Tip time and more

UCLA vs. Memphis is the first game of the Final Four and will tip at 3:07 p.m. pacific.
Kansas vs. North Carolina will tip at approximatley 5:47 p.m.
Also, UCLA coach Ben Howland said power forward Luc Richard Mbah a Moute had a small amount of swelling in his left ankle today, but he should be fine.
UCLA is off today and will do cardio and weight lifting Monday before returning to the practice court Tuesday.

Calipari on Final Four

Before the Memphis victory over Texas, John Calipari said this is what he told his team about advancing to the Final Four.
“I kept telling them, it’s our time,” Calipari said. “We’ve been here enough. It’s our time.”

Back to the Final Four

While UCLA has made three consecutive Final Four appearances, Memphis made the Final Four for the first time since 1985, but that appearance was wiped from the record books because of rules violations. Their previous appearance was a memorable one. Memphis – then known as Memphis State – and UCLA played for the national championship in 1973. That was the game were Bill Walton made 21 of 22 field goals and scored 44 points.

Lopez update

I talked to a source of mine today, and was told Bob Lopez resigned as UCLA’s director of football operations because he is possibly heading to San Diego State to join the staff there. Lopez and former coach Karl Dorrell were close, but I was told new coach Rick Neuheisel wanted to keep Lopez.
The timing isn’t the best for UCLA since spring practice begins Thursday, and UCLA will have a bunch of juniors on campus over the weekend, and Lopez would play an integral role in that. However, I am told he will be gone by the end of the week.

Up next: Memphis

No. 1 seed UCLA will play No. 1 seed Memphis (37-1) in the NCAA Tournament semifinals. Memphis easily dispatched Texas 85-67 today. The Tigers’ only loss this season was to Tennessee.