1 BLACK E11 DAILY 03-24-07 MD SU E11 BLACK

The Washington Post S Saturday, March 24, 2007 E11 NCAA Tournament WEST & SOUTH REGIONS

BY STEPHEN DUNN — GETTY IMAGES BY JESSICA RINALDI — REUTERS UCLA Coach is an avid fly-fisherman in the offseason. He said the hobby helps his attention to detail. , defending against Texas A&M, calls his upcoming battle with Ohio State’s his “breakout game.” Howland Pays Attention For Memphis, It’s All About To the Smallest Details Winning Just ‘One More’ WEST, From E10 team knows it. tail. A lot of people get caught up SOUTH, From E10 hearted and good-natured manner, Calipari a recruit yet, he said. “It’s funny,” Collison said. “I in the bigger picture. with a wide smile, not a sneer. He “In all my years of recruiting, cause you don’t know him,” Bruins laugh all the time at how he is. Ben “As you grow and mature a little see this as a big chance to make a also said he respects Oden, calling there’s only one league that ever forward Luc Richard Mbah a is going to continue to be Ben. bit, you understand it’s the small name for myself. I stopped Greg him a great player. How great? gets brought up,” Calipari said. Moute said later. “But we know. He’s real detailed. When he feels things that makes the bigger pic- Oden, and I scored 15 points and “He might be as good as Joey “The NBA.” . . . That’s why it’s funny.” like something’s not going right, ture work.” grabbed 20 rebounds. Hold him to Dorsey,” Joey Dorsey said. Calipari has sold his program de- Whether intentional or not, he’ll be the first one to tell you.” Howland’s commitment to de- nine and five. Everyone is going to Dorsey’s attitude, in part, stems fiantly. He used his pulpit after beat- Howland, 49, threw open a win- At Bruins practices, players say tail stretches beyond the basket- say [I’m] a great player. from Memphis Coach John Calipa- ing Texas A&M by one Thursday dow into the mentality that has it’s not uncommon to run plays ball court. During the offseason, “Everyone wants to see me and ri, who has whipped the Tigers into night. the second-seeded Bruins facing over and over again, until it is Howland enjoys fly-fishing, anoth- Greg Oden go against each other. an us-against-the-world fervor this “The league killed them,” Calipa- top-seeded Kansas today in the completed with precision. er sport in which he says success is It’s going to be David and Goliath. tournament. He has adopted a creed ri said mockingly. “Yeah, maybe we West Region final of the NCAA “Just when we’re doing walk- determined by minding the small I’m Goliath. He’s the little man. I’m of, “Can we win one more?” The re- could have won by more.” tournament. throughs, he wants everybody to details. going to outwork him to every ball. I curring answer from those outside On Friday, he took a not-so-veiled Howland likes his news confer- be in the precise spots,” Bruins “You have to be detailed in fly think I’m going to have like a 20- the team would be “no.” shot at the schools that left for the ences the way he likes his defens- sophomore said. “I fishing in terms of all the little night. Coach Cal said this He constantly reminds his play- Big East. While Memphis has es: executed properly. mean, we try to shortcut things things that go into throwing a fly, is going to be my breakout game.” ers that the national media picked reached back-to-back region finals “I don’t know if you can tell this, just to save time. He stops us and how you mend the line, how you Dorsey went on to say he hopes his team to lose its last two tourna- in the two seasons since the re- but I am a detail-oriented guy,” points it out and says we need get let it float,” said Howland, who is Oden does not get into foul trouble, ment games, and how the basketball alignment, the five defectors have Howland said, answering a ques- in the right spots. That’s how pre- in his fourth season at UCLA. “so we can battle.” He said among world moaned when Memphis was combined for three tournament ap- tion