INITIAL RESPONSE

UCLA will bring its suffocating defense into tonight’s NCAA championship semifinal game against Louisiana State at the RCA Dome.

The Bruins will also bring their opportunistic offense and the spirit and determination that have propelled them to 11 consecutive victories and a 31-6 record.

And they are planning on bringing senior center Ryan Hollins, who has vowed to play despite sitting out most of practice Friday after suffering a bruise above his right knee.

But if the Bruins hoped to bring an intimidation factor stemming from being the most successful basketball school in NCAA history and envisioned having an edge because of the previous giants of the game on whose shoulders they stand, well, they can forget it, according to LSU forward Glen Davis.

With all the top-seeded teams home watching on television, and with so many freshmen and sophomores having dribbled their way to the head of the class, and with the Tigers starting three freshmen and a sophomore and the Bruins also highly dependent on first- and second-year players, reputations built on past glory can be left at the door.

“Last time I checked their roster,” Davis said, “Bill Walton wasn’t playing. Kareem [Abdul-Jabbar] wasn’t playing. Reggie Miller wasn’t playing.

“We can’t let them scare us. We can’t let them get to us. This is a different time. U-C-L-A is just a couple of letters on the front of the jersey to me. They’re a great team, but they’ve got to go out there and play the same way we play.”

Which is what makes this game so intriguing. The Bruins have gotten this far primarily because of a defense that has held 10 of their last 11 opponents to 60 points or fewer and, over the course of the season, to 58.6 points a game, the lowest figure UCLA has allowed opponents in 56 years.

But in the Tigers, the Bruins may be facing their equals in terms of defensive prowess.

The most recognizable LSU figures are Davis and fellow forward Tyrus Thomas.

Davis, nicknamed “Big Baby,” is certainly big at 6 feet 9 and 310 pounds.

“He doesn’t play like a baby on the court,” UCLA’s Arron Afflalo said.

Davis is averaging 18.7 points, 9.8 rebounds and 1.2 blocks.

Thomas is quite different, in build (6-9, 215) and style. He averages 12.6 points and 9.3 rebounds. But his most impressive number is his 3.1 blocks per game, produced by an impressive blend of instinct and mobility. Thomas’ 96 blocks this season are the fourth-highest total in school history. The three above him belong to Shaquille O’Neal.

“He is a shot-blocking, fly-swatting machine,” Bruin Coach Ben Howland said of Thomas.

He’s also the leader of a defense that has been every bit as impressive as UCLA’s recently. To reach the Final Four for the first time in two decades, the Tigers (27-8) beat Duke and Texas last weekend.

Duke lost, 62-54 -- its lowest point total since 1996. And in outlasting Texas, 70-60, in overtime, LSU held the Longhorns to 30.4% shooting.

“I think we’re similar defensively,” LSU Coach John Brady said, comparing his team to the Bruins. “I’m sure Ben Howland’s comments about his defense are similar to mine. If you didn’t know who was saying it, what his plan is [and] what mine is [sound] the same.”

The key to the game may be Hollins’ condition. The Bruins appear stronger in the backcourt with Jordan Farmar running the show at the point and Afflalo at shooting guard, leading the team in scoring as well as serving as Howland’s defensive stopper. Freshman Darren Collison has also proven himself adept at the point, his play improving steadily as his experience and confidence have grown.

LSU doesn’t have a natural point guard. That role was to have been filled by Tack Minor, but academic problems followed by a season-ending injury have put the ball in the hands of Darrel Mitchell, who is averaging 17 points and 4.5 assists, but who also has a team-high 99 turnovers.

To win, the Tigers will have to dominate in the frontcourt with Davis and Thomas.

UCLA will counter with freshman Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, the team’s leading rebounder; senior Cedric Bozeman, who roams all over the court; and, the Bruins hope, Hollins, the most valuable player of the Oakland Regional.

If Hollins is unable to play, the Bruins will go with sophomore Lorenzo Mata, who broke his nose in practice Wednesday, or freshman Alfred Aboya.

Davis calls the prize for winning the NCAA championship “the immortality trophy.”

He explained, “You win the trophy, you live forever.”

Not necessarily. UCLA has won it 11 times. But as far as the Tigers are concerned, that’s ancient history.

*

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX)

How UCLA, LSU match up

STARTERS

UCLA: Ht; Wt; Stats; Pos; LSU: Ht; Wt; Stats

Ryan Hollins: 7-0; 225; 4.6 rpg; C/F; Tyrus Thomas: 6-9; 215; 9.3 rpg

L. R. Mbah a Moute: 6-7; 215; 8.1 rpg; F; Tasmin Mitchell: 6-7; 230; 11.4 ppg

Jordan Farmar: 6-2; 180; 13.4 ppg; G/F; Glen Davis: 6-9; 310; 18.7 ppg

Arron Afflalo: 6-5; 210; 16.2 ppg; G; Garrett Temple: 6-5; 180; 2.8 apg

Cedric Bozeman: 6-6; 207; 2.3 apg; G; Darrel Mitchell: 5-11; 178; 4.5 apg

*

RESERVES

UCLA: Ht; Wt; Stats; Pos; LSU: Ht; Wt; Stats

Darren Collison, G, 6-0; 155; 5.6 ppg; Darnell Lazare, F, 6-8; 240; 3.4 rpg

Michael Roll, G, 6-5; 205; 3.6 ppg; Magnum Rolle, F, 6-10; 215; 2.3 rpg

Alfred Aboya, F, 6-8; 242; 2.5 rpg; Ben Voogd, G, 6-1; 175; 1.8 apg

* Offense -- The Tigers are led by the 6-9, 310-pound Davis, who has team-high totals in points (18.7) and rebounds (9.8). Davis has 10 double-doubles in his last 15 games. He is ably backed up in the frontcourt by Thomas (12.6 points) and in the backcourt by Darrel Mitchell (17.0). But Mitchell, who’s not a natural point guard, has 99 turnovers this season. The last time the Bruins were on the court, their offense scored four baskets in the second half against Memphis. That was enough to squeak out a victory. It doesn’t figure to be enough tonight. Edge: Louisiana State.

* Defense -- The Tigers, led by the superb shot-blocking ability of Thomas (3.1 a game), have held opposing teams to 64 points a game. The Bruins have survived on their defense, holding 10 of their last 11 opponents to 60 points or fewer. The defensive tendencies of the two teams are similar, but look for LSU to mix it up a little more with an occasional press and more double teams. The Bruins will focus their double teams on Davis. Edge: UCLA.

* Coaching -- LSU’s John Brady and UCLA’s Ben Howland are in uncharted territory, each having advanced no further than the Sweet 16 before this season. They have similar philosophies as well, stressing defense and toughness. For Brady, a Final Four berth for the first time in two decades has already made this a successful year. For Howland, anything less than a championship would not be worth a banner at a school that has won a record 11 NCAA titles. Edge: Even.

* Key to the game -- UCLA senior center Ryan Hollins. If he can’t play or is at less than full strength because of a bruise over his right knee, suffered in practice Friday, the Bruins could be dominated on the inside by Davis and Thomas. UCLA won’t win with 50 points as it did in beating Memphis, 50-45, in the Oakland Regional final last Saturday.

* Prediction -- UCLA 65, Louisiana State 61.

STEVE SPRINGER