UCLA: A Team of Destiny?

There’s no doubting that the UCLA Bruins are one of the most talented teams in the nation. Armed with super freshman Kevin Love, and one of the nation’s most improved players in Russell Westbrook, the Bruins have added a slasher and a reliable post presence to their already talented nucleus of Darren Collison, Josh Shipp, and Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, among others. Ben Howland’s club is aiming for the their third straight trip to the Final Four when the Tournament begins on March 20th, and with the Florida Gators finally out of the way, the Bruins no longer have their kryptonite standing in front of them. Never before has that 12th championship banner seemed so close for the Bruins.

You would be hard pressed to find a more physical and imposing defensive team than Howland’s Bruins, who have brought an air of toughness that hasn’t usually been associated with the Pac-10. His new formula has helped UCLA to three straight regular season conference titles, something that hasn’t been achieved since John Wooden, the Wizard of Westwood, was coach. With a unique blend of experienced veterans that have been through the rigors of the Tournament before, a hungry and supremely talented freshman that brings an unmatched hunger, and the ideal coach leading the way, the Bruins possess all the ingredients for a championship run. However, there appears to be even more that UCLA’s got going for them.

For all the things that have gone right for the 27-3 Pac-10 Champions, it appears that a divine force has guided the Bruins up late. Case in point, Thursday’s showdown with Stanford, a match-up that would decide the regular season conference champion of the toughest conference in America. UCLA started slowly, and was outclassed by the Cardinal for about 39 minutes. It appeared that Stanford had all but scored a monumental road victory that would parlay them into being the top seed in the Pac-10 Tournament. But, like they always seem to do in crunch time, UCLA conjured up something that seemed hard to believe. Missed Bruin free throws turned into unbelieveable put-back layups, shots that were bouncing off the rim in a listless first half were going in during the final moments, and most importantly, an extremely questionable foul call helped save the game, and quite possibly, the Pac-10 Championship, for UCLA.

Down 63-61 with six seconds to go, Collison took the ball the length of the floor, and stopped on a dime to take a shot to try and tie it. Stanford forward Lawrence Hill stymied Collison’s attempt by blocking it 100%, -- the body contact was absolutely not enough to warrant a foul in that situation - yet the official blew his whistle and called a horrific foul call. Down 11 with five minutes to go, UCLA had come all the way back with a chance to tie it and force overtime. Of course, everyone knew there was no way Collison would miss the free throws, and he converted. The rest was history as UCLA walked away a 77-67 winner and Pac-10 champions. Here’s a look at the phantom call that extended a game that should have been over.



One of these fortunate calls from the zebras was enough, but Saturday afternoon’s game against Cal proved otherwise. Once again, after a shaky performance, the Bruins found themselves down double digits in the second half, but had another magical comeback in them. Down 80-76 with 30 seconds to go, UCLA struggled to find a quality shot to cut into the lead. Love received the ball at the perimeter, and double-pumped before hitting a remarkable three-point shot over Ryan Anderson, the conference’s leading scorer. Still down one with 17 seconds to go, UCLA still had to foul, and they did, hacking Anderson immediately to save time. Only this time, the refs didn’t call a foul, and in the madness that followed, the Bruins somehow got the ball back when it was called that Cal had knocked the ball out of bounds, even though Shipp and Westbrook were fighting for the ball as it went out of play.

That missed call only served as the appetizer for what would transpire over the final moments. Inbounding the ball from under their basket, Shipp received the ball and drove toward the hole, but was forced to shoot the ball over the backboard, a shot that remarkably went in. According to NCAA Rule 7, Section 1, Article, “The ball shall be out of bounds when it passes over the backboard from any direction.” Clearly, Shipp’s shot fit that description to a tee, but again the refs botched the call and it changed the outcome of the game in UCLA’s favor for the second time in three nights. No matter how you interpret the events of the last two games, it's clear that sometihing special is surrounding the Bruins. A Team of Destiny? You decide.

Phantom Call Number Two: