEIM -- At the seven-minute mark, it's Marquette leading Stanford by just one now.

Jerel McNeal has really come on strong in the last couple of minutes, hitting a couple big shots to keep the Golden Eagles on top with his 15th point. Wesley Mathews has had added three more to his stat line for 14 points, and Dan Fitzgerald has dropped in six more for 11 points.

For Stanford, Robin Lopez is carrying the load at 16 points and brother Brook has 12, as the Cardinal continue to hit from three-point range at 50 percent.

Marquette, meanwhile, is shooting a dismal 27.3 percent from downtown yet somehow managing to stay in front of Stanford, for now at least.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 08:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- In the first few minutes of the second half, Stanford has climbed back to cut Marquette's lead to just one at 47-46.

The Cardinal are shooting it pretty well from three so far at a 50-percent clip (4-for-8) while Marquette has hit 44.7 of its field goals but just 33.3 percent of its threes.

Robin Lopez is leading the way for Stanford with 15 points on 7-of-9 shooting and twin brother Brook, the First Team All-Pac-10 selection this spring, has dropped in 10, making four of his 11 attempts. On the other end of things, Dan Fitzgerald and Wesley Matthews are pacing the Golden Eagles with 11 points apiece.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 07:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- At halftime here at the Honda Center, it's No. 6 seed Marquette leading Stanford by a 36-30 margin.

The Golden Eagles are getting a solid game from Wesley Matthews, who is leading all scorers with 11 points after hitting those big free throws at the end of Thursday's win over Kentucky to help UM reach today's second round.

Stanford, meanwhile, is shooting the ball well from the perimeter despite trailing by six at the break, as the Cardinal have knocked down 40 percent of its shots (12-for-30) and hit 42.9 percent of its threes.

Robin Lopez is leading his team with 10 points on 5-of-6 shooting and Mitch Johnson has canned a couple three-pointers for six points. Jerel McNeal is leading the UM backcourt with seven points.

Surprisingly, Marquette has really controlled things on the glass with the Golden Eagles holding a 24-16 rebounding edge, and if that continue to happen, Stanford will certainly be in trouble with head coach Trent Johnson already hitting the showers after getting hit with two technical fouls at the 3:36-mark for unsportsmanlike conduct. In the statement issued by today's officiating crew working the game, Johnson was out on the playing floor and out of the coach's box disputing calls. When the former Nevada coach failed to comply with instructions to return to the bench, he was issued a second technical.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 07:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Hasta luego Trent Johnson.

For you non-Spanish speakers, that means good-bye Trent Johnson.

The Stanford coach just picked up two technical fouls in a matter of 10 seconds and has just been ejected after arguing a foul call on Lawrence Hill that he believed to be a traveling violation.

Then when the TV timeout came at 3:38, Johnson walked on to the middle of the court to contest the call, earning himself the first technical before mouthing off to earn another one just a few seconds later.

You have to wonder what the guy is thinking losing his temper like that in an NCAA Tournament game and in a game that Stanford could very well lose.

But Johnson has been known to get pretty fiery on the sidelines, and as we watch him from across the court, the coach has still not left the building, hanging around in hopes maybe of getting an explanation from the officials of the previous call that he was trying to contest.

After a couple minutes, Johnson is now making his exit from the arena and the Marquette faithful is chanting "Left, Right, Left, Right" as he heads to the locker room.

With 3:38 remaining in the first half, it's Marquette leading Stanford by one, 25-24.

And while this game certainly has been a good one so far, so will this post-game press conference now...

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 07:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- With 12 minutes go in our first game of two this afternoon and evening, it's sixth-seeded Marquette answering Stanford's early run to knot things at 11-11.

Robin Lopez is leading the way for the third-seeded Cardinal, hitting all three of his shot attempts so far for six points.

Anthony Goods has also knocked down a three for Stanford, who sits at 27-7 overall this season after Thursday's demolition of No. 14 seed Cornell, a 77-53 loser.

Marquette has got four points from Jerel McNeal and a bucket each from Dominic James and Ousmane Barro. The Golden Eagles are looking good so far coming off that grind-it-out victory over Kentucky two days ago.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 07:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Welcome back to the Honda Center for today's second round action, which features two quality tourney games that should have the stadium packed.

