Lavin gets reprieve as UCLA stuns Arizona; USC beats Stanford to extend season

Dan Guerrero extended his hand and Steve Lavin pulled the UCLA athletic director close, grabbed his hand in a soul shake and whispered what one can only imagine.

I’m still coaching this team. Pass it on.

UCLA had just pulled off an astonishing victory, upsetting No. 1 Arizona, 96-89, in overtime Thursday in the first round of the Pacific 10 Conference tournament.

It probably would take at least five more wins to avoid getting fired, but the besieged coach with the indomitable spirit reminded everyone exactly why he has lasted so long at a job he supposedly was never qualified to take.

“It’ll hit me when I go home and call my mom and dad,” he said. “They are big on perspective.”

The Bruins overcame a 15-point second-half deficit against an opponent that had crushed them by a total of 71 points in two regular-season games.

Senior Ray Young extended the game with a three-point basket with 4.9 seconds left in regulation and UCLA (10-18) made 10 free throws in overtime while Arizona (25-3) missed shot after shot.

This was more shocking than UCLA’s beating Cincinnati in the Sweet 16 last season, more unexpected than upsetting No. 1 Stanford on the road in 2001 and 2000, more stunning than nearly any other game in Lavin’s seven seasons.

Lavin and his players have talked for weeks about how they hadn’t given up despite enduring the worst UCLA season in more than 60 years, about how they genuinely liked one another, about how they might have a miracle in them.

It all struck many Bruin followers as so much nonsense, just noise to camouflage a desperate spiral that inevitably would end with another embarrassing loss to Arizona, a fearsome team on a 10-game winning streak.

Then this.

“We wanted to win that game so badly,” UCLA forward Andre Patterson said. “It was so important to us.”

Meanwhile, Arizona came in with a so-what attitude. Coach Lute Olson made it clear early this week he doesn’t support the conference tournament, even suggesting it would be best if his team lost in the first round to avoid burning out before the NCAA tournament.

The Wildcats did not arrive in Los Angeles until Wednesday evening, skipping a scheduled practice and media interviews.

They didn’t wear their indifference well.

“We never come into something we don’t want to win,” Olson said. “Everyone knows I’m not a proponent of [the conference tournament].

“We just need to get back home and get regrouped.”

UCLA, winner of four of its last five, will return to Staples Center today for a semifinal game against Oregon.

“We’re obviously big supporters of the Pac-10 tournament,” Lavin said, smiling. “Now we are in a position to do something special. That in itself is kind of a gift in a season like this.”

UCLA began the game matching Arizona’s breakneck pace. There were 13 lead changes in the first nine minutes, with Bruin forward Jason Kapono (26 points) and Arizona center Channing Frye (23) doing the greatest damage.

Arizona stretched a two-point halftime lead to 60-45 with a 17-4 run, but unlike in the regular-season matchups, UCLA did not fold, getting within 71-69 on Dijon Thompson’s three-pointer with 5:40 left.

The Bruins finally caught the Wildcats, 75-75, on a shot by Young, who scored the last nine UCLA points in regulation. Two free three throws by Salim Stoudamire put Arizona up by three and UCLA called time out with 9.6 seconds left.

As Lavin gave instructions, Thompson scowled and rolled his eyes. But Young was thinking positively.

“In the back of my mind I was thinking that if I got my hands on the ball, it was going up,” he said.

The words might have had a selfish ring, but Young’s confidence was a refreshing change in a season marked by last-minute indecision on the part of every Bruin. Thompson passed to Young, whose shot hit only net.

Young, Thompson and T.J. Cummings each had four fouls when overtime began and Thompson and Cummings fouled out. But Arizona kept clanking three-pointers, making only seven of 36 in the game and one of eight in overtime. Jason Gardner, a Wooden Award candidate, was 0 for 12 from three-point range and two for 20 overall.

UCLA sealed it by making its last seven free throws, three by Patterson, two by Cummings and two by Kapono.

After his exchange with Guerrero, Lavin was greeted on the floor by UCLA Chancellor Albert Carnesale, who enveloped the coach in a bear hug.

Carnesale displayed similar affection for football coach Bob Toledo moments after UCLA’s last regular-season football game last fall, two days before Toledo was fired.

Lavin reiterated for the umpteenth time that he expects the same fate. But instead of a news conference to announce his dismissal today, there is a game to play. And he’s still the Bruin coach.

Pass it on.