about his multiple interrup- cise it is.” “You’re doing it hundreds and the centers he has faced this season, given a No. 2 seed despite its lax pearances and one victory. tions during the 30-minute ses- Earlier this season, when Mbah hundreds of times a day. So there’s is a better big man conference schedule. Assistant Rod “Be careful what you wish for,” sion. “I like to have the smallest a Moute showed up at a practice a lot of detail and attention to de- than Oden because of his versatility. Strickland told him after the Tigers Calipari said. “All of a sudden you’re details, and that’s the difference wearing a sleeve that covered a tail.” He said he had been watching film beat Texas A&M, “We may be the standing there where you could between winning and losing. forearm, Howland demanded he Howland’s obsessions with de- on Oden in his hotel room, two first Cinderella two-seed in the his- have one, two or three. Now you’re That’s the difference between be- remove it. tails have caused clashes between tapes done and four more to go as of tory of the tournament.” 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16. ‘Wait a ing good and great, successful and “If you’re not going to wear it the coach and his players in the Friday afternoon. His research re- Memphis, a traditional basketball minute, we’re going to get better not successful.” during the game, there’s no past. But while UCLA players ad- vealed: power, was cast as an outsider two next year. Now we’re 13. We busted The Bruins’ success during the in wearing it in practice,” How- mit that they had to learn to adjust “I’m going to attack him by run- seasons ago, when Louisville, Mar- through — now we’re nine.’ I mean, tournament has hinged on the exe- land said. to the hands-on approach, they un- ning the floor to get him tired,” Dor- quette, South Florida, DePaul and we’re fine. Our program is fine.” cution of a suffocating man-to-man Last week, after his Bruins had derstand the purpose. sey said. “He gets very tired. He jogs Cincinnati bolted Conference USA So the swashbuckling Tigers defense because the coach, in a beaten Indiana to advance to the “We’re getting better as a team the floor a lot when he doesn’t get for the Big East. Popular wisdom stand a game away from the Final way, has learned to control fate. region semifinals, Howland ranted and individually we’re getting bet- the ball on offense. I’ll beat him stated that the Tigers would fall Four for the second straight season, The Bruins have thrived on de- over what amounted to a clerical ter,” Collison said. down the floor on offense. with the league, doomed to mid- with a coach who wants to take on fense by being in the right place at error made by the game’s official Howland has made it difficult to “He’s not really physical in the major status. the world and a who wants to the right time. scorers. The mistake had no bear- argue with the result. The Bruins paint. He likes to [play] help side But Calipari never wavered. He take on Greg Oden. Players say the style requires a ing on the outcome, but it drew stand one victory from their sec- and shots. I haven’t seen him built Massachusetts into a national “Playing Ohio State, that’s a pret- level of precision that comes only Howland’s attention nonetheless. ond straight Final Four trip. on a great player play good defense. power in the Atlantic 10 a decade ty big hurdle right there,” Dorsey by paying attention to the smallest “I think it’s important in your “One other thing,” Howland Like against Xavier, he didn’t block ago, and he used the experience as a said, humbled, but only for a mo- things. And when that standard pursuit of perfection,” Afflalo said. said at the news conference. “It’s a lot of shots.” blueprint with Memphis. The allure ment. “What are they going to say isn’t met, Howland makes sure his “You have to pay attention to de- quieter now.” Dorsey’s boasts came in a light- of a big-time conference hasn’t cost when we win that one?”

