Saturday, March 07, 2009

Last home game for unique senior class

Of course I will watch, and I expect that the Bruins will not lose concentration and allow a Pac 10 bottom-dweller to beat the odds and spoil their last game of the regular season with an upset. The game against Oregon State Thursday was a good portent, suggesting that pretty much the whole team, including little-used subs, has bought into the idea that it is time, and it is possible, to put behind the inconsistencies that have shown up this season and demonstrate the potential that has been there all along to be one of the most powerful teams in the country -- more so than a #20 ranking suggests -- and go deeper in the NCAA tournament than most outside observers expect at this point.

One of the reasons I expect good things has to do with the three seniors. As pointed out here, it is unusual in this day and age to have three first-line players stay in school long enough to graduate; the lure of the NBA is simply too much -- and Love, Westbrook and M'bah a Moute are showing they were ready for that challenge. Collison probably was too, but he stayed, as did Shipp and Alfred Aboya. All three have been playing very well in the last couple of weeks, and I think they want their last hurrah to be special. But we'll see. They still have to play the actual games, and today and in the Pac-10 tournament other teams will be gunning for them.

No comments: