UCLA again looks to set a speed trap

When UCLA beat Memphis, 50-45, two years ago in the NCAA West Regional final and advanced to its first of three consecutive Final Fours, it was partly because of the Bruins’ hard-core defense and a little bit because of some quick, disheartening scores while beating the Tigers’ press, according to Santa Clara Coach Kerry Keating.

But it was also about adrenaline, said Keating, who was one of Ben Howland’s UCLA assistants until this season.

“I think the biggest difference preparation-wise as opposed to two years ago,” Keating said Sunday, “was the emotions and the adrenaline. Because of the way we beat Gonzaga and with having just one day in between, there was no way we were going to lose. We just weren’t going to lose that game.”

UCLA (35-3) will play Memphis (37-1) Saturday at 3 p.m. in the first of two Final Four games at the Alamodome in San Antonio. Memphis won its South Regional final Sunday, 85-67, over Texas. North Carolina will play Kansas in the second semifinal, and the winners will play for the national championship April 7.

Among the key players for the Tigers who played against the Bruins in the regional final two years ago are 6-foot-6 junior guard Chris Douglas-Roberts, 6-6 junior guard Antonio Anderson, 6-9 senior forward Joey Dorsey and 6-9 junior forward Robert Dozier.

The newest difference-maker is 6-4 freshman guard Derrick Rose.

“Rose is a really special talent,” Howland said. “At the end of the day Derrick Rose and [UCLA’s] Kevin [Love] are the two best freshmen in the country in terms of how they performed along with Michael Beasley and O.J. Mayo. Rose is a great point guard.”

Tim Floyd’s USC team played Memphis once and UCLA three times this year. Saturday’s game will match two teams that, the Trojans coach said, “as far as I know, neither has played a second of zone defense this year. They are both man-to-man teams. Both teams really guard you. The strength of both teams is defense and rebounding.”

Floyd said one of the things he’ll watch for in the game is defensive matchups.

“It will be fascinating,” he said. “Does Darren Collison guard Rose or does Russell Westbrook? Will Josh Shipp or Luc Richard Mbah a Moute guard Douglas-Roberts? Matchups will be intriguing through the course of the game.”

Memphis averages 80.3 points a game, and John Calipari’s Tigers have gained a reputation as a fastbreaking, high-octane offensive team. “That won’t happen against UCLA,” Floyd said. “I don’t see that happening, Memphis scoring 80 or 90 points.”

While UCLA and Memphis play similar defensive styles and put a premium on rebounding, Floyd said offensively the Bruins and Tigers are different.

“Memphis beats teams off the dribble,” Floyd said. “They don’t set a lot of screens. They really don’t even run a lot of screen and roll. They just try to drive at you and create opportunities to get high-percentage shots.

“So far they’ve been able to run through the tournament against teams that don’t have the size, strength or rebounding ability of UCLA.”

Keating said what he sees in UCLA this time is a different sort of emotional intensity from two years ago. Then the Bruins overcame a 17-point deficit and scored the final 11 points to beat Gonzaga 73-71.

“This year UCLA has the emotion of sustaining a top-four ranking most of the year, winning the Pac-10 again, winning the [conference] tournament, having a 14-game winning streak,” Keating said. “I think, in its way, that momentum carries as much weight as the adrenaline from that Gonzaga game.”

As was the case two years ago, Keating said, UCLA will try to limit Memphis’ transition baskets and not give the Tigers second-chance points. “One thing Memphis has now,” Keating said, “is the ability to score at a high rate of speed because they have three ballhandlers on the court and that is difficult to defend.”

The ballhandlers are Anderson, Douglas-Roberts and Rose.

“Rose is so dynamic and strong,” Keating said. “The other guys have two years under their belts.”

In the 50-45 loss the Tigers had only five assists on their 17 baskets. This year Memphis has five players with more than 60 assists.

And Keating noted that two years ago UCLA had two fierce perimeter defenders -- 6-5 Arron Afflalo and 6-6 Cedric Bozeman -- plus an active, athletic 7-foot center in Ryan Hollins. That combination quickly frustrated the young Tigers, who seemed to have no backup plan when their guards couldn’t score or create off the dribble.

But the Bruins have added their own new dimension in Love, who leads the team in scoring and rebounding.

“Kevin gives UCLA that guy to give the ball to to make sure you get a point,” Keating said.

Howland said what helped UCLA two years ago was a quick start.

“Early in the game we attacked their press, we scored a couple of quick baskets and I thought that helped us get off to a good start,” he said. “We did a good job of slowing the ball down, but we didn’t have to face Rose two years ago. He’s a difference maker.”

That’s what Floyd said about Love.

“He’ll make a difference. It should be a great game.”

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diane.pucin@latimes.com

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(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX)

All four 1s

This is the first time since tournament seeding began in 1979 that all four No. 1-seeded teams have reached the Final Four. Three times previously, three regional No. 1s have made it (champion in bold):

1993

No. 1 North Carolina, No. 1 Michigan, No. 1 Kentucky, No. 2 Kansas

1997

No. 1 Kentucky, No. 1 Minnesota,

No. 1 North Carolina, No. 4 Arizona

1999

No. 1 Connecticut, No. 1 Duke,

No. 1 Michigan State, No. 4 Ohio State

Source: Associated Press