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Xavier’s Justin Cage, left, and Gonzaga’s Adam Morrison compete for a rebound in the

SAN DIEGO — UCLA coach Ben Howland and Gonzaga coach Mark Few have more than just a few things in common. They’re both the sons of Presbyterian ministers. They both like to fly fish. Howland acknowledges that Few is much better at it. And oh yeah, they’re both still coaching in the NCAA Tournament, guiding their teams to the Sweet 16. For one of them, however, that’s where the road will end, when No. 2 seed UCLA (29-6) takes on No. 3 seed Gonzaga (29-3) on Thursday at 7 p.m. at The Arena in Oakland. While the matchup is being billed as the battle for West Coast supremacy in college basketball, the Bruins know there’s just a bit more at stake than bragging rights in Oakland – namely, a spot in the Elite Eight. “We’re very pleased to be playing in Oakland as opposed to anywhere else that’s left,” Howland said. “And now we get another chance to prepare to play again, so that’s fun. But we have our work really cut out for us, playing one of the top teams in the country.” While the Bruins are riding a season-best nine-game winning streak, the Bulldogs are currently on an NCAA-best 20-game streak. Their last loss came on Dec. 27, 2005. Each of Gonzaga’s three losses this season have come to teams still alive in the NCAA Tournament – Connecticut, Washington and Memphis. Most of the Bulldogs’ success, however, begins and ends on the broad shoulders of Adam Morrison, arguably the nation’s best player. The 6-foot-8 Gonzaga junior, a mustached matchup nightmare, led the nation in scoring this season, averaging 28.6 points per game. In 35 games this season, UCLA hasn’t allowed an opposing player to score more than 26 points. Morrison has eclipsed the 30-point mark by himself 14 times . “Adam Morrison is the best player in the country, and will be a top-5 pick when he comes out,” Howland said. Gonzaga also boasts one of the nation’s best big men in J.P. Batista, who is averaging 19.3 points and 9.4 rebounds per game this season. “They’re a great team, and I know everyone talks about Adam Morrison, but everyone tends to forget everybody else on that team,” UCLA senior Cedric Bozeman said. “That’s a great team and we’ve got to be ready to play.” The Bruins and Bulldogs have met only once before, with Gonzaga beating UCLA 59-43 at Pauley Pavilion in 1999.

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While basketball pundits around the country may be surprised at Pac-10 teams’ success in the NCAA Tournament, Howland is not. The Pac-10’s four teams in the tournament went a combined 5-2 in the first two rounds, with UCLA and Washington advancing to the Sweet 16. “It’s really gratifying to see teams advancing out of our league,” Howland said. “You heard it all year, the Pac-10 is no good, blah blah blah. We had to put up or shut up. Now we have two teams in the Sweet 16.” In comparison, the Big Ten – the No. 1-rated conference according to RPI – has no teams left in the Sweet 16. Only the Big East, which had eight teams invited to the Big Dance, has more teams still alive in the NCAA Tournament (4) - Connecticut, Villanova, West Virginia and Georgetown.

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