HOUSTON - Texas wins, 82-62.

We'll be back with final stats in a bit and a look ahead to the second game between Memphis and Michigan State.

Posted by David Scott at 09:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

HOUSTON - Texas has extended to a 19 point lead, its biggest of the game and the 'Horns are Elite 8-bound and riding high. The 'Horns lead 77-56 with 2:07 left.

DJ Augustin has been simply marvelous and now has 20 points on 9 of 16 from the field. We wouldn't hate you if you headed over the Hang Time to check out our column on Augustin from this morning, because the competitive part of thsi one is O-V-A, over.

Four Longhorns are in double-fgures scoring and just one (Brook Lopez) has reached double digits for the Cardinal.

. . . Looks like we know where the POTUS will be on Sunday afternoon. Wonder if he'll bring his daughters?

. . . Trent Johnson's been doing the stare-down with a couple of the officials, but it's too late for that. Maybe he should've gotten tossed again?

. . . No matter who advances from our seocnd game, Texas should be a few point favorite on Sunday. the homecourt advantage is worth at least four points in our opinion.

Posted by David Scott at 09:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

HOUSTON - If Brook Lopez were to get say a smidgen of help, the Cardinal would still have a chance in this one. But he's not and his 26 points are almost exactly half of the Cardinal output as they now trail 63-53 with 7:58 left in the game.

Texas's is being bouyed by its virtual home crowd and some re-energized play in the last five minutes. It will take a monumental effort by Stanford to come back in this one.

. . .In the first half it was Clint Chapman who gave Rick Barnes valuable big man minutes. Now it's Dexter Pittman, who has been a revalation in this NCAA Tournament.

. . . Stanfoird's Mitch Johnson has such a strange jump shot and it's betraying him tonight as he's 2 of 8 from the field, including a clanked 3-pointer that would have cut the lead down to seven.

Posted by David Scott at 09:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

HOUSTON - Texas is clinging to a 54-51 lead with 11:43 left. DJ Augustin has scored just two pooints this half for the Longhorns after netting 12 in the first half. Stanford now has a plus-11 on the boards, 34-23 (9-4 in the second half)>

. . . A trey by Landry Fields cut the texas lead to one, 52-51. It was the closest the Cardinal had been since leading 2-0 to start the game.

. . . Robin Lopez back into the game with 12:29 left in the game and his three fouls.

. . . Love that Davidson score - Jerry Palm must be in Heaven.

Posted by David Scott at 08:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

HOUSTON - The Cardinal trimmed to the lead to four points and now trail 50-44 with 15:34 left in the game. Brook Lopez has seven of Stanford's 10 second half points and now has 22 points in the game.

If Texas can find a way to stop BLop, they will be fine. But that's a big a IF.

. . . Robin Lopez picked up his third foul of the game with 17:07 left in the game. It was his second of the half. He was replaced by Taj Finger.

. . . Texas dance team has made the chaps change. Thank you, ladies.

Posted by David Scott at 08:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

HOUSTON - The numbers do appear to be lying in this one as Stanford lead sthe rebound battle 25-19 bu trails by nine.

The Cardinal do have five more turnovers (7-2) and have been very reliant on Brook Lopez who has 15 points and 8 rebounds to lead everyone.

DJ Augustin has 12 points on 5 of 9 from the field and both he and Justin Mason have four assists each.

Stanford is shooting 13 of 33 from the field (39 percent) while Texas is at 18 of 38 (47 percent). The Horns are 4 of 12 form 3-point land and Stanford is 2 of 7 from beyond the arc.

. . . Mason, a guard, leads the 'Horns in rebounding with five.

. . . Twelve of Stanford's 25 rebounds have been on the offensive glass.

. . . Seemed like a lack of intensity on the Cardinal's part in the first half. that will have to change as they try and overcome the decided homecourt advantage.

Posted by David Scott at 08:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

HOUSTON - Texas leads 43-34 at the half and DJ Augustin has 12 points to lead the Longhorns. Brook Lopez leads Stanford with 15 points. A late 3-pointer by Micth Johsnon boosted Stanford's hopes going into the locker room.

. . . Texas's Clint Chapman who hasn't scored in the 'Horns' prior four games and has four total points in his last seven appearances has four points tonight and has played some important minutes.

. . . We'll be back with halftime stats.

