UCLA (23-7) vs. IOWA STATE (22-8); Tonight, Approximately 7:25 p.m., San Antonio
About UCLA: Thanks to two fast-paced games and all their flying finishers, the Bruins are the highest-scoring team in the tournament so far (at 103.5 a game), and that's with second-leading scorer Toby Bailey averaging only 12. Don't look for him to go crazy tonight, either, because he's matched up with guard Dedric Willoughby on defense and will have to chase through a maze of Cyclone screens all night. A huge percentage of UCLA's points have come from the frontline of Charles O'Bannon, Jelani McCoy and J.R. Henderson, and the Bruins are ready for Iowa State to pack it in to avoid easy inside baskets. "We like the matchups," O'Bannon said. "[Kelvin] Cato in the middle against Jelani, that's worth the price of admission just to see that." Sixth man Kris Johnson could be a key factor--when totally sound, he is one of the Bruins' best scorers against zones or tricky man-to-man defenses.
About Iowa State: Coach Tim Floyd thinks defense decides most games, and this not-overly-talented Cyclone squad has been proof of that. Beyond Willoughby, there isn't a player on the roster who can create quick points, and the Cyclones have suffered because of that in three losses to Kansas this season. The defense, though, is there: Iowa State gave up an average of only 67.3 points, the fifth best in the nation. Floyd is mostly a man-to-man coach but has been known to drop into zones if the need is there--as it was against Cincinnati in the second round. Either way, the Cyclones try to funnel action toward 6-foot-11 Cato, who led the Big 12 in blocked shots and whom Floyd calls the most natural swatter he has ever coached, including Ervin Johnson while Floyd was at the University of New Orleans.