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Lavin’s No. 1 Trick

And for his next trick, can Steve Lavin pull a Pacific 10 tournament championship and NCAA tournament berth out of his hat? Just when it’s least expected. Lavin often seems to have a winning card up his sleeve, as he did Thursday when UCLA defeated No. 1 Arizona. It was the fourth time in Lavin’s seven seasons that the Bruins defeated a No. 1 team:

MARCH 13, 2003: UCLA 96, NO. 1 ARIZONA 89 (OT)

With Lavin prepared for a disappearing act after a 9-18 regular season of often ragged, puzzling and dispassionate play, the Bruins suddenly felt the spirit of UCLA past in the Pac-10 tournament against a team that had defeated them by a total of 71 points in two earlier games. UCLA erased a 15-point deficit with 14 minutes to play. “It showed the grit of our team,” said senior forward Jason Kapono, one of five double-figure scorers for the Bruins with 26 points. “I’m sure our fans thought, ‘Oh no, here comes that 35-point blitz.’ ”

JAN 12, 2002: AT UCLA 87, NO. 1 KANSAS 77

Before a revved-up Pauley Pavilion sellout crowd and national TV audience, the 11-3 Bruins followed the powder-blue road to an upset of Kansas two days after an 81-77 loss to USC. In a scene that seemed out of place at an arena that has 11 national basketball championship banners hanging from its rafters, students stormed the court and mobbed the UCLA players. “It’s a great feeling,” said senior forward Matt Barnes of the victory and celebration. “Let’s get more like it. Let’s do this more often.” Times headline: “No. 1 Hit Has UCLA Rocking.”

FEB. 3, 2001: UCLA 79, AT NO. 1 STANFORD 73

The 12-6 Bruins were coming off what was then their fifth-worst loss under Lavin -- 92-63 to California -- but managed to see the forest from the Stanford Tree at Maples Pavilion. Times headline: “Turn Around, It’s UCLA!” Footnote: Stanford guard Ryan Mendez couldn’t get over the UCLA turnaround, saying, “They’re a tragic team. How can they play like they did against Cal, then come in here and play like they did today?” Apparently, Mendez was not a history major because less than a year earlier:

MARCH 4, 2000: UCLA 94, AT NO. 1 STANFORD 93 (OT)

Lavin was still haunted by the “Maples Massacre” -- a 109-61 loss in his first season (1996-97) that is still the worst in UCLA history -- when the 16-11 Bruins pulled off this stunner. JaRon Rush, playing for the first time after being suspended for 24 games spanning two seasons, scored 26 points in 19 minutes and made the game-winning shot, a 13-foot jumper from the baseline with three seconds left in overtime. In the locker room, Lavin went the Dick Vermeil route: tears streaming down his face as he tried to find the words to describe a victory that would exorcise the demons of Maples. Times headline: “Bruins Take Care of No. 1.”

JIM RHODE

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OTHER UCLA VICTORIES OVER NO. 1 TEAMS*

*--* DATE SCORE UCLA COACH Dec. 1, 1986 at UCLA 89, No. 1 North Carolina 84 Walt Hazzard March 9, 1980 UCLA 77, No. 1 DePaul 71 (NCAA Larry Brown second round) Feb. 11, 1979 UCLA 56, at No. 1 Notre Dame 52 Gary Cunningham Jan. 26, 1974 at UCLA 94, No. 1 Notre Dame 75 John Wooden March 22, 1968 UCLA 101, No. 1 Houston 69 (NCAA John Wooden semifinal) March 20, 1965 UCLA 91, No. 1 Michigan 80 (NCAA John Wooden final)

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*--* MOST WINS OVER NO. 1 UCLA AGAINST 10...UCLA Regular TEAMS* NO. 1 TEAMS* season...7 -11 9...Notre Dame NCAA tournament...3 -6 8...Duke Steve Lavin...4-4 7...Ga. Tech, N.C. State, John Ohio State Wooden...3-3 * IN ASSOCIATED PRESS POLL

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*--* The Tournament THURSDAY’S RESULTS No. 8 UCLA 96 No. 1 Arizona 89 (OT) No. 5 Oregon 83 No. 4 Arizona State 82 No. 7 USC 79 No. 2 Stanford 74 No. 3 California 69 No. 6 Oregon State 46 TONIGHT’S SCHEDULE No. 8 UCLA vs. No. 5 Oregon, 6:15, FSN No. 7 USC vs. No. 3 California, 8:45, FSN

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*--* Top Heavy UCLA has defeated the No. 1 team in the nation an NCAA-record 10 times. Steve Lavin has four of those upsets in his seven seasons: March 13, 2003 (OT) UCLA 96, No. 1 Arizona 89 Jan. 12, 2002 at UCLA 87, No. 1 Kansas 77 Feb. 3, 2001 UCLA 79, at No. 1 Stanford 73 March 4, 2000 (OT) UCLA 94, at No. 1 Stanford 93 Complete breakdown, D12

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