Posted by David Scott at 08:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

HOUSTON - Texas continues to outplay the Cardinal and now leads 31-22 with 3:51 left in the half.

DJ Augustin leads Texas with seven points and Brook Lopez leads all scorers with 11 points. Stanford is actually plus-four on the backboards (19-15), but they are 8 of 26 from the field (31 percent) and Texas is 13 of 28 (44 percent).

Posted by David Scott at 08:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

HOUSTON - Stanford is really struggling form the field in the early going while Texas has found a nice early groove. Texas leads 23-16with 7:52 left.

Stanford has started to feed the post, and specifically Brook Lopez, with increasing success as they have . Brook Lopez has nine points, including the last seven in a row for Stanford.

Stanford is 5 of 19 from the field and Texas is 10 of 23. Five Longhorns have three or more points led by James.

. . . A very competitive battle between our two cheer and dance squads. The Cardinal dancers wear white gloves that bring a nice flair to the uniform. You already know our feelings for the Texas ladies form last week in Little Rock. We eagerly await the chaps changeover that comes around halftime.

. . . The raised court set-up allows for the head coach to stand above the bench on the carpeted apron. Each coach - Trent Johnson and Rick Barnes - are utilizing the space, but it doesn't appear the carpet is designated with the coaching box line. The line does appear on the actual hardwood, but they should have taped it off on the carpet for continuity.Looks odd, but we're getting used to it.

Posted by David Scott at 07:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

HOUSTON - Texas is up 10-4 with 15:22 left in the half. The homecourt advantage that everyone assumed would be the Longhorns' is certainly proving to be true. Just about the whole place is in burnt orange and it's near impossible to find any maroon in the crowd. But that crazy Cardinal tree sure is an active piece of lumber.

Damion James leads all scorers with six points.

Posted by David Scott at 07:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

HOUSTON - Rumors of a Tiger Woods appearance have circulated through the building and we believe they are emanating from CBS's Jim Nantz. He would certainly know.

Also supposed to be another Penny Hardaway evening as the ex-Memphis Tiger continues to follow his school.

Lastly, we just got word that should Texas advance, George Bush the Younger will be in the building on Sunday. That could make for a huge headache in terms of security and entrance to the building, so we just became Stanford fans.

. . . Memphis assistants John Robic and Derek Kellogg are scouting the game from the socut seats in the row in front of us.

. . . The NCAA has announced that "more NCAA . . . fans will attend this weekend's regionals than at any time in the event's 70-year history. As of Noon on Thursday, over a quarter of a million fans were expected at the four venues over eight sessions."

. . . Houston hosts the Final Four in 2011, Detroit has next year's - thus the dual experimentation in the stage-court.

Posted by David Scott at 07:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

HOUSTON - Those kooky kids with the Stanford Band have arrived with their pin-festooned hats and West Coast joei de vivre. No sign of the Tree yet.

. . . Tonight's officials for Game 1 are John Cahill, leslie Jones and J.D. Collins.

. . . NCAA Committee Members on-site are Lynn Hickey (Texas-San Antonio AD) and Laing Kennedy (Kent State).

NCAA Staff members on site are Jeanne Boyd (the former Florida Gator mascot) and Byron Hatch. We also saw and spoke to David Worlock of the NCAA.

. . . Jim Nantz just went into the bowels of the stadium to put on his yellow tie. Billy Packer, who has been doing research at a second row table, is in his blue CBS sports blazer. You know, we'd like a blue CBS sports blazer too - we are part of the family, ya know?

Clock-til-game time is approaching 30 minutes, which means it's time for us to go get some nourishment. Back in a bit.

. . . Ex-Texas footballer and Houston native, Vince Young, just appeared being escorted by John Bianco from the Texas Media Relations staff. If we were cool like Eric Sorenson, we would take a picture and post it. We're not so we'll tell you VY is wearing a blue and white striped SeanJohn golf shirt, jean shorts and currently signing some autographs and posing for pictures with fans. he has black Reebok sneakers with black RBK socks. His entourage includes three friends, one in a Tracy McGrady Rockets jersey.

. . . We're also scheduled to be sitting next to Heisman Trophy winner Andre Ware who is with Sports Radio 610.

Posted by David Scott at 06:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

HOUSTON - Welcome back to Reliant Stadium where we're about an hour from tip of our first contest between No. 2 seed Texas (30-6) and No. 3 seed Stanford (28-7).

