UCLA hits Philadelphia for NCAA basketball

This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links. See About archive blog posts.

The UCLA basketball team is scheduled for an early evening practice today at the Wachovia Center, just outside of downtown Philadelphia, in preparation for a late tip-off (9:50 EST) on Thursday.

The 18th-ranked Bruins will face Virginia Commonwealth, an opponent that comes into the NCAA tournament with five consecutive victories, having rolled through the Colonial Athletic Assn. tournament.

‘Right now, we’ve got major confidence,’ Rams point guard Eric Maynor said. ‘It’s great for the team when you’ve got guys playing with confidence.’

The Bruins, meanwhile, are dealing with a loss to cross-town rival USC in their last game. Center Alfred Aboya said that he and his teammates have learned how to handle the situation after a number of defeats this season.

‘Like we did in the past, we’ve just got to bounce back,’ Aboya said. ‘We want to keep this thing going.’

-- David Wharton