In our first game, it's No. 3 seed Stanford taking on No. 6 seed Marquette, and both teams are looking to get to the Sweet 16. For the Cardinal, it would be the first time since 2001.

For the Golden Eagles, it would be the first time since 2003, when the program reached its ultimately height by reaching the Final Four. That would be a long climb back for Tom Crean's club, which has talent in the backcourt with point man Dominic James and Jerel McNeal but will have to match Stanford's physical presence inside today with 7-foot twins Brook (First-Team All-Pac-10) and Robin Lopez. The Golden Eagles should have the advantage on the perimeter and Stanford should its advantage inside, so it should be interesting which team's strengths get utilized and is able to play through its weaknesses. That's why this game should be a good one this afternoon.

Some more notes to mull over about this game...

In the all-time series between the two schools, there have only been four occasions, and Marquette has certainly had the upper hand having won all four dates. But UM's most recent win came more than 26 years ago during the 1981-82 campaign, and there's no doubt that Stanford is probably a better team now than they were then or even since the Cardinal nearly went undefeated during that the regular '01 season.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 06:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- In what was maybe a ball game for the first 10 minutes of play, No. 1 seed UCLA had no problem running away with a 70-29 victory over No. 16 seed Mississippi Valley State just 20 miles away from its Westwood campus.

The Bruins, who were led by Kevin Love's 20 points, advanced to Saturday's second round, which will feature a matchup with No. 9 seed Texas A&M, a 67-62 winner over No. 8 seed BYU earlier in the day, on Saturday afternoon right here at the Honda Center.

"We really played good defense tonight," UCLA coach Ben Howland asserted. "Real pleased with the defense. We had 13 blocked shots; that's a lot of blocked shots...I'm just pleased with the way that they shot from the field."

In getting ready for the Aggies, the Bruins did shoot the ball well from the perimeter, knocking down 47.4 percent of its field goals and 40 percent of its three-point attempts.

The Delta Devils, on the other hand, didn't have anywhere near that same kind of success shooting the ball, finishing the evening at a dismal 19.7-percent clip.

"What you saw was no indication of what went on with this group of guys throughout our conference," Mississippi Valley State coach James Green explained. "There is a tremendous difference in the levels. And we don't want our guys to feel like that this was their season."

For UCLA, the road back to the Final Four continues as the Bruins get set to take on a much more physical, experienced and talented opponent on Saturday.

"Coach Howland mentioned they're a very physical team," Love said of Texas A&M. "Their whole team's long. I think he mentioned nobody on their team is below 6-foot-3, so we're going to have to come out and offensive rebound...We're going to have to get on the boards with them because it's going to be a real physical battle."

Playing physical and playing tough is something that Howland has preached ever since he started coaching basketball, since his beginning days at Northern Arizona to his career-changing years at Pittsburgh to his five years now at UCLA.

It's that kind of physicality and tough-minded play that has many believing UCLA can get over the hump and finally win the national championship this year.

"They can win the national championship," Green admitted. "Whether they will or not, obviously will depend on how some other people play on that particular day. There's a lot of good teams out there, but I know they're very capable because they have all the parts, and they play with the passion that you need to play with in order to get there."

But gauging the Bruins' play against a Mississippi Valley State team that only recorded 26 points in a loss to Washington State at the beginning of the year isn't exactly the best measuring stick.

Still, when it comes to winning, UCLA doesn't believe in having mercy for its opponents.

"No mercy," Love maintained. "That's all I can really say. No mercy out there. We didn't feel too bad for them."

But after spending 40 minutes battling the Bruins, senior guard Stanford Speech certainly felt good about UCLA's chances of winning it all this year.

"Stanford Speech came up to me with about seven minutes go, and he said, 'Coach, I hope you guys win the whole thing,'" Howland offered, "and that was really classy of him to do that in the middle of the game."

Because after all, if the Delta Devils couldn't live that dream, it might as well be the ones who ended their season.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 11:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- With three minutes remaining in the second half, it's UCLA up by more than 30 on Mississippi Valley State.

There hasn't been much to write about the Delta Devils, who have yet to have a scorer reach double figures in this one.

Kevin Love, meanwhile, has already finished the night at 20 point and nine rebounds and the UCLA reserves have been on the floor since about the 15-minute mark in the second half.