We finally have identified what the raised stage/court design reminds us of - especially for those in the front row bordering the edge of the court: A gentleman's club (or what we would think the set-up of a gentleman's club's stage and apron seating area would look like). Yes, folks, the NCAA has created the world's largest dancer's paradise with its hoops-in-the-round concept that is being utilized here and in Detroit.

We will refrain from Joey Dorsey making-it-rain jokes and move on to matters of basketball.

. . . Fans are just being allowed in and as expected there's a lot of burnt orange already on display.

. . . Stanford has take the floor and are shooting at both ends. They are in their maroon shooting jerseys with maroon uniforms underneath. Texas, as the higher seed, will be in home whites.

Continue reading "Houston: Hour 'Til Tip of Game One at "The Gold Club"" »

Posted by David Scott at 06:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

HOUSTON - Welcome to Reliant Stadium for the South Regional games, being hosted by Rice University and the Univeristy of Houston. This is one mammoth stadium and it sits next to the building that used to be called the Eighth Wonder of the World, the Houston Astrodome. Reliant, by that logic, is the Ninth Wonder.

The set-up for this regional is a first-time experiment by the NCAA (also being used at Ford Field in Detroit, where Jerry Palm will describe the action for Posting Up and CSTV.com). The court is elevated and placed in the middle of the football field with seating brought down close to the court. The endzones have been draped off with black curtains, but the rest of the seating under the retractable roof (which is closed, wiseguy) is available for fans and tickets still remain for the three games on Friday and Sunday.

Interviews start shortly with Stanford going at 1 p.m. CT, followed by Texas, Michigan State and Memphis. Stanford has just finished its open practice in front of a small crowd and they are being followed by Michigan State, Texas and Memphis (3:10-4 p.m.)

We'll try and liveblog the latter two open practices after we work some of the interviews.

. . . In the official regional media guide, there is a reference to Memphis as "Memphis State University," a moniker they have not used in some time. Very old school.

Continue reading "Houston: Interviews and Open Practice Day" »

Posted by David Scott at 01:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Welcome to the South Regional, an experiment in both seating and seeding.

Reliant Stadium (in addition to Ford Field) will be guinea pig sites in the NCAA's latest plan to get more fannies into the game. That seating issue - no matter how the experiment in "Hoops in the Round" goes over - is quite secondary to the seeding issue.

No. 1-seed Memphis is suddenly the least liked 1-seed in the history of 1-seeds - taking slings and arrows from all sides. No. 2-seed Texas finds itself with a decided homecourt advantage. Even if Texas coach Rick Barnes doesn't it see that way.

"The bottom line is that in the two games we played in San Antonio (en route to the 2003 Final Four), we had to fight for our lives," said Barnes of his team's wins over UConn and Michigan State. "At this point and time in the season, (playing in Houston) is probably going to be made a bigger deal that it really is."

Still, there is evidence that Everything's Bigger and Better in Texas for the Longhorns. They are 9-4 in NCAA Tournament play in the state of Texas and are undefeated in such games under Barnes(6-0, twice in Dallas and once in S.A.). In fact, Barnes is .500 (9-9) in NCAA games outside the friendly borders, as the Texas head man.

In other Houston seeding intrigue the site also gives us the slightly under-seeded duo of Michigan State (5) and Stanford (3). The Spartans are more of a "4" and Stanford feels like a "2.5." Both - at the very least - are playing their best ball at the most opportune time and quite deserving of playing on the next-to-the-last weekend of the season.

After the jump, some South Regional tidbits that will help you pass the time between now and Friday night's tip from the Texans' home.

Be sure to join us for live-blogging from Media Day on Thursday afternoon from Houston (as well some open practice live-blogging) here at Posting Up.

Continue reading "South Regional: The Day Before the Day Before Preview" »

Posted by David Scott at 08:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LOS ANGELES -- Despite being bumped and bruised throughout the season and in this week's Pac-10 Tournament, UCLA wanted to come away with a win in today's championship game against Stanford.

And that's exactly what the Bruins did as Darren Collison torched the Cardinal for 28 points and three assists on his way to being named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player.

