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The ambiance for UCLA’s crippled against Long Beach State won’t beryllium the same, but it’s conscionable arsenic important.
Hall of Fame athletics announcer Michael Buffer won’t beryllium doing his “Let’s get acceptable to rumble!” bit. No, Hollywood heartthrob Jessica Alba won’t beryllium successful the building, and it’s improbable Dodgers manager Dave Roberts volition beryllium successful attendance either.
If you didn’t know, those were immoderate of the A-list names that were successful Pauley Pavilion to ticker the UCLA men’s hoops squad bushed fourth-ranked Villanova 86-77 successful overtime Friday nighttime successful beforehand of a sold-out assemblage of 13,659.
It doesn’t marque Monday 8 p.m. crippled against visiting Long Beach (1-0) immoderate little important for the second-ranked Bruins (2-0), who volition extremity a three-game location agelong to unfastened the play earlier heading to Las Vegas adjacent week to instrumentality connected Bellarmine and No. 1 Gonzaga connected Nov. 22 and 23.
Michael Buffer announces the commencement of the crippled betwixt UCLA and Villanova astatine Pauley Pavilion connected November 12, 2021 successful Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Michael Owens/Getty Images)
Actress Jessica Alba attends a crippled betwixt UCLA and Villanova astatine Pauley Pavilion connected November 12, 2021 successful Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Michael Owens/Getty Images)
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts and his daughter, Emmerson Roberts, be the crippled betwixt UCLA and Villanova during the archetypal fractional astatine Pauley Pavilion connected November 12, 2021 successful Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Michael Owens/Getty Images)
Even if Monday night’s crippled delivers a 4th of the vigor felt against Villanova, it’s amended than the nothingness UCLA played successful beforehand of each past play owed to COVID-19 protocols.
“College hoops is each astir the pageantry. It’s large that it’s backmost and I admit each the donors, but the students are the ones that bring the excitement,” UCLA manager Mick Cronin said successful Friday’s postgame property conference. “They stand. They spell nuts the full game. I conscionable effort to proceed and convey them and prosecute with our pupil body.”
In the waning moments of UCLA’s imminent triumph implicit Villanova, the fans were chanting, “We privation Zaga, we privation Zaga!” An understandable conception for a fanbase that seemingly wants to expedite the Bruins’ 2nd changeable astatine a nationalist rubric with a revenge triumph implicit Gonzaga adjacent week, but Jaime Jaquez Jr. won’t fto the team’s absorption drift.
“I heard the chants,” Jaquez said. “Long Beach is our absorption now. When it’s clip for Gonzaga, that volition beryllium our focus.”
This matchup volition yet instrumentality spot aft the effort to play past play ne'er materialized. Scheduled games connected Nov. 30 and Dec. 15 didn’t instrumentality spot owed to COVID-19 concerns wrong the Long Beach program. The 2nd postponement made Long Beach instrumentality a two-week intermission from squad activities pursuing a affirmative COVID-19 test.
Scouting LBSU
Long Beach State comes into the crippled aft an overtime triumph astatine Idaho past week, 95-89, acknowledgment to 28 points from Joel Murray, a transportation from NCAA Division II powerhouse West Texas A&M.
What sticks retired astir Murray’s 28-point show is that helium attempted conscionable 1 3-pointer (missed it) and six escaped throws (made four). Long Beach State attempted conscionable 11 3s for the full game, but was 20 of 29 from the free-throw line. Jordan Robert, a 6-9 senior, and Joe Hampton, a 6-8 senior, each had 16 points connected a combined 10 of 16 shooting from the tract and 11 of 16 connected escaped throws.
Long Beach State (1-0) astatine No. 2 UCLA (2-0)
Where: Pauley Pavilion
When: 8 p.m.
TV/radio: Pac-12 Networks / AM 570
English (US) ·