SPECIAL REPORT / Final Four / Seattle, 1995 : A SEASON ON THE BRINK OF A TITLE : GAME-BY-GAME WITH UCLA

UCLA 83, CAL STATE NORTHRIDGE 60 Date: Nov. 26 Site: Pauley Pavilion Record: 1-0

From this humble beginning came a season in which UCLA pride was restored. The Bruins come out with a relentless, full-court press and up-tempo style reminiscent of John Wooden’s first NCAA championship team of 1964. UCLA Coach Jim Harrick cautioned, “You have to remember, pressing is a gamble; it’s like Vegas.” Well, these Bruins roll the bones and come up with 22 turnovers and a victory more lopsided than the final score indicates. UCLA 82, KENTUCKY 81 Date: Dec. 3

Site: The Pond of Anaheim

Record: 2-0

You’re only 18. You’ve got the whole world in your hands in the form of a basketball and two free throws. Six-tenths of a second remain in a game that your team trails, 81-80. Forget that this is a matchup of two schools with storied basketball traditions. Forget that this is the inaugural John R. Wooden Classic--honoring the man who made your school’s basketball program larger than life. Forget that there is a national television audience and a screaming crowd of 18,307. And, most important, forget you’re a freshman, which J.R. Henderson did in sinking the two free throws that gave UCLA an emotion-drenched victory. Neither team accumulated many style points, but it was definitely March Madness in December. “I thought the execution wasn’t tournament-caliber, but the intensity certainly was,” Kentucky Coach Rick Pitino said. Times headline: Who Shot Kentucky? UCLA’s J.R., of Course. UCLA 99, CAL STATE FULLERTON 65

Date: Dec. 10

Site: Pauley Pavilion

Record: 3-0

For the first half, it seemed as if the Bruins thought they were still playing Kentucky. What was Fullerton center Winston Peterson doing slipping behind the Bruins for fast-break layups? Or driving past a flat-footed George Zidek for easy baskets in the half-court game? Wake-up call from Harrick: “He just told us to dig deep, stop sleeping, pick up the defense and everything will come,” Tyus Edney said. Picking up the defense was Ed O’Bannon, whom Harrick switched to guard Peterson. O’Bannon fronted Peterson, denied him the ball, which usually wound up the hands of his Bruin teammates. UCLA forced 15 turnovers in the second half, most of them coming during a 38-11 run. UCLA 92, LOUISIANA STATE 72

Date: Dec. 17

Site: Baton Rouge, La.

Record: 4-0

The Bruins roamed into the arena named for LSU’s legendary gunner Pistol Pete Maravich and promptly shot 55.6% from the field and 10 of 18 from three-point range. Also evident again was UCLA’s pressure defense as LSU committed 26 turnovers, six by by slick ball-handling guard Randy Livingston. “We’re going out there with a hired hit-man mentality, taking out everybody in front of us,” Cameron Dollar said. And the hits just kept on coming in the second half. LSU committed eight turnovers in its first 18 possessions as UCLA increased a nine-point halftime advantage to 17. Note: In 1969, Maravich came to Pauley, put on a Globetrotter-like show in pregame warm-ups then scored 38 points. On the downside, Maravich missed 28 shots and LSU lost, 133-84. UCLA 137, GEORGE MASON 100

Date: Dec. 22

Site: Pauley Pavilion

Record: 5-0

Life in the fast lane? The Bruins punched it into overdrive against Paul Westhead’s Patriots and the result was the second-highest point total in school history. Edney, in particular, was a blur, dribbling through double teams and full-court traps or darting from nowhere to pick the Patriots clean defensively. Edney finished with a near triple-double: 28 points, nine assists and 11 steals. Ed O’Bannon wasn’t so revved up. “I’m so used to it, he doesn’t seem like he’s going that fast to me. He zips and dodges everybody.” Fast fact: UCLA scored a school-record 149 points in 1990 against a Loyola Marymount team coached by Westhead. UCLA 88, NORTH CAROLINA STATE 80