It wasn't exactly pretty -- the Bruins shot just 9-for-28 (39.1 percent) from the free throw line and 4-for-15 (26.7 percent) from three -- but UCLA got it done with 21 offensive rebounds in holding a 43-35 overall advantage.

Kevin Love battled through what he called cramping in his back to finish with 12 points and six rebounds, and Russell Westbrook and Josh Shipp really did the job on the glass, grabbing 11 and nine rebounds, respectively.

For Stanford, which shot 47.9 percent from the field and 45.5 from three, Brook Lopez was the high scorer with 15 points on 5-of-14 shooting in addition to six rebounds, three assists and three blocks. Anthony Goods was the other Cardinal player to tally double figures, knocking down four of his eight shots for 13 points to go along with four rebounds.

At 26-7 overall and 13-5 in the Pac-10, the Cardinal are looking at a No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament and most likely not in the West region. If Stanford would have been able to win, Trent Johnson's team would have locked up a No. 2 seed, but today's loss to the Bruins -- their third straight this season and sixth of the last seven games played against UCLA -- shouldn't hurt too much.

The Bruins, on the other hand, might be hurting a little bit physically, but with a Pac-10 trophy in their hands, no pain can linger too long.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 09:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LOS ANGELES -- Stanford made it close down the stretch with a Mitch Johnson three in the final 30 seconds, but even with James Keefe missing two foul shots, including an airball, Darren Collison came up with two big shots from the foul line to put the Bruins up by three with two seconds left.

Anthony Goods took the inbounds pass at mid-court but couldn't get off a good look as his three fell short, leaving UCLA with a 67-64 victory and the second Pac-10 Tournament title in three years for Ben Howland and company.

The Bruins have gathered with Howland and the photo press to accept the Pacific Life trophy and the UCLA faithful has stuck around to cheer on their Bruins, as chants of "UC-LA" echo throughout the Staples Center.

The players are now cutting down the nets and grabbing a piece of memorabilia before heading back to the locker room.

And while it certainly wasn't easy for the Bruins, who had to beat Cal, USC and Stanford on its way to the championship, they are a lot of pundits who will be picking the three-time Pac-10 champs to win the national championship on April 7.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 08:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LOS ANGELES -- Darren Collison has really taken over for UCLA having already tallied 23 points with more than four minutes remaining.

Stanford is trying to hang tough with Collison schooling Mitch Johnson to the basket drive after drive, as Brook Lopez leads the Cardinal with 15 points and six rebounds. Johnson does have seven rebounds and Robin Lopez is close to tallying a double-double with nine points and eight rebounds.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 08:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LOS ANGELES -- UCLA has taken a seven-point lead on Stanford, 50-43, in large part because Darren Collison has gotten to the basket whenever he wants.

The crowd is on its feet here at Staples Center in support of the hometown Bruins, but Lorenzo Matta-Real just picked up his fourth foul, bringing Kevin Love back into the game at the 8:25-mark.

James Keefe, who played some big minutes in yesterday's win over USC, is having quite a game today in place of the injured Luc Richard Mbah a Moute.

After Stanford cut the lead to just two on an Anthony Goods' three, it's UCLA back up by seven with 6:05 to go after Kevin Love canned a wide-open three from the left wing.

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

LOS ANGELES -- At the 12-minute mark in the second half, UCLA has charged back to tie things up at 43-43.

It seems like Darren Collison has been beating Mitch Johnson off the dribble every time down the floor, and the junior point guard can pretty much get any shot he wants against the smaller and slower Johnson.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 07:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LOS ANGELES -- With the start of the second half, Stanford has retaken the lead with a 43-39 edge.

Twins Brook and Robin Lopez are playing well off of each other, as Robin just dropped in two off the right block.

Darren Collison has been pacing UCLA so far and has shown that he's a step quicker than Mitch Johnson, son of Stanford coach Trent Johnson.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 07:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LOS ANGELES -- After 20 minutes of play, top-seeded UCLA and No. 2 seed Stanford are tied at 30-30 in what's been a thrilling championship game at Staples Center.

Darren Collison is leading all scorers with 13 points on 6-of-11 shooting, and Russell Westbrook has dropped in seven in all 20 minutes. Kevin Love, surprisingly, has only three points, but in the past two games in the Pac-10 Tournament, he's managed to find his game and stroke from the outside.

Fred Washington is leading the way for Stanford with 10 points, and Anthony Goods finished the first half with six after knocking down those two three-pointers to start the game.

