Distractions? Certainly Not the Case in Westwood

When the Louisiana State Tigers returned to Baton Rouge after beating Texas last weekend to reach the Final Four in Indianapolis, there were an estimated 1,000 fans waiting to greet them.

On the George Mason campus in Fairfax, Va., there were huge on-campus rallies before and after the team’s last practice Wednesday before heading west.

But at UCLA, where its spring break, players say they have hardly seen any students at all since returning from Oakland.

“This campus is not buzzing. There are no students here,� Coach Ben Howland said.

That might seem strange considering the Bruins can boast of winning 11 NCAA championships. But it doesn’t.

“It’s not weird at all,� senior Cedric Bozeman said. “We live in L.A. where there are a lot of things to do, from going to the beach to plenty of other places.�

Arron Afflalo thinks the largely deserted campus is a good thing.

“It’s probably best for us,� he said. “Just keep it quiet until we get back. Then there will be plenty of time to enjoy the glory and the happiness if, hopefully, we win the championship.�

Not only did the Bruins not have an army of fans to greet them on campus, they didn’t even have their home court.

Pauley Pavilion is being set up for a television awards show Saturday, leaving the Bruins to practice in the old men’s gymnasium.

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Three of the four teams participating in the 13th annual John R. Wooden Classic, to be played Dec. 9 at the Arrowhead Pond, were announced Wednesday.

UCLA will make its 10th appearance in the tournament and will be joined by USC and George Washington. It will be USC’s fourth tournament appearance and George Washington’s first.

A fourth team and the matchups for the one-day doubleheader will be announced later.