UCLA coach Ben Howland, in the meantime, is looking rather bored, sitting on the scorer's table at times during this half and not saying much to his players.

I guess when you're up by 30 or more, there's not a whole lot to say. But Saturday's matchup against No. 9 seed Texas A&M should be a good test for the Bruins, who will have to counter a big Aggie front line that features senior forward Joseph Jones and freshman center DeAndre Jordan.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 11:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- With seven minutes and change to go in the second half of UCLA's first round matchup with No. 16 seed Mississippi Valley State, it's the Bruins way out in front by a 57-25 margin.

If the Delta Devils are lucky, they'll reach the 30-point mark tonight, but I wouldn't put money on it if I were a betting man.

Kevin Love has reached 20 points and has also grabbed nine rebounds.

Larry Cox, in the meantime, is the high scorer for MVS with eight points.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 10:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- At halftime here the Honda Center, it's No. 1 seed UCLA in complete control of No. 16 seed Mississippi Valley State, taking a 40-16 lead into the locker room and doing it without the services of junior forward Luc Richard Mbah a Moute.

And if there still were any questions surrounding about Kevin Love's back, I think the freshman forward has answered them after tallying 18 points and five rebounds in the first half and dominating as he usually does.

The Delta Devils, meanwhile, only scored 16 points altogether on 8-of-36 (shooting from the floor and got out-rebounded, 30-16. And if Mississippi Valley State coach James Green hasn't lost his hair yet, he certainly will after looking at those stats.

The only thing MVS managed to do better than UCLA in the first half was with regard to turnovers, as the Delta Devils committed just five to the Bruins' eight.

But it doesn't really matter if you can't make shots, and that was pretty evident from the start of this one.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 10:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- We're almost through the first half of play in our fourth game of the day, and UCLA is having no problem with Mississippi Valley State.

In fact, with 1:30 remaining in the first half, it's Kevin Love 18, Mississippi Valley State 16.

That pretty much sums up this one, as UCLA has rode its freshman big man all throughout the first half here in Anaheim, just a short car ride down from Westwood.

Lorenzo Mata-Real has also played well in the early going with six points and UCLA is shooting over 50 percent from the field.

The Delta Devils, meanwhile, are shooting just 20.7 percent (6-for-29) from the floor and have missed all six of their three-point attempts.

It looks like it's going to be a long night for MVS...

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 09:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- We're on to our fourth and final game here at the Honda Center, which pits No. 1 seed UCLA against No. 16 seed Mississippi Valley State.

The Bruins are coming into today's contest after capturing both the Pac-10 regular season and tournament championship with a third straight win over Stanford last Saturday just up the highway at Staples Center in downtown Los Angeles.

And with a game here only 20 miles away from their Westwood campus, the Bruins should have no problem getting by a SWAC team that finished the regular season at 17-15.

One of the big questions coming into today's contest was the back spasms or "cramps" that Kevin Love was experiencing last weekend in UCLA's win over Stanford, but the freshman standout said yesterday following practice that his back felt fine and that he should be ready to go against the Delta Devils.

Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, who re-injured his ankle in the Bruins' win over USC in the Pac-10 Tournament quarterfinals, seems to be progressing as well but won't play in this one. Sophomore James Keefe will get the start instead after performing well in the UCLA's last two victories.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 09:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Texas A&M might have come into today's first round game against BYU as the lower seed, but that didn't seem to matter much to the Aggies, as Mark Turgeon's club fought to the finish to earn a 67-62 victory at the Honda Center.

And Turgeon certainly has Josh Carter to thank for that after the junior forward burned through the nets, canning six of 10 threes to register a game-high 26 points and help A&M win three straight NCAA Tournament games, the longest streak in school history.

"That was a great win for us," the first-year head man Turgeon said. "We beat a really, really good BYU team. [At] the 10-minute mark they took a two-point lead and I was a little worried. We were confused defensively."

The Aggies might have been confused on the defensive end, but they did enough to keep BYU from making a late second-half run.

While Bryan Davis and Joseph Jones managed to reach double figures at 11 and 10 points, respectively, it was Carter who took his game to another level and knocked down a huge three from the top of the key with less than a minute remaining to push the Aggies' lead back up to six and put a dagger in BYU's heart.

"I felt great," Carter said afterward. "My teammates kept telling me all week to just keep shooting and it would begin to fall for you, and it was great to be able to get off to a great start."