From the field, UCLA is shooting just 37.8 percent and a similar 37.5 from three. But the Bruins have really struggled early on from the free throw line, making just 1-of-9 attempts (11.1 percent) while Stanford has had its own issues at 54.5 percent (6-for-11).

On the glass, UCLA holds a slight 22-21 advantage, as three Bruins -- Josh Shipp, Kevin Love and Russell Westbrook -- have each grabbed four.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 07:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LOS ANGELES -- With a couple minutes left in the first half, UCLA had a two-point lead, but that lead has been lost after a three-point play by Fred Washington that has Stanford taking a 30-28 lead.

With 30 seconds to go, the score has been evened to 30-30 after a jumper by Darren Collison. Stanford got a deuce on a turn-around jumper along the baseline by Robin Lopez, but Collison came right back with 10 seconds left and drove a wide-open lane and dropped in two on a left-handed layup to knot the score at 32-32 at halftime.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 06:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LOS ANGELES -- UCLA just took its second lead of the game with a sweet-looking three by Russell Westbrook, but Brook Lopez quickly answered at the other end with a tough layup at the other end.

Kevin Love has been knocked down the last couple of possession down the floor, and the freshman is looking a little beat up after having that pain in his lower back during the first couple of minutes of the half.

After an easy dunk by Robin Lopez, Love has got in the mix with a three-pointer from the right corner to put UCLA up, 28-24, but the freshman forward just picked up his second foul with 3:33 remaining and might not play the rest of this half if the Bruins can keep things close without the big man.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 06:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LOS ANGELES -- Stanford has opened its lead back up to seven at 20-13 after a Brook Lopez free throw, and UCLA is really struggling to knock down open shots, particularly with Kevin Love being sidelined with some lower back pain.

Josh Shipp just drove the lane and converted a nice looking layup on a Finger foul but managed to miss the ensuing free throw. It hasn't mattered, though, as UCLA just got two on a Russell Westbrook dunk followed by a Lorenzo Mata-Real block and three-point swish by Darren Collison on the right wing.

After another Finger foul -- his second already -- it's UCLA and Stanford all tied up at 20-20.

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

LOS ANGELES -- UCLA has climbed back to cut Stanford's lead to just two at 13-11, but Taj Finger just put two in the hole on a cut to the basket off a Brook Lopez double team.

Kevin Love has had to come out of the game twice now and it looks like his lower back has been aggravating him since the opening minutes of the contest. Right now the freshman forward is sitting on the floor trying to stretch things out, and he as well as head coach Ben Howland knows he's going to need his big man to have a chance of winning today's championship game.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 06:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LOS ANGELES -- With about four minutes gone in the first half, Stanford has jumped out to a 11-4 lead on two three-point jumpers by Anthony Goods.

Goods has been rather quiet this week at the Pac-10 Tournament with Brook Lopez stealing the show last night in a 30-point, 12-rebound performance against third-seeded Washington State.

Alfred Aboya and Kevin Love have each scored baskets for the Bruins, who have started the game just 2-for-12 from the floor.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 06:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LOS ANGELES -- Welcome back to Staples Center for our fourth and final day of the Pacific Life Pac-10 Tournament as we get set for our championship game between top-seeded UCLA and second-seeded Stanford.

It wasn't too long ago that these two schools faced each other in this same city, as the Bruins and Cardinal squared off last week in Pauley Pavilion in a game that went to overtime on a controversial foul call and was then won by UCLA.

The Bruins are coming off a nail-biting 57-54 win over cross-town rival USC yesterday, but Ben Howland won't have the services of junior forward Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, who sprained the same left ankle that he hurt against the Trojans in their first meeting back in January. And with the win over USC, UCLA has joined Kentucky and Memphis as the only three schools to post 30 or more wins in there straight seasons.

Cyrus has rejoined me today along the baseline and we're both thinking that Stanford has a good chance to finally knock off UCLA after losing both of its first two contests. The Bruins lead the all-time series, 129-89, and have won five of the last six meetings, but for some reason we have a feeling it won't be easy this time around.

As they always say, it's tough to beat a team three straight times. But the Bruins will need to get some good minutes out of Alfred Aboya, who is filling in for Mbah a Moute, along with Lorenzo Matta-Real and James Keefe.