Site: Dec. 28

Site: Pauley Pavilion

Record: 6-0

Some players have a “nose for the ball.” Well, Zidek seems to have a noise for the ball. With his father coming in from the Czech Republic to watch him play for this first time in his four-year UCLA career, Zidek called for--well sort of grunted for--the ball, and got it often from Edney. The feeding frenzy resulted in Zidek making six of nine shots, several on sweeping hooks that floored the Wolfpack. “That’s just his call,” Edney explained. “He really wanted the ball tonight. I know when he’s making that noise, get the ball to him. Follow-up: Seven days after losing to UCLA, North Carolina State beat No. 1-ranked North Carolina. OREGON 82, UCLA 72

Date: Jan. 5

Site: Eugene, Ore.

Records: 6-1, 0-1 Pac-10

It was bad enough that UCLA had blown a 13-point second-half lead and trailed by four with 37 seconds left. It got worse when Harrick was slapped with two technicals for disputing a traveling call on Edney. Watching Orlando Williams sink four free throws after the technicals and having Darryl Parker taunt them after a dunk really had to hurt, particularly since the Bruins would lose their unbeaten season and Pacific 10 opener on the very court on which they had blown a chance to win a conference championship the previous year. What hurt the Bruins most, though, was getting wiped out by a wave of wild Duck fans who crashed upon them as they were trying to get off the court. Said Toby Bailey: “It was scary out there. I thought I was going to be trampled.” Said Ed O’Bannon: “I guess they needed something to celebrate. They didn’t win the Rose Bowl, so they needed something.” For the Bruins, MacArthur Court was melting in the dark. UCLA 87, OREGON STATE 78

Date: Jan. 7

Site: Corvallis, Ore.

Records: 7-1, 1-1

Oh-and-two in the Pac-10? Well, this was the prospect that the Bruins faced at halftime, trailing Oregon State, 41-35. Oh, perish the thought. “Our confidence would have been down--just shot,” Henderson said. The mood managed to swing as the Bruins were 17 for 24 in a 52-point second half. Just as significant was Harrick inserting Henderson in the starting lineup for defensive purposes. Henderson, playing strong position defense, limited Oregon State’s leading scorer Brent Barry to eight shots . UCLA 75, WASHINGTON 57

Date: Jan. 12

Site: Pauley Pavilion

Records: 8-1, 2-1

How low can you go? The lethargic Bruins scored a season-low 28 points in the first half but still managed to hold a three-point lead against a Husky team making only a third of its shots. “We definitely weren’t playing UCLA basketball,” Ed O’Bannon said. There wasn’t much resemblance to UCLA basketball in the second half, either, but the Huskies slowly faded away to a clanking cadence of one-for-22 shooting beyond the three-point line. “We don’t feel good about ourselves at this point,” said Ed O’Bannon, who wasn’t looking particularly good either with a gash over his right eye that required stitches and a bandage. UCLA 91, WASHINGTON STATE 78

Date: Jan. 14

Site: Pauley Pavilion

Records: 9-1, 3-1

Introducing Air Edney. Taking a pass from Charles O’Bannon with about 12 minutes left in the game, the 5-10 Edney brought down the house with an open-court dunk--something his Bruin teammates had never seen him do. “He truly amazed me today,” Zidek said. “He’s a big fella now. He’s not 5-10 now, he’s 6-10.” The Bruins were also standing tall. They made 73% of their shots in the first half, and Edney’s dunk not only gave them a 30-point lead but a feeling of superiority they hadn’t experienced in January. “This is the way we should have played all year,” Edney said. “Now we’ve got momentum going into Arizona.” Eye-opener: Washington State has never won at Pauley Pavilion. UCLA 71, ARIZONA 61

