March Madness Betting: Strange BruinMarch 11, 2008By Mike Halford Bodog Nation Contributing Writer The No. 2 team in the country didn't get its ranking by fluke. The UCLA Bruins have put together a 28 win season with ruthless efficiency. The team dispatched the likes of Maryland, Michigan State, Michigan, Stanford, Washington State and Arizona. They have Kevin Love, arguably best freshman in a ridiculously loaded frosh class. They also have remarkable depth at every position, with three players - Love, Darren Collison and Russell Westbrook - named to all Pac-10 teams. So it's safe to say the Bruins have earned their ranking. But lately, they've sure received a lot of help. To the naked eye, UCLA looks to have rolled down the Pac-10 stretch, ripping off seven straight wins to put second-place Stanford firmly in their rear view. But dig a little deeper and see that the last three of those wins didn't come without divine (including some from the almighty zebra-striped set) intervention. A series of remarkably lucky breaks turned what could've been a three-game losing streak into a three-game winning one. But as we look back and dissect UCLA's fortunate ride, one has to wonder: Is this a sign of a team of destiny, or one that's used up all its good luck? Check out Bodog and start winning NOW! Bodog.com is known in the online gambling industry for having a phenomenal customer service department, safe and secure deposit methods and terrific bonuses! BET on FOOTBALL at BODOG and receive a 10% UPFRONT CASH SIGN-UP BONUS! The Arizona Game - Mistakes Go Unpunished The Bruins knew senior night on a Pac-10 rival floor (in this instance, McKale Center at the University of Arizona) would be a tough win. The job was made even more difficult when Lute Olson, who has been on a personal leave of absence since Nov. 4, appeared on the floor to honor Arizona's seniors for their final home game. Mbah A Moute and the Bruins were lucky to escape 'Zona with a win. (AP Images)Emotions were high. The Wildcats were a desperate team. And those two factors seemed as though they'd unraveled the Bruins late in the contest. A series of mental errors down the stretch saw UCLA nearly blow a 67-63 lead with less than 50 seconds on the clock. But then the Bruins started to catch some breaks. Freshman Jerryd Bayless could only connect on one-of-two free throws late. After UCLA batted the rebound out of bounds, Arizona had a crack at a win or tie. But Bayless missed the buzzer-beating shot and the Bruins walked away with the W. Place your March Madness picks and March Madness bracket predictions today! Pac-10 Conference Odds to win 2008 postseason tourney Team Odds UCLA 1/1 Stanford 7/2 Washington State 5/1 USC 5/1 Arizona 8/1 Arizona State 8/1 Oregon 13/2 Washington 30/1 Oregon State 150/1 The Stanford Game - Zebras Show Stripes This YouTube clip of Lawrence Hill's questionable foul on Darren Collison and subsequent beauty line from ESPN analyst Doug Gottlieb - "A questionable call is when you go to a steakhouse and order seafood. This was a bad call. This was a horrible call." - tells you all you need to know about the type of divine intervention UCLA received. The mythical zebra led the Bruins out of danger on this occasion, forcing an overtime session where UCLA went on a 14-4 run to defeat the Cardinal 77-67. So just how controversial was the call? Consider what Pac-10 director of officiating Bill McCabe had to say about it. Love struggled with Stanford's Lopez twins. (AP Images)"There was body contact, but it's not a strong call, not a game-appropriate call. I think you want a strong call at the close of the game," McCabe told ESPN.com about the decision made by referee Kevin Brill in the waning seconds. "Kevin came in and said, 'I cracked the whistle. Was it too soon?' He had body contact, but it's not a strong call. It's not an incorrect call, and that doesn't make it wrong. But I want solid calls." Fairly candid remarks from the guy who's in charge of grading how a game is called, huh? UCLA had been in trouble for most of the contest. Love was continually harassed by the 7-foot Lopez twins and the Bruins were held to a season-low 18 points in the first half. But an impressive 45-point second frame showed two things: 1) Love's willingness to battle in the paint and 2) coach Ben Howland's ability to make halftime adjustments. Oh, and maybe 3) you have to be good to be lucky, and lucky to be good. Now that the Madness has arrived, check out the March Madness predictions and start filling out your NCAA March Madness Bracket! The Cal Game - A Prayer at Pauley By now, nearly everybody has seen Josh Shipp's circus shot with 1.5 seconds remaining that gave the Bruins an 81-80 victory over cross town rivals Cal. If you haven't, enjoy. The problem with the shot, however, is that nobody is quite sure if it should've counted. Shipp's rainbow jumper appeared to come from behind the backboard, which would've been in direct violation of NCAA rules. According to the NCAA rule book, Rule 7, Section 1, Article 3: "The ball shall be out of bounds when it passes over the backboard from any direction." Lead official Dave Libbey said that the play was "very, very close" and not reviewable - despite pleas from irate Cal coach Ben Braun. But lost in the Shipp shot was another dubious moment of equal importance - Cal forward Ryan Anderson being mugged by Westbrook and Shipp with 17 seconds left. That forced a turnover that gave Shipp a chance to win it, much to the Braun's chagrin. Will UCLA's luck run out before Howland can cut down the nets again? (AP Images)"Ryan Anderson was fouled to stop the clock," Braun told the LA Daily News. "He was fouled. They instructed their players to foul him, and the fouled him. And they didn't call the foul. I watched (the replay) three times. Nothing changes my mind that it was a missed call. It's unfortunate because there's no way that should have happened." And now, the calls for biased officiating and favoritism are rearing their ugly heads. It's a shame given how well UCLA has played this season, yet not surprising given the run of luck the Bruins have had in recent games. But the real question heading into March Madness isn't whether or not the Bruins are getting calls - because they are. The real question is how long it'll last. Because the basketball gods have a funny way of evening things out in the end. --- by Bodog at 1800-sports.com on March 18, 2008
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