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

LOS ANGELES -- While many people came into this week's Pac-10 Tournament knowing that several teams needed to have strong performances in order to rid themselves of any further bubble talk, tomorrow's final won't feature any surprises.

Instead, No. 1 seed UCLA and No. 2 Stanford will square off after the Cardinal took down third-seeded Washington State, 75-68, in front of a packed house at Staples Center.

"I'm just glad we won't have to see Washington State again for the rest of the year," Stanford coach Trent Johnson said afterward. "I thought we did a very good job of keeping our poise and taking care of the ball at crucial times and also defending. They're tough to guard. I think we all know that."

Brook Lopez was once again the culprit for Stanford (26-6 overall, 13-5 Pac-10), as the sophomore 7-footer knocked down 11-of-22 shots for a game-high 30 points and grabbed 12 rebounds in 37 minutes.

"He was a load down there," WSU senior Kyle Weaver said of Lopez. "It is tough when they space you and he is scoring and you have shooters ready to knock down open shots. They just strain you on defense."

Weaver was certainly tough to guard and was almost as good as Lopez for Washington State (24-8, 11-7), finishing with a team-high 25 points and 12 rebounds, but it wasn't enough in the end for the Cougars, who shot an impressive 60 percent (12-for-20) from three.

"They are a different kind of team," Washington State coach Tony Bennett said of Stanford. "They beat us three times this year and we obviously couldn't crack the code. I thought tonight was maybe our least impressive outing against them of the three."

That might have been due to the 37-28 rebounding edge that the Cardinal held, or maybe the 14 turnovers that Washington State committed, but the Cougars never seemed to quit even when the game looked to be in Stanford's hands.

"I told our kids I respected our comeback," Bennett added. "I thought it was a gutsy comeback. We made some shots and did some nice things, but I didn't feel like we played a real smart, sound game. I thought we got a little out of our game and that is hard against a team of this caliber."

Lawrence Hill, who led Stanford at halftime with 10 points, finished with 14 on 4-of-11 shooting in addition to four rebounds, two assists and two steals as the only other Cardinal player besides Lopez to tally double-digit points.

Washington State, on the other hand, had four scorers reach double figures, as Derrick Low hit 4-of-8 threes to finish with 15 points and Daven Harmeling hit all four of his long-range attempts for 13 points. Taylor Rochestie chipped in 11 and dished out five assists from his point guard position.

"I thought we gave it our all and never gave up," Low said of his team's effort. "I think that is the most important thing. Unfortunately we didn't win."

While the loss may hurt now for the Cougars, Bennett knows that his team is squarely in the NCAA Tournament starting next week, and that's certainly the case for UCLA and Stanford as well as USC.

The one question that remains, though, is how many teams will the Pac-10 actually get?

While some predictions believe seven teams from the conference will make the Big Dance, some have said six and even five.

Ask coaches across the league, and seven seems to be the magic number.

"I think seven are going to get in," UCLA coach Ben Howland said after the Bruins' tough 57-54 win over USC earlier in the day. "I think seven should get in...No other league is as tough as this league this year. This is the best this league has ever been. No question. And the true test is, once these teams do get in, how they perform in the NCAA Tournament as a conference. I am very confident that our conference will do well."

"I would be extremely disappointed if there weren't seven teams," Johnson maintained. "Our strength of schedule isn't anything like our seventh-place team's last year. I mean, my goodness, Arizona, Oregon, Arizona State. Are you kidding me?"

If the NCAA Tournament selection committee does select seven, they certainly won't.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 01:53 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LOS ANGELES -- With 24.3 seconds left, Washington State has pulled within three of Stanford thanks to some misses from Mitch Johnson on the free throw line.

The Cougars were able to get a crucial steal on its last possession and a layup underneath on a three-point miss to cut the Cardinal's lead to 71-68.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 01:48 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LOS ANGELES -- After a three by Daven Harmeling at the two-minute mark, Stanford has its lead down to eight, but a foul by Taylor Rochestie and a free throw by Anthony Goods has the lead at nine.

Unless Stanford starts clanking its free throws, the Cardinal should be moving on to tomorrow's championship game against UCLA in what will be a rematch of last week's Pac-10 title game, one that was sent to overtime on a controversial foul call against Lawrence Hill.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 01:37 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LOS ANGELES -- With five minutes left, Aron Baynes was originally called for his fifth personal foul, but after some discussion between the officials, the foul was given to Taylor Rochestie, his second.

