Random Brain Dump

USC, ranked #2, only needed to win their last game of the season over UCLA to advance to the championship game. Everybody thought the Trojans’ offense was going to roll over UCLA like last year’s game! The stage for an upset was there. And the upset happened. I tuned in the 4th quarter and couldn’t believe the score. In the end, USC was ruined by The Bruins. ‘SC’s offense & their championship run were ultimately stopped by UCLA’s defense. I loved it, what a way to end the season!

I spend this past Final Four weekend with a few buddies in Vegas. Planned this months ago without knowing UCLA would do well in the tournament. So the fact that they made to Final Four was just sweet, especially some of my buddies were my room-mates back in the UCLA days.

I expected that most people would root for UCLA since LA is only 4 hours away from Vegas. But it turned out there were more LSU fans; I guess folks were going for the favorites. I spent Saturday afternoon watching the 2 semi-final games with Jake & Vince. Most of us bet on UCLA and won!

I lugged my camera equipment around Saturday and managed some decent shots along the strip. The highlight was the night shots. I don’t normally get to shoot outdoor after dark. Plus, I got to try out my new monopod with the night shots. It’s definitely less of a pain than lugging a tripod. The combination of monopod & an image stabilization lens, I was able to shoot to 1/15 exposures using natural light. Cool…

I also managed to snap shots of a guy proposing to his girl in front of the fountains @ Belagio. I thought about offering to email them the pics. But decided not to, figuring that they would either be very grateful for capturing the moment or chew me off for “invading” their private moment. Sometimes, it’s just better to capture a moment with a memory, and not have proofs… 🙂

Man… another ugly game, but UCLA beat Memphis to advance to final four. The Bruin’s offense was shaky once again and missing a slew of free throws that could’ve blown the game wide open. Once again, their defense did their opponents in– shutting down a team that normally score in bunches on the run. Despite atrocious free throws, Ryan Hollins carried the offense for UCLA. He reminds me of Dan Gadzuric with his aggressiveness & his wingspan.

Woohoo….

Ah… March madness, I love this time of the year, especially when UCLA wins. And tonite, UCLA’s victory against perenial cinderella Gonzaga was truly a classic.

UCLA is a young and inexperienced team this year and they played like it in the first half– bad shot selection and too many turn-overs. They were down as much as 17 points, dug a hole almost deep enough to bury themselves. But somehow the kids pulled out a victory, grabbing their first lead with 9 seconds left in the game. Unbelievable!

I saw Gonzaga’s Adam Morrison played a few times on TV this year and he impresses me. He reminds me of a young Larry Bird, the way he carries himself in the game. He’s a very smart player. Heck, he even has a wispy moustashe like Larry. Morrison isn’t as a pure long-range shooter like Bird though, not yet anyway… But I’m certain he’ll be an impact player in the NBA.

The game was one for the ages; I am so happy UCLA made it this far. 🙂 Go Bruins… One more on the road of final four baby!