[Online Exclusive]: Bruins anticipate formidable Tiger offense

If the hype is to be believed going into the Final Four, then
UCLA will be pitted against a couple of superheroes when it plays
Louisiana State University on Saturday. One can leap tall buildings
in a single bound, not to mention dunk any basketball within five
feet of the rim. That would be Tiger freshman Tyrus Thomas. The
other will test the theory of whether an irresistible force – the
Bruins’ defense – can stop an immovable object. That would be
6-foot-9, 310-pound LSU center Glen "Big Baby" Davis. Together,
they arguably represent the best frontcourt remaining in the NCAA
Tournament, and a potential matchup nightmare for the No. 2 seed
Bruins. "They’ve got a really nice frontline," UCLA freshman Luc
Richard Mbah a Moute said. "They’re athletic, they’re long, and
they’re strong. It’s something we’ve seen before though." Not
according to UCLA coach Ben Howland. Prior to the Bruins’ game
against Memphis in the Elite Eight, Howland said Memphis was
probably the most athletic team in the nation. After watching some
videotape of LSU’s "Big Baby" and Thomas, his opinion changed. "I
said last week that Memphis is the most athletic team in the
country with the possible exception of LSU," Howland said. "Now
that I’ve watched more tape of LSU, I retract that statement. LSU
is the most athletic team in the country. "Tyrus Thomas affects
everything (on the court). He has great explosiveness and great
quickness. Glen Davis is a great athlete, and he’s very skilled."
Both were instrumental in LSU’s victory over Texas in the Elite
Eight to get to the Final Four. Against the Longhorns, who are
thought to also possess a strong frontline, "Big Baby" and Thomas
combined to make 21 of 33 shots, score 47 points, snatch 22
rebounds, and register four blocks. And not all of their damage
came in the paint. Thomas repeatedly torched Texas with baseline
jumpers, while Davis nailed a crushing 3-pointer late in the game
to send the Tigers to the Final Four. While defending the duo
presents a formidable task, the Bruins have enjoyed relative
success in containing the opposing team’s big man. UCLA held
California’s Leon Powe, the best interior player in the Pac-10, to
only 14 points per game in the teams’ three meetings, well below
Powe’s season average. If the Bruins choose to double-team Davis in
the paint, that could leave LSU’s guards open beyond the 3-point
line – which might not be a bad thing. During the regular season,
the Tigers were 224th in Division I in 3-point shooting, making
only 33.7 percent of their shots from beyond the arc. That bad
shooting has carried over to the NCAA Tournament, where LSU is 57th
of the 65 teams to make the Big Dance in 3-point shooting. Yet when
asked if there will be a new defensive strategy tailored to stop
Davis and Thomas, Mbah a Moute was noncommittal. "We just have to
do what we do," Mbah a Moute said.

ROUGH ROAD AT INDY: The RCA Dome in
Indianapolis hasn’t exactly provided UCLA with pleasant NCAA
Tournament memories. Two of the Bruins’ most infamous flops in the
tournament have come at the RCA Dome. Coming off its national
championship in 1995, UCLA lost 43-41 to 13-seed Princeton in the
first round of the NCAA Tournament in 1996. Then in 1999, the
5th-seeded Bruins again lost at the RCA Dome, to 12-seed Detroit
Mercy 56-53.

DRIBBLERS: UCLA will make its 10th appearance
in the annual John R. Wooden Classic on Dec. 9 at the Arrowhead
Pond in Anaheim. In 2005, the Bruins defeated Nevada at the
four-team tournament. Joining UCLA as participants in 2006 are
cross-town rival USC, George Washington and a team to be
determined. … The Bruins have won the last three games decided by
five points or less and are 7-4 in such games this season. LSU has
been in 14 games decided by five points or less, amassing an 8-6
record. … In 16 previous Final Four appearances, UCLA has won the
national title 11 times.