Stanford has taken control of this one with a 65-54 lead after a Robin Lopez dunk, and Tony Bennett is starting to look frustrated.

At the other end of the stadium, Westside Rental Man has made his return to the Staples Center this evening and he's dancing in his crazy ways again while wearing his jackal hat and a bright pink sports coat.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 01:28 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LOS ANGELES -- At the under eight-minute timeout, Washington State has crept a little bit closer to Stanford, trailing by a seven-point margin.

Brook Lopez has been dominant as ever having already recorded 28 points to this point, and Lawrence Hill has been stuck on 10 points for what seems like awhile now.

Kyle Weaver, meanwhile, is WSU's top scorer with 18 points, but the Cougars have got some balance with Taylor Rochestie at 11 points and Derrick Low at 13 points.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 01:20 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LOS ANGELES -- With just under 12 minutes to go, Stanford is clinging to a five-point lead as Washington State tries to climb its way back into the game.

The Cardinal, however, have proved to be tough and hard-nosed with its frontcourt play, and even with Aron Baynes giving it his all, it's been nearly impossible for Tony Bennett's team to stop Brook Lopez.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 01:09 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LOS ANGELES -- With four minutes gone into the second half, Stanford has pushed its lead up to seven on Washington State and Brook Lopez is leading the way once again with 16 points.

The Cougars are in need of a run to get themselves back within striking distance, and they'll need sharpshooter Derrick Low, who had only four points in the first half, to get going from the perimeter.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 12:55 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LOS ANGELES -- Stanford has got out to a five-point lead with a couple minutes left before halftime at Staples Center, and the Cardinal are having a tough time containing Kyle Weaver, who already has 12 points on the evening.

Brook Lopez has been banging down low with Aron Baynes, who has 11 points at the moment, but it's been Lawrence Hill who has led the Cardinal with 10 points.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 12:25 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LOS ANGELES -- As Washington State and Stanford battle back and forth, it's the Cardinal with a two-point with five minutes to go before halftime.

The Cougars have got the Lopez twins to foul a couple times going after offensive rebounds, and if Tony Bennett's team wants to advance to tomorrow's final against UCLA, it will need to limit the activity of Brook and Robin, the two main offensive and defensive threats for Stanford.

At the 4:41 mark, it's Stanford up, 26-24.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 12:14 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LOS ANGELES -- We're into our second semifinal at Taples Center, and it's No. 3 seed Washington State holding an early lead on second-seeded Stanford.

Kyle Weaver has given the Cougars a nice boost offensively in the first few minutes of this one and Brook Lopez is trying to have another quality performance after providing the Cardinal with 20 points last night in a 11-point win over Arizona.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 11:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LOS ANGELES -- Arizona knew that it needed to win tonight against second-seeded Stanford to ensure itself of a bid to the NCAA Tournament, but that wish didn't come true for Kevin O'Neill's squad.

The Cardinal used second-half run to gain some separation and never looked back, winning their quarterfinal showdown with the Wildcats easily, 75-64, in front of good-size crowd at Staples Center.

First Team All-Pac-10 selection Brook Lopez was the game's high scorer, registering 20 points on just 9-of-24 shooting. But the sophomore 7-footer did grab a game-high 15 rebounds and twin brother Robin wasn't too shabby himself, finishing with 14 points, three rebounds two assists and four blocks.

Mitch Johnson, though, may have been the game's biggest surprise, handling his point guard duties while scoring 11 points and collecting 10 rebounds. Fred Washington and Lawrence each added 11 points and eight rebounds to round out Stanford's five double-digit scorers.

Arizona, in the meantime, has four players in double figures, led by super freshman Jerryd Bayless, who tallied 18 points, three assists and three rebounds in 39 minutes. Jordan Hill played well down low for the Wildcats with 16 points and six rebounds, but it wasn't enough to overcome the frontcourt play of Brook and Robin Lopez.

Chase Budinger, who led all scorers at halftime with 12 points, struggled in the second half to find his shot, finishing the game with just 13 points in addition to eight rebounds. Nic Wise also chipped in 11 points, five assists, four rebounds and two steals in the loss.

