Notes on a Scorecard - March 12, 1996

Jim Harrick says the three keys to the UCLA basketball program are conditioning, fundamentals and team sharing. . . .

Going into the NCAA tournament, the defending champions are doing two-thirds of the job. . . .

Their conditioning has shown during many strong late-game performances. . . .

The Bruins’ unselfishness is reflected by their national leadership in team shooting percentage. Four of the top six players are averaging better than 50%. They are moving the ball well and spreading around the easy shots. . . .

Fundamentals? Not so hot. Too many turnovers. To be precise, 18 a game. . . .

“We’ve got to cut down on our turnovers in the tournament,” Harrick said. . . .

If they do, the Bruins might return to the Final Four. If they don’t, they might not survive the sub-regional at Indianapolis. . . .

On Seniors’ Day against Washington State on Saturday, the only senior, Kevin Dempsey, started and because of injuries to J.R. Henderson and Kris Johnson stayed around long enough to get nine assists. . . .

Dempsey could give the Bruins a spark off the bench during the tournament. . . .

“Kevin knows our system as well as anybody I’ve ever coached,” Harrick said. . . .

It might be March Madness, but the championship game will be played on April Fools’ Day. . . .

You didn’t really think that a Jerry Tarkanian-coached team on the bubble would be selected for the tournament, did you? . . .

Best first-round matchup: Penn State-Arkansas. . . .

Worst first-round matchup: Massachusetts-Central Florida. . . .

Toughest regional: Midwest. . .

Easiest regional: West. . . .

How tough is the Midwest? Well, third-seeded Villanova might have to beat Portland, Louisville, Wake Forest and Kentucky to reach the Final Four. . . .

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, son of the Hall of Famer, is a freshman reserve forward on the Valparaiso team that plays Arizona in the first round. He is averaging 2.1 points and 3.6 minutes a game. . . .

Bill Walton’s son, Nate, a 6-foot-8 forward at University High in San Diego, will enter Princeton next fall. . . .

There should be no gripes from the Pacific 10 about four conference schools reaching the tournament. I was surprised that California made it, although the Bears, with all their talent, could be a sleeper. . . .

One of the best performers in the National Invitation Tournament will be Washington State forward Mark Hendrickson. . . .

“Mark will be a 10-year NBA player,” Cougar Coach Kevin Eastman said about the 6-9 forward who can do it all and probably will be a low first-round draft choice. . . .

The first choice for the USC coaching job is supposed to be alum Paul Westphal. . . .

However, Westphal might not want to undertake such a formidable rebuilding task. . . .

Henry Bibby was 0-9 as interim coach, but deserves consideration. His depleted team went down to the wire against UCLA, Washington, Arizona State and Oregon State. At the end of the season, the Trojans were down to six scholarship athletes. . . .

*

Any fan of the Mighty Ducks who watched them beat the Kings on Sunday has to be excited about the future. . . .

Teemu Selanne and Paul Kariya are working magic together. . . .

During a two-minute span late in the third period, the Ducks got six good scoring opportunities, most of them created by Selanne, 25, and Kariya, 21. . . .

The Florida Panthers have been the surprise team of the NHL, but their intrastate rival, the Tampa Bay Lightning, is the hottest team in the league. . . .

Now that the Canadiens have played their last game at the Forum in Montreal, the only NHL building with any real tradition is Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto. . . .

George Yardley will be honored at a testimonial dinner May 1 at the Balboa Bay Club and inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame on May 6 at Springfield, Mass. . . .

Upset of the month: PGA Tour rookie Jim Herron going wire to wire to beat a star-studded field in the $1.3-million Honda Classic. . . .

During the last two weeks of this month, Gary Stevens will fly about 30,000 miles to ride a combined 3 1/2 miles in Florida, Dubai and Kentucky. . . .

Long-time boxing publicist Murray Goodman, 82, died Friday. He was one of the best. . . .

Oops. I had the Final Four brackets mixed up. My championship game prediction should have been Georgetown over Connecticut.