The Cougars, which shot 44.4 percent for the game, got a balanced scoring attack with four players finishing in double figures, led by sophomore forward Jonathan Tavernari with 15 points.

But BYU (27-8) couldn't get that critical basket when it needed it down the stretch, shooting just 31.8 percent from three-point range, and Dave Rose's squad ended its season with another first-round exit after losing by two to Xavier in last year's NCAA Tournament.

"Obviously it's disappointing," BYU senior Sam Burgess said, "but it's been a great year and I'm proud to be a part of this team and program."

For Burgess, though, it was a tough way to end his career in Provo, Utah, after seeing a program begin to gain national recognition the past two seasons.

"I feel bad for the seniors that will be gone and won't be here to start off and do it all over again next season," sophomore forward-center Chris Miles added, "but I'm excited about the guys we have coming back to try and make a run next year."

So as the Cougars head home looking to regroup for next season, it's Texas A&M who will be moving on to the second round for a second straight year, hoping to cause some commotion on Saturday when it most likely will face top seed UCLA.

"Whoever we get, we'll do our best to beat them," Texas A&M guard Donald Sloan remarked. "If it's UCLA, we have to do the same things we did for this team. Focus on all cylinders, from inside to out, free throws, free-throw box-outs, and hope the ball bounces our way a little bit."

With the way UCLA is playing right now, though, it will take that and probably more for the Aggies to pull off what would be a huge upset on Saturday.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 09:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- With two minutes remaining in the second half, it's Texas A&M and BYU going toe-to-toe with the Aggies up by just two at 59-57.

Trent Plaisted just got a big bucket down low and drew the foul for his 15th point, and the Cougars have managed to stay right with the Big 12 rep by getting key contributions from Jonathan Tavernari, who is leading the way for BYU with 15 points.

Lee Cummard has also dropped in 14 points for BYU, who is looking to stick around Southern California for the weekend after last year's first-round exit.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 09:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- It didn't take too long to figure out who was going to win today's second first round game between No. 3 seed Stanford and No. 14 seed Cornell.

Behind a 55.5-percent field goal clip, the Cardinal dominated from start to finish in leaving the Honda Center with a 77-53 victory and moving on to the second round, where they'll face No. 6 seed Marquette, who advanced earlier with a tough 74-66 win in the first game of the day.

"It was nice to see our guys come out and be very aggressive and ready to play," Stanford coach Trent Johnson said. "We got off to a very, very good start defensively."

Cornell, on the other hand, got off to a very bad start, making just five field goals in the first half and heading to the locker room down by an overwhelming 38-17 margin.

"They came out and really guarded us, made it tough on us," Cornell coach Steve Donahue admitted in his post-game press conference. "I thought we missed some shots we normally make. But for the most part, Stanford just played a terrific basketball game."

While their competition wasn't exactly what they were used to playing in the Pac-10, the Cardinal did do their part in making 55.4 percent (31-for-56) of its field goals and crashing the boards with a 47-25 rebounding edge.

"They have a height advantage over pretty much any team in the nation," Cornell sophomore Ryan Wittman said of Stanford, "but I think it was difficult for us to block out. They're one of the best rebounding teams in the country. It was difficult for us at times...that's how they beat teams."

Even after halftime, with Johnson resting his starters, things weren't much different.

Stanford, in fact, shot it even better than it did in the first half, making 62.5 percent of its attempts, including four of eight from three, as Kenny Brown, a junior from Southlake, Texas, got an opportunity to showcase his skills in leading all scorers with 18 points on 6-of-8 shooting.

"We've been able to get crucial points in games and get the ball to the right people at the right time," Johnson explained. "Our effort has been really good the last month.

This is a different team. This is a different team we played. It's a more experienced than we have, and we understand that."

What Stanford also understands is that it will have ride the play of First Team All-Pac-10 selection Brook Lopez, who played only 15 minutes, took just two shots and scored four points.

Instead, it was twin brother Robin who took care of business down low, hitting seven of his nine shots for 14 points and swatting away five shots from his center position.

"We knew we needed to come out there and impose our will or else there would have been a good chance for an upset," Robin offered. "They were undefeated in league, and they're mentally tough, so we had to be mentally tough out there."