For the game, Arizona shot a meager 36.4 percent from the field but did knock down shots from behind the three-point line, leaving the game with a 42.9-percent clip from deep. Stanford, on the other side, really struggled from long range, making only two of its 10 attempts, but the Cardinal managed to dominate the glass with a 50-29 advantage and shoot 42.9 percent for the game.

Stanford, which moves to 25-6 on the season, will face No. 3 seed Washington State, a winner over Oregon earlier, in the second game of tomorrow night's semifinal doubleheader, while cross-town rivals UCLA (No. 1 seed) and USC (No. 4 seed) will square off in the first game at 6 p.m. PT/9 p.m. ET.

So until then, we say goodnight from Staples Center, where the field has been cut down to four with all four tops seeds -- UCLA, Stanford, Washington State and USC -- moving on.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 01:31 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LOS ANGELES -- Arizona is trying to give Stanford a run for its money after the Cardinal extended its lead all the way to 15 points midway through this second half, and a pair of free throws by Jerryd Bayless and a three-pointer by Nic Wise have the Wildcats within nine with 2:23 left.

But it's going to take a stop nearly every time down the floor for Arizona to get back in this one, and the way things are going its not looking good for that streak of 23 straight NCAA Tournament appearances.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 01:24 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LOS ANGELES -- With less than six minutes remaining in this one, Stanford has gained control thanks to some easy misses by Arizona and solid frontcourt play by Brook Lopez.

Arizona coach Kevin O'Neill has just called a timeout and it's not looking good fro the Arizona faithful. The Stanford crowd, however, is up and applauding their team after a big run that's separated themselves from the Wildcats.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 01:13 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LOS ANGELES -- Stanford has just taken a 57-49 lead by using an 8-0 run and some inside play from Brook and Robin Lopez.

The Wildcats are in need of a basket and just got a big bank shot from Jordan Hill, cutting the lead back to six.

But two Brook Lopez free throws, a Lawrence Hill breakaway layup and the lead is now up to 10. Arizona needs to pick things up if it hopes to win this game and make it back to the Big Dance.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 01:06 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LOS ANGELES -- We're five minutes into the second half of our fourth and final quarterfinal game between No. 2 seed Stanford and No. 7 seed Arizona, and it's both teams knotted at 44-44 after a pair of Jerryd Bayless free throws.

Jordan Hill and Chase Budinger both have 12 for Arizona, which seems to be staying with the Cardinal right now. Kevin O'Neill said after yesterday's win over Oregon State that Nic Wise has been the difference-maker for the 'Cats, and with Arizona standing at 16-5 when Wise and Bayless both play, you'd have to believe him.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 12:50 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LOS ANGELES -- We're five minutes into the second half of our fourth and final quarterfinal game between No. 2 seed Stanford and No. 7 seed Arizona, and it's both teams knotted at 44-44 after a pair of Jerryd Bayless free throws.

Jordan Hill and Chase Budinger both have 12 for Arizona, which seems to be staying with the Cardinal right now. Kevin O'Neill said after yesterday's win over Oregon State that Nic Wise has been the difference-maker for the 'Cats, and with Arizona standing at 16-5 when Wise and Bayless both play, you'd have to believe him.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 12:50 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LOS ANGELES -- After 20 minutes of hard-fought play, it's Stanford and Arizona deadlocked at halftime, 35-35, with 20 more minutes to settle the score.

Chase Budinger has been silky smooth for the Wildcats so far, knocking down two of his four three-point attempts to lead all scorers with 12 points and five rebounds. Jordan Hill has got the job done on the interior for Kevin O'Neill's club, dropping in 10 points and grabbing six rebounds against two imposing 7-footers in twins Brook and Robin Lopez. Jerryd Bayless has seven points and no turnovers after playing all 20 minutes of the first half.

On the other side of things, Brook Lopez is on top of Stanford's stat sheet with nearly a double-double: 10 points and eight rebounds. Robin has been the other force for the Cardinal, tallying eight points and three rebounds in 12 minutes from his center position.

Stanford hasn't shot the ball particularly well from three at just 2-of-9 (22.2 percent), but the Cardinal are shooting better from inside the arc at 41.7 percent for the game. Arizona, meanwhile, has shot 39.4 percent and a respectable 37.5 from three.

On the boards, Stanford holds a slight 23-18 advantage.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 12:19 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)