OK, UCLA from an alumnus/Left Coast perspective:

1. The notion that it matters that we are UCLA, (the tradition of Wooden and the incomparable 11 national championships - 10 in 11 years, EIGHT in a row) lingers. It will not go away. Many of us believe it shouldn't go away. Although Coach is now dead, and many of us oldtimers will die too. But, frankly, it won't go away until we do. You can't imagine what it meant to be a UCLA fan from 1965 to 1975. I really think no sports team fan (even Yankees) can know what that was like.

2. UCLA has 108 national championships, more than any other university. Mediocrity is baffling and unacceptable. Its admission standards are higher than Cal now, but that hasn't hurt Stanford. There is great unhappiness with Foot and Basket Ball doldrums.

3. Howland had great moments; but his shelf-life had ended. He lost too many players. He inexplicably played favorites. His players never had fun. And most importantly (the true reason he was canned) he had totally destroyed relationships with the AAU and HS coaches in SoCal. He was losing all the great SoCal players. He will do well at another university. But his March performance in the last 5 years, and the poisonous relationship with SoCal high schools... he had to go.

4. Alford has not been received well in BruinNation (see #2).. To say it is a step down from New Mexico is silly. However, his lifetime coaching record in division 1 is worse than Howland. It's a bullshit recruitment and choice - exactly as Yail says... Dan Guerror the AD whiffed on Shaka and Boy Wonder from Indie, and apparently didn't figure out that Self was interested, and he grabbed Alford out of panic. Alford's got a bad hairdo too. Apparently he can recruit locally, will bring in power forward Gordon, and his son who is white (shocker) and can jump.

5. Personally I would have welcomed Marshall from Wichita State... and he was gettable.

6. In summation, it's not understood how Dan Guerror still has a job. Speculation is he has pictures of Chancellor Block doing a sheep.

Good god that Kevin Ware injury was bad. It got my wife all sorts of emotional and then she started rooting for the cards. Not that rooting against Duke is hard to do anyway.....but the fact that she even remotely cared was because she saw that injury.

Haha, I seen this a bunch of times in the past week or so and I just noticed the older guy stand up and the cryptkeeper next to him.

I'm no good at reading lips; what's he saying?

Looks like "What a jack ass" to me.

What a random Final Four this year.

Random=no teams from the ACC, amirite?

Meh. I guess there is just no team for me to really hate against. I guess Michigan.

No ACC but TWO of the teams left will be in the league next year. That conference will be a beast. It may get some 17 win teams in the tourney next year.

Regardless, at least my ultimate hate scenario of Duke vs Florida in the final didn't play out.

Yeah, despite this Michigan team being pretty fun to watch, I just reflexively root against Michigan.

I like Boeheim and Pitino so I'm rooting for them to make the Final.

I'm Louisville all the way because:

1) I'd like to see Pitino get another because besides banging cougars, he seems fairly classy.

and

2) Because FUCK Kentucky.

Spot on. UCLA is a bit delusional these days as to their entitlement in hoops. Been a long time since O'Bannon... you're not elite anymore.

And now USC has hired Andy Enfield.

Hmm. Three final fours in the last ten years. And granted that's not acceptable to Bruin fans. Perhaps you mean expectations not entitlement. I don't think the concept of entitlement means anything in sports.

You've clearly never spent any time around Alabama football fans.

They think it's their birthright and that the entire football world should recognize Bear Bryant as the single greatest figure in the history of sport.

pan, meet flash

True, FT. Shades of Dan Monson to Minnesota.

Though, unique to Enfield, I have masturbated to pictures of his wife. Before she was his wife. (The converse of Layla Kiffin.) Amanda Marcum brings the heat.... IN MY PANTS.

That's fair and UCLA is still a very, very good job but I don't think it's in the elite grouping it once was. It's not going to get the top tier coaches interested right now. That, and I'm still sore at the experience I had with UCLA fans at the Holiday Bowl this past December. That's where my entitlement descriptor comes from to be honest...

Also, that Rutgers coach... yeesh.

Good lord Michigan is dropping bombs from deep.

10 to go and this game has been fantastic......

For real. So much for shitty shooting performances in Domes...

Great game. The officiating was pretty awful though. Not sure I've seen a cleaner block than the one Burke had on Siva.

Also did anyone catch Pitino get spooked...SHOTS FIRED!

Agreed. They were letting 'em play. It went both ways though. The play Behanan made with about 2 to go where he missed 2 shots, got the rebounds for BOTH, and still put it back in with 3 Michigan players borderline assaulting him was insane. May have even been the dagger.

Good week for Pitino; 37th wedding anniversary, his horse won Santa Anita (which gives him a spot in the Derby), he was inducted into the College Basketball Hall of Fame, and he became the first guy to win a title at 2 DI schools.

I did't realize he's only 60. He could coach another 10 years.

That was crazy. For a split second it even made me think "oh shit".

I'll post a new topic with my list of cds, but I thought I throw this warning post out there.