Bozeman, Walcott Become Strong Point

Cedric Bozeman wore ice on his ankle and a cool grin on his face. Ryan Walcott shook the shower water from his head as if he wanted to make sure he wasn’t dreaming.

The two freshman point guards, UCLA’s supposed Achilles’ heel in an NCAA tournament normally dominated by backcourt veterans, had prevailed over seniors twice in three days.

They held Jason Harrison of Mississippi scoreless Thursday and pestered Steve Logan of Cincinnati on Sunday. Logan came in averaging 22 points and had experts saying he deserved the national player-of-the-year award.

He left with his career behind him and memories of Bruin freshmen in his face.

Neither Bozeman nor Walcott committed a turnover, and UCLA had a season-low nine, a stunning total against a Bearcat defense considered one of the best in the nation.

Walcott, who played 22 minutes, said he hardly slept Saturday night, and his single-minded focus made the game a nightmare for Logan, who made only six of 18 shots and committed four turnovers.

“The whole night I was thinking about Logan,” Walcott said. “I imagined stopping him, then went out and did it.”

Bozeman, who had eight points and four assists in 39 minutes, suffered a mild ankle sprain halfway through the second overtime, but said the injury will not keep him from playing Thursday in a Sweet 16 game against Missouri.

He is excited about the matchup not only because the Bruins remain alive but because one of his best childhood friends, sophomore Wesley Stokes, is a Tiger guard.

“We talked about playing together,” Bozeman said. “Now we’ll battle it out.”

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Rico Hines might have played his last game for the Bruins. The senior guard suffered a strained knee in the first half and played only four minutes.

He returned to the bench with the knee wrapped, standing on crutches that he used as a prop, waving them in glee as his teammates closed in on victory.

“I’ll see what the doctors say and maybe I can make it back,” he said. “This was such a great game, I haven’t even really thought about myself yet.”

An MRI exam will be conducted today.

If Hines is unable to play, it will mean more minutes for freshman Dijon Thompson, who is playing well. Thompson scored 10 points against Cincinnati and 16 against Mississippi.

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In the first round against Boston University, Cincinnati Coach Bob Huggins notched the 500th victory of his 21-year career, which includes stints at Walsh College and Akron.

Against UCLA, he suffered his 100th defeat in 13 years with the Bearcats.

The game might have been his last at Cincinnati. There is speculation that he will fill the opening at West Virginia, his alma mater, and that Mountaineer boosters are patching together a lucrative offer.

Huggins admitted he has many close friends at West Virginia and that the idea of returning home appeals to him. But he said he feels loyalty to Cincinnati.

“I have a great bunch of guys who come to work every day,” he said. “They are tremendously committed to what we want to be as a team. I’m not going to cheat those guys.”