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I didn't know former Indiana star/New Mexico head coach Steve Alford was heading UCLA -- yet another reason why I regret choosing Tulsa in their first round matchup tonight. I don't have the same confidence in Danny Manning, in his second year as head coach of Tulsa and second year of college coaching overall, even if the two played college ball at the same time.
"Danny Manning, he was a great player, but when you talk to people, you will find out how great of a person he is, how great of a man he is," Alford, in his 23rd year of coaching and first at UCLA, told ESPN.
Hopefully, that translates to an upset tonight. But not likely. I was trying to get creative with my bracket when I took Tulsa, even though UCLA won the Pac-12 over one-seed Arizona.
Yet, Tulsa is currently on a 11 game win streak, while UCLA had lost three of their last five prior to the conference tournament. Maybe the Golden Hurricane has a chance.
Part of Conference USA, which used to house sleeping giants Memphis, Louisville, and Cincinnati, Tulsa began the season dreadfully, but rebounded with that late season run. Though they were the only of their kind to make the dance, their league was anything but a pushover. Three teams had 24 plus wins and single digit losses. All three are respectable seeds in the N.I.T. Tournament,
If referencing the N.I.T. sounds desperate, it is, but so was my pick.
Oh, and here's what Manning had to say when he heard Alford's comments.
"Steve was a great competitor, a great shooter," said Manning."I've known him for a while and he's always been someone that gets the best out of his players."
