A few years ago The Blot was bored and made a list of all of the different sporting events and specific games I’d like to attend one day. Surprisingly, over a much shorter period of time than I expected, I’ve already been able to check off a good portion of the list. Whether it was just a matter of being at the right place at the right time or through the generosity of others, I’ve witnessed some pretty cool sporting events. Last Sunday night I was able to check off another item on my list.
You see not all items are necessarily big events. Growing up I was a huge UCLA Bruins basketball fan and always wanted to see the home of the Wizard of Westwood from the inside. Last December when it was announced that there was going to be a Big 12/Pac-10 matchup and the marquee game was going to be Texas at UCLA I knew I had my excuse to head west to Pauley Pavilion. So after a year of planning, Al and I flew to LA last weekend to visit some friends and family and then go support our #7 ranked Texas Longhorns take on the #1 ranked and undefeated UCLA Bruins.
This was the first true road game I’ve ever attended and the crowd at Pauley Pavilion was intense. The stadium was packed and there was actually a pretty good number of Texas fans scattered throughout the arena. Ironically we actually ended up sitting next to two Texas fans who now live in California. I don’t think I’ve ever attended a basketball game that was that loud. It’s such a different experience going to a college basketball game at a school with such a rich and historic basketball program. After every single basket scored by the Bruins their fans erupted.
It was the loudest basketball game I’ve ever been to. You’d have thought UCLA was killing us the way their fans cheered every play and supported their team, instead of what was really going on…Texas going on a 17-0 run in the first half for a huge 16 point lead. I was super impressed with the Bruin faithful and their support of their team. It never wavered. But then again I was sure we were going to blow it in the second half. That’s just how basketball works, right?
Sure enough the second half started and UCLA came on strong. I don’t know how it translated on television, but the stadium was incredibly loud the entire second half. Once the momentum shifted towards UCLA the crowd was going nuts and then the Horns squandered their entire first half lead. The lead changed back and forth for a while and both teams kept hitting big shots. Within the last five minutes the lead was never more than 4 points for either team and I finally started to believe an upset was possible. The fact that Texas was able to take the lead with 8 seconds left and then hold on for the victory was unreal. Texas fans throughout the stadium were going nuts and Pauley Pavilion was silent. You’d have thought with Coach John Wooden at courtside, all of the NBA scouts in the audience (reportedly 29 of 30 teams were represented at the game), and Hollywood elite like Denzel Washington and John Lithgow in the crowd cheering on the Bruins, UCLA would have come out on fire. What I didn’t realize was how great Texas’ zone defense really is. The Longhorns swarmed all over the court and all UCLA could do was pass along the perimeter and take bad shots. Texas was even able to hold UCLA’s star freshman Kevin Love to just 11 points and 5 rebounds.
I can’t even describe how impressed I am with how great our sophomores played. Point guard D.J. Agustin controlled the flow of the game and Damion James looks like a completely different player from last year. His intensity and rebounding is still there but now the guy can shoot lights out. Combined with the improved play of junior Connor Atchley, the Horns haven’t skipped a beat after losing Playing of the Year Kevin Durant to the NBA.
Before the game I was just hoping the game would be close and that the Horns wouldn’t get blown out. It’s my own fault for not seeing enough of our early games to realize how good this Texas team really is. After beating then ranked #7 Tennessee on a neutral court and now this 63-61 victory over UCLA, Texas is a legitimate national power and a deservedly ranked Top 5 team.
I also can’t speak highly enough of the UCLA fans. After attending the 2006 Rose Bowl where Texas played USC, I was a little concerned with how UCLA fans would act. Obviously they are two very different schools but both fan bases are in Los Angeles. The USC fans that game were atrocious and were pretty rude to all of the Texas fans throughout the game. UCLA fans, on the other hand, were the complete opposite of how USC fans acted. Now it could be the difference between football and basketball, but everyone was very friendly and nice before and after the game.
As I was walking around before tipoff admiring the 11 basketball NCAA national championship banners hanging from the rafters I was stopped by an older fan who wanted to share some stories from back in the day and pointed out to me where Coach Wooden would be sitting during the game in case I wanted to try and get a picture of him. After we won, fans were congratulating us and couldn’t believe we came all the way from Texas to watch the game. It was nice to see fans being good sports after such a devastating loss. The whole game some fans behind me kept screaming to the Texas players and Texas fans that “this is what it means to play in Pauley!” I guess what he was saying was true… it was a cool experience and an even better win. So on the way out I thanked the fan for showing me the true meaning of what it meant to play in Pauley Pavilion.