Whatever it was, the Cardinal showed that they really were just better.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 08:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- At the half, it's No. 8 seed BYU and No. 9 seed Texas A&M in a dogfight as both teams head to the locker room with the score knotted at 29-29.

The Aggies are shooting an impressive 62.5 percent from three-point range, mainly because Josh Carter has been lighting it up from everywhere, hitting 6-of-8 field goals, including 5-of-7 threes, to lead all scorers with 17 points.

While Carter's been nearly A&M's entire offense, BYU has got nine from junior guard Lee Cummard and seven from freshman guard Jimmer Fredette. The Cougars are shooting a respectable 44.4 percent (12-for-27) from the field and holding their own on the glass with Texas A&M in favor, 15-14.

The big surprise so far has been the absence of junior forward and All-Mountain West selection Trent Plaisted, who has just taken just four shots and scored only two points to go along with one rebound. And if Dave Rose and his players hope to return to the Honda Center to face what will most likely be top-seeded UCLA, which faces No. 16 seed Mississippi Valley State in our fourth and final game today, they'll need a lot more out of Plaisted in the second half.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 08:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- With 3:31 remaining, it's Texas A&M up, 24-18, on BYU in large part due to Josh Carter's 12 points on 4-of-6 shooting from three.

The 6-foot-7 junior is showing his stroke from long range early on, and Lee Cummard is the high man for BYU with six points on 2-of-3 shooting.

Both teams have committed five turnovers to this point, but it's been the Aggies' 50-percent clip from the field -- in comparison to BYU's 36.4 mark -- that has A&M out in front before halftime.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 08:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- With about six minutes gone between No. 8 seed BYU and No. 9 seed Texas A&M, it's the Aggies who are up big with a 11-0 start.

Josh Carter has gotten off to a fast start with two threes, while BYU has already committed two turnovers and missed its first six shots.

But it's still early, and I wouldn't doubt that BYU makes a comeback in this one being the two-time regular season Mountain West Conference champs.

We haven't had the opportunity to watch the Cougars in action a lot this season, but we do know that Dave Rose's team has been known to shoot the ball well from three. Add big man Trent Plaisted into the mix, and you got a team that can certainly compete with Texas A&M.

The Aggies do have the advantage inside, however, as Mark Turgeon's squad boasts two quality big men in senior forward Joseph Jones and freshman 7-footer DeAndre Jordan. That sort of frontcourt presence could play the part in this one, but it's still too early to tell.

With 11 minutes to go now, BYU has climbed back to cut A&M's lead to 11-6.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 07:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- We're almost through the first half of play in our fourth game of the day, and UCLA is having no problem with Mississippi Valley State.

In fact, with 1:30 remaining in the first half, it's Kevin Love 18, Mississippi Valley State 16.

That pretty much sums up this one, as UCLA has rode its freshman big man all throughout the first half here in Anaheim, just a short car ride down from Westwood.

Lorenzo Mata-Real has also played well in the early going with six points and UCLA is shooting over 50 percent from the field.

The Delta Devils, meanwhile, are shooting just 20.7 percent (6-for-29) from the floor and have missed all six of their three-point attempts.

It looks like it's going to be a long night for MVS...

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 06:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- With 3:35 to go before the end of our second game at the Honda Center, it's No. 3 seed Stanford running all over No. 14 seed Cornell with a 71-44 lead.

Despite winning its first Ivy League championship in 20 years, the Big Red haven't been able to slow down a much more talented and battle-tested team in second-place Pac-10 finisher Stanford.

We got to see the Cardinal last week at Staples Center in the Pac-10 Tournament, and while they weren't able to pull out a victory over UCLA in the championship game, Trent Johnson's team seemed to like where they were at heading into the NCAA Tournament.

That's certainly showed here today as the Cardinal had no problem jumping on Cornell from the start, and it's pretty evident from the five first-half field goals that the Big Red recorded.

Because after all, Cornell was really just happy to be here.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 06:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- With about 10 minutes gone in the second half, Stanford is just dominating Ivy League champ Cornell, pushing its big halftime lead out to 63-30.

The Cardinal already have three scorers in double figures while Cornell has yet to have a player tally more than eight points. Robin Lopez is leading all scorers with 14 points, and Kenny Brown, who hasn't got a lot of minutes this season (at least, not that we've seen in the Stanford games that we've caught this year), has put in 13. Taj Finger has 10 points on 5-of-7 shooting to go along with six rebounds.

Ryan Wittman is the high scorer for Cornell at eight points, and the Big Red are still shooting a dismal 22.2 percent (10-for-45) from the floor. If you look at the three-point percentage, though, it ain't much better at 19.9.

Stanford, meanwhile, has made its rebounding advantage even more apparent at 39-20, and the Cardinal starters have already taken the bench and are chatting it up with smiles while they watch their second line play with Cornell's starters.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 06:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- We're at halftime in our second game at the Honda Center, and it's No. 3 seed Stanford already out to a big 38-17 lead on No. 14 seed Cornell.

The Big Red are shooting an atrocious 15.6 percent (5-for-32) from the field, and they'll be looking to get to 40 points at this rate.

Stanford, on the other hand, is doing whatever it wants on the offensive end, knocking down half of its field goals (16-for-32), as Anthony Goods and Robin Lopez both have tallied eight points during the 20 minutes of play. On the glass, the Cardinal are maintaining a 26-19 advantage, as Lawrence Hill has already grabbed six to this point. Robin Lopez has four to go along with three blocks.

For Cornell, there hasn't been too much to cheer about as Ryan Wittman is the high scorer with five points and two other players -- Alex Tyler and Adam Gore -- have four. The Big Red have actually committed one less turnover (five) than Stanford, but when you shoot 15.6 percent from the field, it really doesn't matter.

And with a 21-point deficit already, you'll probably see Stanford coach Trent Johnson use his starters for the early portion of the second half and then rest them and let the reserves take the floor.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 06:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- As we look on midway through the first half of our second game at the Honda Center, it's No. 3 seed Stanford leading Cornell by a 22-12 margin.

Anthony Goods has been the main offensive threat, tallying eight points so far for the Cardinal, which is taking on an Ivy League champ that hasn't been to the Big Dance in 20 years.

Robin Lopez has dropped in six points and twin brother Brook, the First Team All-Pac-10 selection, has four in the early going.

Cornell, meanwhile, doesn't have anyone in particular who's been putting it through the net with consistency, as Adam Gore and Ryan Wittman each have three points.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 05:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- In what took all 40 minutes to decide, No. 6 seed Marquette managed to move on to the second round with a grind-it-out 74-66 victory at the Honda Center even with Kentucky's Joe Crawford dropping in a game-high 35 points in what was his final games as a collegian.

Marquette used an early second-half run to take command of the game, as Jerel McNeal showed why he'll be an NBA player one day, finishing with a team-high 20 points on 8-of-15 shooting from floor.

But it was Wesley Matthews who was just as big for the Golden Eagles, knocking down a pair of free throws with under a minute left to secure the win for Marquette (25-9).

"It's just a matter of going up there and making them," the junior guard said after finishing with 13 points on 9-of-10 shooting from the charity stripe. "I just did my job and made them."

After two disappointing first-round exits the past two years, the Golden Eagles were certainly happy that Matthew made them, as they'll now face the winner of No. 3 seed Stanford and No. 14 Cornell.

"We've grown so much just since my first year here," McNeal said since his arrival in Milwaukee more than two years ago. "[In the past] we would have fell apart. Guys would have started hanging their heads a little bit, getting a little bit tight, which we didn't do at all. All these guys made big plays. We just kept pushing through."

"Last year we were hurt," explained Marquette coach Tom Crean. "They're growing up. They understand now how to win."

It wasn't the prettiest performance from Marquette. The Golden Eagles shot 44.2 percent from the field and 38.5 percent from three but really took care of business on the glass with a 34-26 rebounding edge.

"We came in here with the intent of winning, just like everyone else does," first-year Kentucky coach Billy Gillispie said, smiling despite the loss. "We came here to win this game and try to move on and win the next one and try to cut down the nets. That's what we came here for...I'm really proud of our team. I'm not excited about losing today because that's not we're all about, but our team never gives up."

While McNeal led the way in the backcourt for Marquette, point guard Dominic James also did his best to contribute, putting in 15 points, eight of which came from the free throw line. Lazar Hayward was the fourth Golden Eagle to tally double figures, finishing with 16 points and a team-high seven rebounds.

Crawford, on the other side, did everything he could to give Kentucky a chance to win near the end of the game, knocking down 13 of his 22 field goals, including 5-of-8 from downtown, but clutch free throw shooting kept Marquette from blowing a lead that it held for nearly all of the game.

"It feels great to finally -- after being here three years -- to come out and get a win," Matthews confessed. "It's just a great feeling feeling to finally come together as a team, as a mature team and pull out a victory, especially against a team like Kentucky."

A team like Kentucky that received its fair share of criticism -- even from this writer -- during the first two months of the season, yet managed to overcome losses to Gardner-Webb and San Diego at home and return to the NCAA Tournament for a 17th straight year.

"They've had to overcome so many things," Gillispie maintained about his players. "They never whined about any of those things. Just great effort all season long and I'm really, really, really proud, even though today's result was not what we wanted."

With enough time, though, the Wildcats may have what they want. But for now, it's Marquette who has waited three years for this moment to finally come.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 04:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Despite going down by double digits midway through the second half, Kentucky has climbed back into this game and cut Marquette's lead to just five, 56-51, with 7:43 remaining.

The Golden Eagles are riding their one-two punch in Jerel McNeal and Lazar Hayward, who have dropped in 18 and 16 points, respectively.

Joe Crawford, in the meantime, is having a monster game in what could be his final games as a collegian, dropping in a game-high 28 points on 10-of-16 shooting.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 04:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- With 3:37 remaining, it's Marquette still up on Kentucky by a 59-53 margin, thanks in part to 15 offensive rebounds that the Golden Eagles have grabbed.

Kentucky has just eight offensive boards at the moment, but it's also been the 18 points that Marquette has scored off of turnovers that has Tom Crean's club has created.

Joe Crawford is still stuck on 28 points, and Dominic James has entered double digits for Marquette with 11 points. The Golden Eagles now have three starters that have tallied 10 or more points. It's that sort of scoring balance that has paced Marquette all year long, right through Big East play, and what could ultimately have them in the second round against either No. 3 seed Stanford (most likely) or No. 14 seed Cornell. That game follows this one, but there's still more basketball to be played here.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 04:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Tom Crean must have said something at halftime to get his players riled up because Marquette has shown a lot of energy in first nine minutes of the second half.

Joe Crawford is keeping Kentucky close with 19 points already at this juncture, and Jerel McNeal is the Golden Eagles' high scorer at 14 points. Ramel Bradley is the other Kentucky player who has contributed for Gillispie, tallying nine points at the 15:38-mark. Lazar Hayward also has nine for Marquette.

Kentucky has made three of its first four shots after halftime, but it's been Marquette who has withstood the Wildcats' strong shooting thus far. That's in part due to McNeal, who is starting to really assert himself on the offensive end. And it's becoming pretty evident that the 6-foot-3 junior is the best athlete on the floor, though Crawford is showing NBA scouts in this game that he deserves a shot at the next level, even if he's a second-round pick this June.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 04:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- At halftime it's No. 6 seed Marquette leading No. 11 seed Kentucky, 33-29, in what's been a back-and-forth game throughout.

The Golden Eagles got a big bucket right before the horn sounded as Lazar Hayward knocked down a three from the right wing to put Marquette up by four going into the locker room. The 6-foot-6 sophomore has tallied nine points as has junior off-guard Jerel McNeal.

Joe Crawford is having a nice game for Kentucky after dropping in a game-high 12 points in the first half, hitting four of his nine shots from the field and three of his six free throw attempts.

Derrick Jasper, who Kentucky coach Billy Gillispie said was the main reason why the Wildcats started playing their best basketball toward the end of the year, has no points but has grabbed a team-high five rebounds. Marquette, however, is holding a 21-15 advantage on the glass, thanks to three players -- Hayward, McNeal and Ousmane Barro -- each grabbing four.

It's a good thing the Golden Eagles have got the job done on the boards so far because they aren't exactly shooting it well. Tom Crean's club has hit only 35.5 percent of its field goals and is just 2-of-6 from three.

Kentucky, on the other hand, has shot the ball a little better at 40.9 percent but have had its own struggles from long range, making just two of its eight three-point attempts.

