Basketball Tournaments

UC Irvine went on a torrid shooting stretch in the first half, then held off a late charge by Long Beach State and defeated the 49ers, 77-63, in the first round of the Big West Conference tournament Wednesday night at the Anaheim Convention Center. The No. 5-seeded Anteaters (16-15) shot 72% in the first half and made 16 of their final 17 shots before halftime to turn a 10-2 deficit into a 47-31 halftime lead. They extended it to 64-44 with 11 minutes to play before No.

California came into the Pacific 10 Conference tournament looking for revenge. The Golden Bears were still smarting from last weekend's controversial loss to UCLA and wanted nothing more than another shot at the top-seeded Bruins. They will get their chance after outlasting Washington, 84-81, in an opening-round game at Staples Center on Wednesday night. "Obviously we were really upset after the [UCLA] game," forward Ryan Anderson said. "We came into practice early this week ready to go."

It seemed like a mismatch when Cal State Fullerton, which finished tied for first in the conference, met seventh-place UC Riverside in a Big West Conference tournament quarterfinal, but still, Titans Coach Bob Burton had concerns. And for good reason. The Titans had to survive a second-half scare before finally putting away the Highlanders, 81-69, in a quarterfinal Thursday night at the Anaheim Convention Center.

As the clock ticked down, Washington State needed defense. The Cougars needed to force turnovers. They needed to block shots. They even needed their 6-foot-10 forward, Robbie Cowgill, to guard Oregon's jitterbug guard, Tajuan Porter, at the top of the key. The idea was to prevent a three-point shot but when the 5-6 Porter shook loose a couple of moves, Cowgill looked as if he might fall over. "Definitely a little nerve-racking," Cowgill said. "He's quick." The big man stayed on his feet and No.

From out of nowhere it swooped, a stunning, mind-blowing, season-changing hand from the heavens. Jeff Pendergraph of Arizona State flew in from the foul line and slammed the loose ball toward the basket and, with the crowd swooning and scoreboard blinking, there it was. Not the dunk, but the whistle. Not the basket, but the loose-ball foul that nullified the basket. What was a tie game became an end game.

First came the defense. Kevin Love stole the ball twice in a row from California forward Ryan Anderson. Darren Collison overpowered Bears point guard Jerome Randle with ball pressure and body-up power so ferocious that California had eight turnovers in the first 12 minutes. From that came UCLA baby hooks and slam dunks and open three-pointers taken in high-stepping rhythm.

There have been four overtime games and plenty of upsets, but the four favorites -- North Carolina, UCLA, Kansas and Memphis -- survived the first two rounds of the NCAA tournament. Don't count on them all getting through next weekend, though. That hasn't happened since the NCAA began seeding the field in 1979. Here are five things to watch for in the Sweet 16, and five backward glances at the first two rounds. 1. UCLA's friendly trail WHAT TO WATCH FOR UCLA earned the No.

LAS VEGAS -- For many, the frenzy of four high-profile basketball tournaments operating simultaneously here this week is a highlight of the summer. Former Georgetown coach John Thompson has another view. He says the scene is more evidence that the game is troubled. "So much is built on promises that aren't being kept, people are bribing others -- it's not regulated, and it's not regulate-able," Thompson, 67, said Monday as he watched the USA Olympic basketball team practice at Valley High.

LAS VEGAS -- The NCAA is working here, seven members of its staff having been assigned to cover as much ground as possible this week among the approximately 900 teams competing in four prestigious basketball tournaments. No, they're not pulling suspected cheaters off the court and into a room for polygraph tests. "It isn't about what happens in this gym that concerns us," associate director of enforcement Richard A. Johanningmeier said. Said Sandra C.

LAS VEGAS -- Sitting in a chair under the basket of the Rancho High auxiliary gym was UCLA Coach Ben Howland. Four chairs away was Arizona State Coach Herb Sendek. Ten chairs down was USC assistant Bob Cantu. Their focus was Tyler Honeycutt, a 6-foot-8 senior forward from Sylmar High, as he played in the Adidas Super 64 tournament here Tuesday. Four months ago, when a high school season in which he averaged 16 points and 10 rebounds ended, Honeycutt had zero scholarship offers. Now?