After UCLA beat up on Kansas 68-55 Saturday, the common refrain of fans and media was just how poorly the Jayhawks played. Missed layups, missed free throws, missed shots. More has been made of what Kansas DID NOT do than what UCLA did.
Unquestionably, even the novice hoops fan had to double-take when CBS ran the graphic reading KU was just 14 of 33 on layups and dunks. But using that stat alone to explain why KU exited stage left yet again, is simply not giving UCLA enough credit.
How about this stunner: The Bruins were the better team. I truly believe that. UCLA had three players who all WANTED the shot and were aggressive offensively: Aaron Afflalo, Darren Collison and Josh Shipp. These three continually rained on Kansas from the perimeter. Collison drilled the first dagger at the end of the half, a three-pointer putting UCLA ahead by two possessions and juicing the Bruins like a Red Bull-vodka.
Afflalo did most of the collateral damage the rest of the way, burying the Jayhawks with big shot after big shot, never allowing Kansas to regain control of the game.
On top of it, the Bruins played better defense than the Jayhawks. How often did Kansas players dribble inside the arc and towards the basket, only to have UCLA defenders swat it into traffic and come up with the loose change? The Bruins played with sticky hands all night. The KU defense was good, UCLAs was great.
Lets also not forget, UCLA played in a decidedly better conference this season. The Pac-10 hung with the Big East and ACC all year for top-spot in the conference power rankings. The strong showings by Oregon and USC, plus a tourney win by Washington State, proved it was not a one-surfer league.
In fact, while many Jayhawks fans may have been blinded by the one-seed assertion of greatness by Kansas, UCLA had a one-seed all but wrapped up going into the Pac-10 tournament. With an early exit at the hands of Cal, the Bruins were left a two-seed, but the selection committee readily admitted Kansas was the fourth-best one-seed and UCLA was the top-two-seed. Arguably, these were the the fourth and fifth best teams in the nation.
Lets not fall into the trap of Kansas losing the game, instead realize UCLA won it. This is not about Kansas giving it away, UCLA had four MORE turnovers than KU (25-21). This was about a great team, with superior experience grabbing the game and never letting go.
So many have belittled the Jayhawks inexperience, citing the two full-seasons these kids have played and started together. No question, this team grew together, became more comfortable together and did not have the raccoon-in-Mack truck headlights look in the first three games of the tourney.
But no matter how many games the Jayhawks have played together against Iowa State, Nebraska and Colorado, this Bruins team (minus Jordan Farmar) played in the national championship game last season. It showed. UCLA controlled the tempo of the game, grabbed the momentum and forced the final twenty minutes at their pace. The Bruins were the aggressors on Saturday night. The Jayhawks, the oppressed.
Kansas did not play its best game on Saturday. But in a six-game, 16-day single-elimination tournament, you have to. UCLA is not the 1985 Villanova Wildcats, cruising on a magic-carpet into a national championship trophy. The Bruins are for real and on Saturday, they did it and the Jayhawks did not.
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After UCLA beat up on Kansas 68-55 Saturday, the common refrain of fans and media was just how poorly the Jayhawks played. Missed layups, missed free throws, missed shots. More has been made of what Kansas DID NOT do than what UCLA did. 