Date: Jan. 19

Site: Tucson

Records: 10-1, 4-1

Hoping to take the desert by storm, the Bruins dug in defensively and limited the Wildcats to 35% shooting. Long-range bomber Damon Stoudamire, in particular, was off target. He missed 11 of 12 shots from three-point country and finished with 15 points, 30 less than he had scored his previous game. “This kind of sends a message that we’re a good team and we’re ready to play,” Charles O’Bannon said. “People were probably saying we weren’t that good on the road, that we always start off undefeated and then go downhill. It’s not going to happen this year.” History lesson: The last time UCLA won at McKale Center was 1992, when the Don MacLean and Tracy Murray-led Bruins beat the Wildcats by two points. That was also the last time the Bruins won the Pacific 10 championship. UCLA 85, ARIZONA STATE 72

Date: Jan. 21

Site: Tempe, Ariz.

Records: 11-1, 5-1

“Lute (Olson) said it couldn’t be done,” Harrick said, proudly referring to the Bruins’ sweep in Arizona. Harrick could also be proud of his switch to a smaller lineup eight minutes into this game. With the Bruins trailing, 28-17, the move changed the complexion of the game. They moved effortlessly through the Sun Devil press and swarmed all over Mario Bennett, who had five points in the final 32 minutes. Olson might not have been impressed, but Arizona State Coach Bill Frieder was. “They’re a team that’s going to be there when it’s over, because they’re on a mission and they know they’re that good. And what they did this week is proof of that.” Times headline: Trip to Arizona Gives Bruins a Sweeping View. UCLA 77, STANFORD 74

Date: Jan. 26

Site: Pauley Pavilion

Records: 12-1, 6-1

Floored by a right Cross, the dazed Bruins climbed off the mat just long enough to stay atop the Pacific 10 standings. The Bruins had led by as many as 16 points in the first half, but a barrage of Dion Cross three-point shots in the second half had sent them reeling, and with 65 seconds left, the Cardinal had a one-point lead. Zidek took matters into his own hands, drawing fouls that resulted in four free throws that allowed UCLA to regain the lead, and Dollar took a charge that bought the Bruins precious possession time. Finally, it came down to a Cross three-point basket at the buzzer. Unlike the previous five, this one missed. CALIFORNIA 100, UCLA 93

Date: Jan. 28

Site: Pauley Pavilion

Records: 12-2, 6-2

When you walk the walk, you’ve got to talk the talk. Well, one day after some UCLA players had walked through a Cal practice session at Pauley, the Golden Bears ran right past the Bruins. Guess who was doing most of the talking afterward? “We owe a lot to UCLA,” Cal Coach Todd Bozeman said. “Their guys walked right through our practice. UCLA came in here and showed us no respect. Our team was furious.” Freshman Tremaine Fowlkes was more than furious--he was on fire, making eight of nine shots and scoring 24 points. A further indignity: Cal’s victory marked the first time that a Pacific 10 opponent had beaten UCLA at Pauley three consecutive years. UCLA 73, USC 69

Date: Feb. 2

Site: Sports Arena

Records: 13-2, 7-2

Edney was sidelined because of flu, leaving UCLA to sweat out a victory over its crosstown rival. The Bruins were out of sync for a good portion of the game, They hacked away at USC’s Lorenzo Orr and Stais Boseman as they flew by the Bruins or UCLA stumbled offensively. Dollar, Edney’s replacement, managed to pull the Bruins out of their funk in time. Dollar was on the money with three passes that led to dunks, and he initiated defensive pressure that kept USC scoreless in a six-minute span late in the game. UCLA 92, NOTRE DAME 55

Date: Feb. 5

Site: Pauley Pavilion

Record: 14-2

The bump-and-run is allowable in football, but Ed O’Bannon felt Notre Dame’s Derek Manner had crossed the line on the basketball court. Manner had given Edney an NFL-style chuck as he flew in for fast-break layup, knocking him into the padded base of the basket. O’Bannon came to the defense of his fallen teammate, racing the length of the court to give Manner an NFL-style retaliatory shove. O’Bannon drew a technical, and the Bruins drew strength from the incident, going on a 38-13 run that buried the Irish. “I guess you have to expect our guys to get emotional when you put the hurt on our little fella,” Harrick said. When it was all said and done, the Bruins had shown little mercy in forcing a season-high 32 turnovers and handing the Irish their most lopsided defeat since beating them by 48 in 1972. UCLA 74, WASHINGTON 66

Date: Feb. 9

Site: Seattle

Records: 15-2, 8-2

“Welcome to Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdome. Your host, Jim Harrick.” The UCLA team bus took a little detour in Seattle and wound up in front of the Kingdome, site of this year’s Final Four--an event UCLA used to frequent but hadn’t been to since 1980. “I just imagined us coming back in seven weeks,” said Charles O’Bannon. “Whatever message (Harrick) was trying to send to us, it registered. I got a taste of it, now I want the whole thing.” As for the game, it was a Sleepwalk in Seattle, as the Bruins managed to win despite being outrebounded (50-34) and outhustled by the outmanned Huskies, who were playing without two starters. UCLA 98, WASHINGTON STATE 83

Date: Feb. 11

Site: Pullman, Wash.

Records: 16-2, 9-2

The largest crowd in 12 years crammed into steamy Friel Court to make it as uncomfortable as possible for UCLA. So leave it to a pair of players who had never played there, freshmen Bailey and Henderson, to beat the heat and snap the Cougars’ home-court victory streak at 13. Bailey and Henderson combined to score 43 points, making 17 of 22 shots. They scored 16 of those points during a 25-9 second-half run that gave UCLA control of the game. Next up for the Bruins: five games in 11 days. UCLA 82, ARIZONA STATE 77 (Overtime)

Date: Feb. 16

Site: Pauley Pavilion

Records: 17-2, 10-2

Late Night with the Brothers O’Bannon. Taking that cue in a game that started at 9 p.m. for ESPN, Ed and Charles came up with prime-time plays in the final minutes of regulation and the entire overtime. In a five-minute stretch, the O’Bannons scored all of UCLA’s 11 points and made three key defensive plays that brought the Bruins back from a five-point deficit in regulation to a five-point lead and control in overtime. UCLA 72, ARIZONA 70

Date: Feb. 19

Site: Pauley Pavilion

Records: 18-2, 11-2

Big game, big problem. Floor leader Edney is slowed by a knee injury. What to do? Give it to Big Ed, of course. O’Bannon, in UCLA’s moment of need, stepped up and delivered his biggest game of the season: 31 points on 11-of-18 shooting (four of five on three-point baskets) and 10 rebounds. “I was just trying to give Ed the ball and get out of his way,” said Dollar, who got extended playing time (25 minutes) because Edney was hobbling. “If we really need a basket, we give the ball to Ed.” Footnote: The two-game sweep was UCLA’s fourth against the Olson-coached Wildcats since 1984. Arizona has swept UCLA seven times in the same span. UCLA 88, STANFORD 77

Date: Feb. 21

Site: Stanford

Records: 19-2, 12-2

Survival of the fittest. That’s what it was for the Bruins, who took a licking from the Cardinal in the form of vicious picks, no-holds-barred interior defense, flying elbows and reckless, head-down drives to the basket--and kept on ticking. Henderson picked up for foul-plagued Zidek and, at 6-9, stood his ground against Stanford’s 7-1 Tim Young, controlling him defensively while scoring seven points that keyed a decisive UCLA run with five minutes left. Times headline: When the Going Gets Tough, the Bruins Get Tougher. UCLA 104, CALIFORNIA 88

Date: Feb. 23

Site: Berkeley

Records: 20-2, 13-2

How sweet it is. Matched against a team it deeply wanted to beat, UCLA picked apart Cal. Ed O’Bannon made seven of nine shots from three-point range. Zidek emerged from a monthlong slumber to muscle his way to 25 points. Edney and Charles O’Bannon slashed through the Cal zone at will. “We hate losing to Cal, I think, more than any team in the Pac-10,” Bailey said, “just because of the personal little rivalries between the teams.”UCLA 100, DUKE 77

Date: Feb. 26

Site: Pauley Pavilion

Record: 21-2

Attention Naismith Award voters who left Ed O’Bannon off their ballots, this one’s for you. O’Bannon scored a career-high 37 points to lift UCLA to a nationally televised victory that lifted them to No. 1 in the polls. In this stretch, the Bruins won five times in 11 days, with O’Bannon scoring 22 points or more in each game. Times headline: UCLA Gives Duke a Lesson in Higher Ed. UCLA 85, USC 66

Date: March 1

Site: Pauley Pavilion

Records: 22-2, 14-2

The Bruins, in their first game as the nation’s No. 1-ranked team, achieved another first with this victory--they became the first team to qualify for the NCAA tournament by clinching the Pacific 10 championship. “Just being No. 1 is a distraction in itself,” Dollar said “There’s more press, more fans, more attention. That’s part of being No. 1. You have to learn to adjust your game to it.” UCLA didn’t look the part of No. 1 in the first half, trailing USC by one point, but a 31-12 run at the start of the second half confirmed the Bruins’ lofty status. UCLA 91, LOUISVILLE 73

Date: March 5

Site: Louisville, Ky.

Record: 23-2

The Bruins gave a national television audience an NCAA tournament preview of sorts in pulling away from the Cardinals. “In a sense, it was (like a tournament game) because we were coming out and no one was cheering for us,” Charles O’Bannon said. “It was a foreign land for us, and I think we handled it well.” What Charles O’Bannon and Bailey had a handle on in this game was flying over unsuspecting Cardinals for rebound after rebound. Together they grabbed 20 rebounds to go with 33 points and 13 assists. UCLA 86, OREGON ST. 67

Date: March 9

Site: Pauley Pavilion

Records: 24-2, 15-2

Here in the dog days of March, with the NCAA tournament around the corner, Harrick cautioned his Bruins about slipping into lethargic ways. “I’m not big on faucet teams. I’m big on habits and doing things well over and over.” The Dynamic Duo of Ed O’Bannon and Edney eventually got the Bruins into the flow of things, and they coasted to their 12th victory in a row. “Ed O’Bannon and Edney are kind of like their Batman and Robin,” retiring Oregon State Coach Jim Anderson said. “They just kind of take over.” UCLA 94, OREGON 78

Date: March 11

Site: Pauley Pavilion

Records: 25-2, 16-2

Let the good times roll. It was senior night at Pauley, and emotions were running at a fever pitch for Ed O’Bannon, Edney and Zidek. Particularly touching was the pregame introduction of O’Bannon, who lifted his son, Aaron, high above his head--like the scene from “The Lion King”--to the roar of crowd. Come game time, the pumped-up Bruins went on a 32-15 tear the first 10 minutes and never let the Ducks seriously challenge. With 4:48 to play and the game in hand, it was curtain call time for Ed O’Bannon, who in leaving the game took a bow to the student body and sent Pauley into hysteria with a “‘Scuse me, while I kiss the floor” routine borrowed from Michael Jordan. The game ended with 12th man Bob Myers scoring his first points of the season. Finally, there was Ed O’Bannon atop a ladder, cutting down the nets with a frenzied throng of admirers at his feet. This was his moment, and certainly far-removed was the memory of the devastating knee injury that almost ended his UCLA career before it began. “I remember it was against Oregon four years ago when Ed played his first game after the injury,” Harrick said. “To see it culminate like this, I’ll tell you, is a great thrill.”

NCAA TOURNAMENT UCLA 92, FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL 56

Date: March 17

Site: Boise, Ida.

Record: 26-2

Mercy, mercy. After his Magnificent Seven showcased its considerable skill just long enough to assume control, Harrick showed compassion for a rag-tag opponent from Florida that had managed to sneak in the NCAA tournament with the losingest record (11-18) in 16 years. The Bruins raced to a 40-19 lead with 2:45 left in the half before Harrick called off the dogs and gave reserves Kris Johnson, Ike Nwankwo, omm’A (Oprah . . . omm’A, oom’A . . . Oprah) Givens, Kevin Dempsey and Myers chance to strut their stuff. “From our standpoint, it couldn’t have been scripted any better,” Harrick said. “We played everybody, and everybody scored.” UCLA 75, MISSOURI 74

Site: March 19

Site: Boise, Ida.

Record: 27-2

From zero to ecstasy in 4.8 seconds. That’s how long it took Edney to make his full-court dash to the basket that kept the Bruins’ NCAA dreams alive. “Four-point-eight seconds is a quick time,” Charles O’Bannon said. “But for Tyus, it’s an eternity.” Indeed, time--as well as the Tigers--seemed to stand still as Edney took the inbound pass, darted along the left side of the court, shifted direction with a behind-the-back dribble near midcourt to blow past defender Jason Sutherland, then continued his frantic dash to the basket before going airborne and deftly putting a soft, arching shot over the outstretched arms of 6-foot-11 Derek Grimm that banked in for the winning score. Having been put on the ropes the entire game by a barrage of three-point Missouri baskets (12 of 19 attempts), Edney had delivered a knockout punch of Rocky proportions. While most of the Bruins talked about Edney, Harrick spoke of destiny. “I remember Christian Laettner hitting two buzzer beaters in the elite eight games to take Duke to the Final Four,” Harrick said. “I believe in my heart that sometimes along the way, your team has to face some of this and overcome adversity in this manner.” Flashback: As a sophomore, Edney had a chance to beat Michigan in the final seconds of a second-round NCAA tournament game. As he drove to the basket he was challenged by Juwan Howard and tried to pass off to Ed O’Bannon. The pass was stolen by Michigan’s Jimmy King, who was trailing on the play, and UCLA eventually lost in overtime. UCLA 86, MISSISSIPPI STATE 67

Date: March 23

Site: Oakland

Record: 28-2

Laid-back in being pushed to the brink of elimination by Missouri, the Bruins turned the aggressors against Mississippi State. They challenged 6-11 shot-blocker Erick Dampier in the paint, stayed glued to mad bomber Darryl Wilson on the perimeter and revved up their transition game. By halftime, Dampier was swatting at air, Wilson had misfired on all 11 of his three-point shots, and the gasping Bulldogs were left in the dust of the Bruins, who had a 21-point lead. And UCLA didn’t stop there, increasing the lead to 36 eight minutes into the second half. The Bruins were all business, just as Harrick was in cracking the whip in the practice after the Great Escape. “I’ve never seen him come down on anybody like he did on us last practice,” Ed O’Bannon said. “He got into us, and he expects us to respond. It kind of lit a fire.” UCLA 102, CONNECTICUT 96

Date: March 25

Site: Oakland

Record: 29-2

Get your motor runnin’. Charged-up by comments that they wouldn’t be able to run with Connecticut, the Bruins blew into the Final Four for the first time since 1980. “These guys, they don’t know us,” Ed O’Bannon said of the Huskies. “They don’t know that we have the fastest basketball player in the nation. You try and run? Fine. But don’t say that we can’t run. That’s like shooting yourself in the foot.” Actually, it was Edney who pulled the trigger, making a 25-foot buzzer beater that gave UCLA a 48-41 halftime lead. “Those types of plays are like taking a needle and putting it in a balloon,” Harrick said. “They just deflate you.” The Bruins stayed on the rise with numerous dunks off their fast break to start the second half, and the next destination was Seattle. “This fulfills some of this season’s promise but not all of it,” Dollar said. “We didn’t come into this just thinking Seattle. We want to go there and win two more games.” Times headline: For Bruins, Kingdome Comes. * Compiled by JIM RHODE