Notes on a Scorecard - March 14, 1994

I predict UCLA will last longer than Loyola (Md.) in the NCAA tournament even though the Greyhounds get to play Arizona in the first round. . . .

Starting the season 14-0 and then going 7-6 is not what is known as peaking at the right time, and now the Bruins are faced with the prospect of having to beat two Oklahoma teams in three days in Oklahoma City to get out of the second round. . . .

But, hey, isn’t this supposed to be the most wide-open tournament in years, didn’t seven of the top 11 ranked teams lose Saturday, and shouldn’t the Bruins be confident that they are talented enough to stick around for a while? . . .

If UCLA and Oklahoma State win as expected Friday, the matchup at center Sunday will be George (Big Foreign Country) Zidek vs. Bryant (Big Country) Reeves. . . .

The toughest region is the Southeast, the softest the West. . . .

Best first-round matchup: Fast-finishing Nebraska vs. underrated Pennsylvania in the East Regional. . . .

I would be more sympathetic to Georgia Tech, which was ignored by the selection committee, if it hadn’t lost to Wake Forest by 25 points in the first round of the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament. . . .

The Southern California team with the best chance to win a national tournament probably is defending NCAA Division II champion Cal State Bakersfield. . . .

March Madness is having 38 men’s and women’s college basketball games televised into L.A. the weekend before the NCAA tournaments begin. . . .

NBA most valuable player voting should not be conducted until after the playoffs, particularly in a year when it is so difficult to separate David Robinson from Hakeem Olajuwon from Shaquille O’Neal from Patrick Ewing. . . .

Maybe I was wrong about the coaching potential of Rick Barry, who was fired by the Ft. Wayne Fury of the Continental Basketball Assn. . . .

Hubie Brown, who gets mentioned for most coaching vacancies in the NBA, signed for four more years as a TNT commentator. . . .

I don’t know if Chan Ho Park is the real deal, but Raul Mondesi sure looked like it Sunday during the Dodgers’ exhibition victory over Montreal. . . .

Vin Scully on Park: “He has two brothers, a sister, and an extra father in Tommy Lasorda.” . . .

Bo Jackson got a bum rap from those who went berserk simply because he refused to give two autographs to the same young fan in Arizona. Jackson wanted to make sure that everyone got his signature once and is aware that the extra ones often are sold. . . .

A team that relies on the passing game as much as the Raiders should re-sign Tim Brown and cut expenses elsewhere. . . .

I won’t miss the sight of Ethan Horton dropping a pass. . . .

If Chris Miller stays fit, the Rams might be the most improved offensive team in the NFC next season. . . .

Zachary (Don’t Call Me Zack) Padilla, the junior welterweight from Azusa who stopped Dwayne Swift in the fourth round Saturday night, is an exciting fighter with a loyal following who should be a mainstay on promoter Bob Arum’s Olympic Auditorium shows. . . .

The Needlemans have corrected some problems at the Olympic, including the public address system, the bell, and a draft that had hit the backs of some ringside spectators. Next, installation of a scoreboard clock. . . .

Worst scorecard of the year--and that is saying an awful lot--might have been that of judge Carol Castellano for the Larry Donald-Jeremy Williams fight. At most, Williams won four of the 12 rounds. Castellano scored it even. . . .

Fernando Vargas, 16, of Oxnard, the youngest boxer in the U.S. Amateur Championships at Colorado Springs, won the 132-pound title Saturday. . . .

Final Four: North Carolina, Kentucky, Arkansas, Louisville. Final Two: North Carolina, Arkansas. Final One: North Carolina.