DIAMOND IN THE ROUGH

Rest in Peace John Wooden. You were the ultimate definition of a man and certainly one of my personal heroes. The legacy you have left will last for generations. Thank you for being a shining example of what it means to have character, how to love and may we all aspire to be more like you.

THE EIGHT CLAP!

I admit I'm not the best UCLA Bruin fan since I haven't exactly been watching all of March Madness, but I have been keeping up with the Bruin's NCAA standings (less or more). The important thing though, is that the Bruins win tonite and snag the coveted title of NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship (the first time in something like 11 years)!

The Bruins, long known for a quality basketball team (under the guidance of legend John Wooden has quite a history in the NCAA (see just a sample of this below) so let's hope they can claim victory again in 2006! I for one, will definitely watch the game tonite...6 p.m. on CBS.

UCLA in the NCAA -

This is UCLA's 13th Championship game appearance (UCLA is 11-1, losing only in 1980 to Louisville 59-54 and winning the NCAA Championship a record 11 times in 1964-65-67-68-69-70-71-72-73-75-95).

This is UCLA's 16th Final Four appearance, tying North Carolina for No. 1 on that list. In Final Four appearances, the Bruins are 26 (No. 1 on that list)-5.

UCLA is now No. 2 all-time in NCAA wins (90), behind only Kentucky's 99 and ahead of North Carolina's 89. The Bruins are also second in Tournament winning percentage (90-32, .738).

This is UCLA's second consecutive appearance in the NCAA Tournament under Ben Howland.

The No. 2 seed is UCLA's highest since 1997, when the Bruins were No. 2 in the Midwest. That year, UCLA advanced to the Elite Eight, defeating Charleston Southern and Xavier in Auburn Hills and Iowa State in San Antonio before losing to No. 1 seed Minnesota 80-72.

Overall, this is UCLA's 40th appearance in the NCAA Tournament and the Bruins hold the record for the longest NCAA winning streak - 38 games between 1964 and 1974.