[1] vs. JAYHAWKS ROSTER [1] Ohio State Buckeyes vs. BUCKEYES ROSTER Player Pts. Reb. Ast. Player Pts. Reb. Ast. [2] UCLA Bruins 10.0 4.7 0.5 [2] Memphis Tigers Jamar Butler 8.5 2.1 3.7 West Region, 7:05 p.m., WUSA-9, WJZ-13 Jeremy Case 1.9 0.6 0.8 South Region, 4:40, WUSA-9, WJZ-13 Mike Conley Jr. 10.8 3.4 6.2 12.5 3.0 3.2 10.3 4.6 1.1 Pace and tempo might play a huge fac- 9.6 2.3 3.0 Though Ohio State center Greg Ivan Harris 7.8 3.2 0.8 tor. Problem is, nobody quite knows 5.4 5.1 0.4 Oden has committed nine fouls in Othello Hunter 6.0 4.6 0.3 what that pace and tempo will be. 6.0 3.9 0.4 his past two games, Memphis Coach Ron Lewis 12.5 3.5 1.3 The high-octane Jayhawks are coming Brady Morningstar 2.1 0.8 0.5 John Calipari said he wouldn’t make David Lighty 3.5 2.2 1.0 off a physical, defense-centered win 7.1 3.1 4.4 a priority out of getting the star Greg Oden 15.4 9.5 0.7 against Southern Illinois. Kansas 13.7 5.6 2.0 freshman center into foul trouble, Matt Terwilliger 2.2 1.8 0.2 proved capable of adjusting their style 12.1 7.9 2.1 comparing the strategy to a prevent Mark Titus 0.4 0.1 0.1 of play against the Salukis. But UCLA defense in football. Instead, the Ti- has shown similar versatility, win- BRUINS ROSTER gers will use their high-powered of- TIGERS ROSTER ning three NCAA tournament Player Pts. Reb. Ast. fense, which is a hybrid of the back Player Pts. Reb. Ast. games with a defense that 4.1 4.2 0.2 cuts used in the Princeton offense Andre Allen 5.5 2.0 3.1 has masked recent offensive 16.7 2.7 2.0 and the spacing used in European Antonio Anderson 7.9 4.1 3.6 struggles. 12.7 2.4 5.8 systems. The key for Ohio State Kareem Cooper 4.0 3.4 0.3 The Bruins have players ca- Nikola Dragovic 1.8 1.2 0.2 could be unheralded senior Ron C. Douglas-Roberts 15.4 3.4 1.8 pable of scoring in transi- Lorenzo Mata 6.8 5.6 0.4 Lewis, who scored 25 points against Joey Dorsey 8.7 9.6 0.4 tion, starting with the dan- L.R. Mbah a Moute 8.3 7.5 1.9 Tennessee, one game after he saved 9.7 6.1 1.0 gerously quick guard Darren Michael Roll 5.0 1.4 1.1 the Buckeyes against Xavier by forc- Jeremy Hunt 13.7 2.9 1.4 Collison. Josh Shipp and Ar- Josh Shipp 13.2 3.8 2.5 ing overtime with a last-second Willie Kemp 6.3 2.3 2.3 ron Afflalo complete a danger- 3.4 0.8 0.7 three-pointer. Freshman Mike Con- Doneal Mack 7.2 1.9 0.8 ous scoring trio. But Kansas Ryan Wright 1.4 0.9 0.0 ley Jr. had 17 points, 7 rebounds and TreVon Willis 2.6 1.0 0.4 counters with Brandon Rush, Ju- *STARTERS ARE SHADED 6 assists against the Vols. Ohio *STARTERS ARE SHADED lian Wright and Mario Chalmers, State has needed late-game heroics three players also capable of going TEAM STATISTICS to escape in its past two victories, TEAM STATISTICS for big scoring nights. KU UCLA but the Buckeyes have yet to OSU MEM “I don’t anticipate it being a Record 33-4 29-5 play a team with the physical Record 33-3 33-3 slowed-down game,” Kansas Points Per Game 79.0 71.6 prowess of Memphis. If they Points Per Game 74.2 78.9 Coach said. “I can see a Opp. Points Per Game 61.5 59.6 start out flat again, they Opp. Points Per Game 61.0 62.2 low-scoring game where both Percentage 49.6 47.9 could find themselves in too Field Goal Percentage 47.3 45.7 teams are trying to play pretty fast, Opp. Field Goal Pct. 37.3 42.6 deep of a hole from which to Opp. Field Goal Pct. 39.9 38.7 but defense on both ends will be Percentage 66.3 66.2 recover. Free Throw Percentage 69.6 62.0 pretty good.” Rebound Margin 6.9 3.0 — Adam Kilgore Rebound Margin 3.3 5.4

— Marc Carig Turnover Differential 2.7 3.1 Turnover Differential 2.0 4.3 1 BLACK E11