We're sitting next to the Kentucky band and getting to hear some good tunes at halftime. We've also had to ask the Kentucky Wildcat mascot to move to the other side of the cheerleading squad as neither I or FoxSports.com columnist Mark Kriegel were able to see much of the action down on this side of the floor. Hopefully with our furry friend out of the way, we'll be able to have a better view of the action in the second half.

Speaking of which, let's get to that second half...

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 03:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Marquette has managed to lead for all of this first half, but Kentucky continues to stay close despite being short-handed.

The Wildcats have played tough on the defensive end, and it's helped them get some easy transition baskets, including a beautiful lob on the run from Ramel Bradley to Joe Crawford for a flush.

The Golden Eagles didn't let that get to them, as they continued to pound away down low on a relatively thin Kentucky front line, particularly with Patrick Patterson sidelined with that injured left ankle.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 03:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- With a little less than eight minutes remaining before halftime, No. 6 seed Marquette is holding a 17-12 lead on No. 11 seed Kentucky here at the Honda Center.

Lazar Hayward remains the high scorer with six points, and it's been the Golden Eagles' defense that has allowed them to earn an early lead on UK. Billy Gillispie hasn't substituted a lot during this first half of play, as A.J. Stewart remains the only Wildcat reserve to enter the game so far.

But Kentucky is playing some tough defense every time Marquette drives to the hole, and after a couple of foul calls down the floor, Gillisipie is getting a little peeved with the calls that have been made. Meanwhile, Patrick Patterson, the SEC's top freshman scorer before learning of a season-ending stress fracture in his left ankle, is dressed with a walking boot and sitting at the end of the Kentucky bench. We won't be getting to see the 6-foot-8 forward get on the court today, but it's certainly something to keep in mind with the Wildcats not having that same firepower down low.

With seven minutes remaining before the break, Marquette has maintained its five-point lead at 19-14.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 02:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- We're about eight minutes into our first contest at the Honda Center, and it's No. 6 seed Marquette and No. 11 seed Kentucky knotted at 10-10.

Lazar Hayward has paced the Golden Eagles so far with six points on 3-of-4 shooting from the floor and seniors Joe Crawford and Ramel Bradley each have five points for Kentucky.

Both teams are shooting the ball at the nearly the same clip, with Kentucky coming in at 40 percent and Marquette at 38.5.

The Golden Eagles, however, have started to gain momentum following the 12-minute media timeout, using a 6-0 run to gain a 16-10 lead with 10:02 remaining in the first half.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 02:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Welcome to the Honda Center on a gorgeous sunny day in Southern California as we get set to watch the first round of the 2008 NCAA Tournament at the Anaheim Subregional.

The first of our four games today will feature No. 6 seed Marquette taking on No. 11 seed Kentucky out of the SEC. The Golden Eagles finished the regular season at 24-9 and tied for fifth in the Big East at 11-7. Tom Crean's club is led by a pair of juniors in point guard Dominic James, who can really light it up from three if he can find his stroke early on, and two-guard Jerel McNeal, whose quick first step could pose a problem for the Wildcats today. While James and McNeal are the two main offensive threats for Marquette, Lazar Hayward will need to have a big game today for the Golden Eagles to move on to the second round, where they will most likely face No. 3 seed Stanford. But the Cardinal still have to get by No. 14 seed Cornell today in a game that we will be seeing next.

Kentucky, in the meantime, started off the 2007-08 campaign with a couple disappointing losses at home to Atlantic Sun bottom dweller Gardner-Webb and West Coast Conference Cinderella San Diego, a No. 14 seed out in the West Regional. The Wildcats, however, rebounded from that poor performance during the non-conference season and started to click midway through the season under first-year head coach BIlly Gillispie, who received his fair share of criticism during the months of November and January.

But Kentucky started to get things together in January and finished second in the SEC West at 12-4 behind league champ Tennessee, a No. 2 seed out in the East Regional. Kentucky doesn't have the services of freshman standout Patrick Patterson, who was lost for the rest of the season after suffering a stress fracture in his left ankle midway through SEC play. Gillisipie's squad will therefore have to rely on seniors Ramel Bradley and Joe Crawford, who were a big reason why the Wildcats were able to turn things around during the second half of the season. Perry Stevenson will also be a big key for Kentucky if the Wildcats hope to get by Marquette today, as Gillispie will need his sophomore forward to stay out of foul trouble and contribute on the offensive end in Patterson's place.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 02:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)