Bruins get job done
SAN JOSE, Calif. – The game was hard to watch, as expected, but it set up the matchup everyone wanted to see.
UCLA plowed its way into the Sweet 16 with a 64-55 victory over Pittsburgh on Thursday at HP Pavilion, setting up an Elite Eight showdown with top-seeded Kansas.
The Jayhawks edged Southern Illinois 61-58 in the first game, making this one of the lowest-scoring Sweet 16 doubleheaders since the shot-clock era began in 1986.
UCLA and Kansas, two of the game’s grand names, have combined for 28 Final Fours and 13 NCAA titles – 11 of which belong to the Bruins.
“We watched them all year long,” UCLA guard Arron Afflalo said. “They have a lot of talent, a lot of elite-level athletes. We’ll have to do our best job to contain them, negate their athleticism and just play tough.”
The second game of the night was billed as a meeting of UCLA coach Ben Howland and his former team and close friend, Pitt’s Jamie Dixon.
The Panthers are no different than they were under Howland early in the decade: well-drilled and committed to defense, but lacking the playmakers to advance deep in the tournament.
They shot 36.4 percent from the field, went several long stretches without a field goal and lost in the Sweet 16 for the fourth time in the past six seasons.
“Our defense was spectacular,” Howland said, “and it had to be or we weren’t going to win.”
Afflalo scored a game-high 17 points, but the Bruins got a huge performance from Lorenzo Mata, the “other” center in the game.
If Mata didn’t outplay Pitt’s Aaron Gray, he at least held his own. That in itself was a huge boost for the Bruins, who had better players at the other positions.
Mata finished with eight points and nine rebounds. Gray, who spent much of the night engulfed in double-teams, had 10 and six.
”(Mata) was one of our most valuable players for what he did offensively and defensively, and the type of battle he had to go through down in the post,” Afflalo said. “He produced at both ends.”
Howland spent the first half managing foul trouble. Forward Luc Richard Mbah a Moute picked up his second foul with 16 minutes left and headed to the bench. When Mata got his second a few minutes later, the Bruins had no choice but to rely on their reserves.
Alfred Aboya and James Keefe did a solid job for the duration of the half, meaning they held their own on defense and stayed out of Afflalo’s way on offense.
“James Keefe gave us solid, solid play today,” Howland said.
The second half started with a surprise, at least for UCLA fans. Mata, a 37 percent foul shooter, stepped to the line and swished two with near-perfect form. He also forced the Panthers to miss two layups in the opening minutes as the Bruins began to gain control.