Big HomeCourt Advantage

So I guess I'm just posting videos today. I just saw this on Bruins Nation. This clip is from a timeout during Saturday's game between UCLA and West Virginia. The more I think about it, the more I'm impressed that the Bruins didn't just fly back to LA at halftime.

John Beilein is a "Master Motivator"

UCLA had a lot of built-in excuses at tipoff of Saturday's matchup at West Virginia. They'd just played their cross-city rival, Wednesday. They had to fly across country. There was the 10 am pst start time. It was around 15 degrees when they left their hotels. They were without their starting and only true point guard.

But changing any of those factors wouldn't have mattered anyway. Not after the Mountaineers had heard this inspirational speech from their head coach, John Beilein:



Damn, who's their head coach, Mel Tillis? I love the response from the players at the end- it was like the final battle scene in Braveheart, only the exact opposite.

Of course, West Virginia still beat the Bruins convincingly, so maybe they're onto something out there in Morgantown. Maybe Ben Howland should bring John Melendez in as a motivational speaker before the big game at Arizona this weekend.