Notes on a Scorecard - March 14, 1995

Thirty-one reasons the UCLA Bruins will win the NCAA tournament:

Ed O’Bannon is the most valuable player in the nation. . . .

Dick Vitale says they are ripe to be beaten. . . .

They have defeated Kentucky. . . .

Jim Harrick is making all the correct decisions and keeping his cool. . . .

The improved Pacific 10 Conference is overdue to win the title. . . .

They will have a light travel schedule, making relatively short trips to Boise, Ida., Oakland and Seattle. . . .

They are good at free throws and tournament games often are won at the line. . . .

They have not one, but two O’Bannons. . . .

They have won two NCAA titles in years ending in 5--1975 and 1965. . . .

Bob Knight no longer uses a bullwhip. . . .

Tyus Edney is among the nation’s best at perhaps the most important position in basketball, point guard. . . .

Arkansas suffers too many lapses. . . .

They can win with defense on nights when their shooting touch is off. . . .

They are eager to make up for recent poor showings in the tournament. . . .

Kansas isn’t a good outside shooting team. . . .

They seldom lose their poise. . . .

Edney and Ed O’Bannon provide senior leadership. . . .

They get key contributions from the bench. . . .

Connecticut didn’t finish with a flourish. . . .

George Zidek is a big body in the middle who can make a difference with his hook shot. . . .

Wake Forest relies too much on two players, Randolph Childress and Tim Duncan. . . .

They already have toured the Kingdome in Seattle. . . .

A difficult Pac-10 schedule prepared them well for the second season. . . .

North Carolina isn’t deep enough. . . .

They are playing their best basketball at the most important time of the year. . . .

As Duke will attest, they are physically tougher than Eastern critics would like to believe. . . .

Toby Bailey and J.R. Henderson are two of the finest freshmen in the tournament. . . .

Massachusetts lost its best shooter when Michael Williams was suspended. . . .

Seven of their 10 national championship teams were ranked No. 1 in the final Associated Press regular-season poll. . . .

They are in terrific physical condition. . . .

Jack Nicholson is on the bandwagon. . . .

*

Picking a successor to George Raveling as permanent basketball coach may be the most important decision Mike Garrett will make during his reign as USC athletic director. . . .

The Trojan basketball program ranks third in Southern California, behind those of UCLA and Long Beach State. . . .

Long Beach State has a gleaming new arena, has rewarded Coach Seth Greenberg with a long-term contract, and is preparing for a first-round NCAA tournament game against Utah Friday at Boise, Ida. . . .

You would think that USC would somehow be able to come up with enough money to make a strong hire. . . .

No list of NCAA coach-of-the-year candidates would be complete without Gene Keady of Big Ten champion and Glenn Robinson-less Purdue. . . .

Bob Knight showed that he does have a heart when he called son Pat his favorite Indiana player of all time and then hugged him during ceremonies honoring the seniors Sunday. . . .

The Belmont Shore Basketball Club will sponsor high school and junior college all-star games April 18 at the Pyramid. Mark Blount, a 7-foot center from Dobbs Ferry High in New York, has accepted an invitation to play. . . .

Bernie Bickerstaff for NBA coach of the year! . . .

The so-called Best Seven bet Saturday did not include the Santa Anita Handicap or the Florida Derby. . . .

Riddick Bowe’s next opponent, Jorge Luis Gonzalez, knocked Bowe down four times during a victory in the 1987 Pan American Games. However, the Cuban-born Gonzalez has been something less than impressive as a professional while beating tomato cans. . . .

You realize quality quarterbacks are few and far between in the NFL when Dave Krieg, 36, is sought by three teams and signs a two-year deal with the Arizona Cardinals estimated at $3.6 million. . . .

I still don’t think the St. Louis Rams are going to move to Southern California.