NCAA BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT : UCLA Not Impressed by 30-4 Kansas

The UCLA pep band, as it has at nearly every Bruin game this season, probably will entertain the crowd at the Omni today with its version of the Ramones’ “I Wanna Be Sedated.”

If all goes as predicted, it could be a fitting theme.

In the second round of the NCAA tournament, UCLA is expected to be put to sleep by Kansas, which spent much of the season ranked No. 1, is seeded second in the East Regional and is unbeaten outside the Big Eight Conference.

The Bruins, though, are among the minority that believe they will extend their season with a victory over the more celebrated Jayhawks.

“There’s no question, after watching them play, that we can beat them,” Bruin forward Don MacLean said Saturday. “They’re a good team and they play well together, but we’ve got more talent.”

MacLean isn’t the first to question the Jayhawks’ ability.

Kansas won the national championship two years ago behind All-American Danny Manning and Coach Larry Brown, but then lost Manning and Brown to the NBA and, worse yet, was put on probation by the NCAA.

Unable to defend its championship as part of the NCAA sanctions, Kansas slipped to sixth in the Big Eight last season.

Expected to finish no higher than fifth this season, the Jayhawks surprised everyone by winning the preseason National Invitation Tournament, upsetting Louisiana State and Nevada Las Vegas along the way, and then stringing together 15 more victories to start the season 19-0.

Still, the Jayhawks are viewed by some as overachievers.

Only a few weeks ago, UCLA Coach Jim Harrick said that Kansas was “awfully good,” but that he couldn’t understand why.

“I understand now,” Harrick said Saturday at a news conference. “Their greatest asset is that they shoot the ball well from all positions. They understand their limitations and the shooters shoot from certain spots. They don’t really take a lot of bad shots. They’ve got great experience, mature players. They understand their roles and play them well.”

Still, Harrick said: “It’s not an overly powerful team.”

Five Jayhawks average more than 10 points a game, led by senior guard Kevin Pritchard, who averages 14.4 points and 5.1 assists. Mark Randall, a 6-foot-9 junior forward, averages 13.6 points and 6.1 rebounds, 6-6 senior forward Rick Calloway averages 13.1 points, senior guard Jeff Gueldner averages 10.8 points and reserve guard Terry Brown averages 10.9 points.

Pritchard and Gueldner were starters on the Jayhawks’ championship team of two years ago, and Calloway was a starter for Indiana when the Hoosiers won the NCAA title in 1987. Calloway transferred two years ago.

The Jayhawks’ greatest strength is their cohesiveness.

“You can preach the attitude, but it boils down to the players accepting it and believing it and going out and carrying out the plans,” said Coach Roy Williams, who took over the program in 1988 after 10 seasons as an assistant to Dean Smith at North Carolina. “This team, more than any I’ve ever been associated with, has stuck with it through the entire season.

“Individually, we may not be quite as strong as some teams, but collectively, we’re a pretty strong group.”

In building a 30-4 record that is marred only by two losses against top-ranked Oklahoma and two against Missouri, Kansas has reached the point where its 79-71 first-round victory over Robert Morris was considered unimpressive.

“We didn’t play quite as well as we would have liked, but our standards for ourselves are pretty high,” Williams said. “I guess what’s worse is, people’s expectations may be a little higher than they should be.”

As Williams pointed out, Kansas made 60% of its shots, 81.3% of its free throws and never trailed against the Colonials.

And yet, some expected the Jayhawks to be better.

“If we play together and play as a team, there is no reason why we shouldn’t beat them,” MacLean said.

Williams seems amused that Kansas still has doubters.

“Just yesterday, I had a reporter ask if it bothered me that some people still considered us a fluke,” he said. “It doesn’t bother me as long as it lasts another few weeks. Thirty and four--that’s a pretty long fluke.”

Bruin Notes

UCLA is 21-10 and has won five of its last six games. . . . The teams have played two common opponents, Alabama Birmingham and Stanford. Kansas opened the season with a 109-83 rout of UAB and beat Stanford, 83-61, in a December tournament at Kansas City. UCLA beat UAB, 68-56, in a first-round game Friday night, but lost twice to Stanford in Pac-10 games. . . . UCLA has not advanced beyond the second round of the NCAA tournament since 1980, when it reached the championship game before losing to Louisville.

At a press conference, UCLA’s Don MacLean wore a T-shirt that read: “All The Way In The NCAA.” Asked why he believed the message, MacLean said: “Why? Because I think we’re going to win. I think it’s pretty explanatory.” Added Trevor Wilson: “College basketball is a crazy game. It’s just as possible for us to win it as anybody else.” All of the Bruins have worn the shirts in practice this week.

UCLA Coach Jim Harrick called Kansas “probably as good a passing team as there is in the country.” The Jayhawks led the nation with a .533 shooting percentage and average 92.7 points a game. . . . Kansas guard Jeff Gueldner, on the lack of respect given the Jayhawks: “It all goes back to ‘88, when people said nobody had anything to do with our championship except for Danny (Manning).”

Kansas has adapted well to Coach Roy Williams, who replaced Larry Brown. “We went from a coach who was in your face all the time, yelling and screaming and cussing, to a more laid-back (coach),” Gueldner said. “If it had been the other way around, it would have been harder to adapt.” Said Williams, contrasting himself with Brown: “We’re different personalities, but in golf, you may hit a fade and the other guy hits a hook. But you’re both trying to end up in the middle of the fairway.”