NO GARDEN PARTY

Thursday night, UCLA guard Arron Afflalo played in the biggest game of life, guarded possibly the best offensive player in the country in Gonzaga’s Adam Morrison, was part of a memorable Bruin comeback from 17 points down, and collapsed into sleep in his hotel room after the adrenaline finally subsided.

Friday, Afflalo was back at the Arena in Oakland going through practice and studying the moves of the Memphis Tigers. Then, it was back to his hotel for studying of a different nature, hitting his sociology and history textbooks in preparation for the final exams he was scheduled to take later in the evening.

Oh yeah, and one more thing.

Today, Afflalo must be back at the arena for this afternoon’s UCLA-Memphis matchup in the Oakland Regional final of the NCAA tournament. The prize: a spot in the Final Four next week in Indianapolis.

“It’s no problem,” Afflalo said. “Just approach everything one thing at a time. [Thursday] night came, now it’s gone. When you are on the floor, you focus on the floor. Same way for school. Then I have a new task at hand [today].”

Afflalo might react to his workload with a shrug of the shoulders, but there is only so much adrenaline in the tank. He and his teammates, seven of whom were also scheduled to take final exams at their hotel Friday night, will today try to beat the top-seeded team in this regional bracket a little more than 40 hours after a comeback from nine points down with a little more than three minutes to play.

It was the Bruins’ 10th consecutive victory, boosting them to 30-6 and their first Elite Eight berth since 1997. It is also the first time the Bruins have reached the 30-win mark since the 1994-95 season, a season that ended with an NCAA championship.

Memphis has its own numbers to brag about. The Tigers are 33-3, and have won seven straight and 22 of 23.

But in assessing this game, these numbers stand out: 88-80.

That was the score when the teams met earlier in the season, with Memphis winning. That was in November in the NIT Season Tip-Off tournament at New York’s Madison Square Garden.

But UCLA Coach Ben Howland and Memphis Coach John Calipari dismiss any idea that the first game offered a reliable preview of today’s showdown.

“I watched the game,” Calipari said, “but it really doesn’t matter. [Howland] watched the game, and he also knows it doesn’t matter. We are both different teams now. We play totally differently offensively and defensively.

“We were so sloppy then. Both teams. Defensively, we gave up so much. Both teams.”

It is understandable that the squads have improved, because both are so young. Between starters and key reserves, the Tigers have four freshmen and three sophomores. After beating UCLA, Memphis lost its next game to Duke, but seemed to grow from the experience, having lost only twice since.

For the Bruins, two key freshmen, Luc Richard Mbah a Moute and Darren Collison, barely resemble the players they were four months ago in terms of poise and confidence. And center Ryan Hollins, though a senior, kicked his game into a higher gear since returning from a strained groin injury in midseason.

The biggest difference is the Bruins’ defense. Having learned to play the hard-nosed style demanded by Howland, UCLA hasn’t given up 88 points since the Memphis game, or even 80 -- the highest total being 79 by Arizona in a game the Bruins won in Tucson.

UCLA will be challenged to maintain its defensive intensity against a wide-open Tiger offense that is always looking to push the ball up the court. Memphis averages 81 points a game, led by Rodney Carney (17.5), Darius Washington (13.4) and Shawne Williams (13.3).

Howland, immediately putting Thursday’s thrilling victory behind him, stayed up until 4 a.m. studying tapes of Tiger games.

Some of his players had to wade through textbooks before they could worry about game tapes.

And Thursday night, there was no appetite for either.

“You’re so emotionally and physically drained,” said Cedric Bozeman, a fifth-year senior who is at least finished with his finals, “you just go to sleep.”

There will be no rest today for the Bruins. They will have to run with the Tigers, but will they be running on empty?

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How UCLA and Memphis match up

*--* STARTERS UCLA Ht Wt Stats P MEMPHIS Ht Wt Stats Ryan 7-0 225 4.5 rpg C/F Joey Dorsey 6-9 265 7.6 rpg Hollins L.R. Mbah 6-7 215 8.1 rpg F Shawne 6-8 225 13.3 ppg a Moute Williams Cedric 6-6 207 7.0 ppg G/F Rodney Carney 6-7 205 17.5 ppg Bozeman Jordan 6-2 180 13.6 ppg G Darius 6-2 195 13.4 ppg Farmar Washington Jr. Arron 6-5 210 16.2 ppg G Antonio 6-6 190 2.8 apg Afflalo Anderson RESERVES Darren 6-0 155 5.7 ppg Andre Allen, 5-10 205 3.1 apg Collison, G G Michael 6-5 205 3.7 ppg C. 6-6 180 8.4 ppg Roll, G Douglas-Robe rts, F Alfred 6-8 242 2.5 rpg Robert 6-9 205 5.4 rpg Aboya, F Dozier, F

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*--* HOW THEY MATCH UP

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* Offense -- The Tigers are at their best when they are on the run, using the latitude given them by Coach John Calipari to foil defensive schemes with their fastbreak. Memphis shares the ball, with three players -- Carney (17.5 points per game), Washington (13.4) and Williams (13.3) -- averaging double figures. UCLA prefers to slow it down, utilizing the perimeter talent of guards Farmar and Afflalo, supplemented by Bozeman, Hollins, Collison and Mbah a Moute. Edge: MEMPHIS

* Defense -- The Bruins’ defensive prowess has become well-known. They had held nine consecutive opponents to 60 points or fewer before Gonzaga scored 71 Thursday. But even then, it was UCLA’s defense in the second half that held the Bulldogs, enabling the Bruins to come back. Although much attention has been paid to the Tigers’ high-powered offense, they have been very effective as well when the other team has the ball, limiting opponents to 65.9 points a game. Edge: UCLA.

* Coaching -- Very different approaches. Calipari is emphatic about limiting the use of game tapes, not wishing to burden his team with too much material on the upcoming opponent. Calipari says he’d rather control what his players will do rather than worrying about what the other team will do. All you need to know about UCLA Coach Ben Howland’s approach is that, after Thursday’s emotional win over Gonzaga, he was up watching Memphis game tapes until 4 a.m. Edge: UCLA.

* Key to the game -- Can UCLA stop, or at least slow down, Memphis’ high-octane offense? The Bruins struggle against big front lines, and this one will be as challenging as any UCLA has faced this season. With Bozeman and Mbah a Moute expected to be matched up against two of Memphis’ top three scorers, the 6-8 Williams and the 6-7 Carney, it will be difficult for the Bruins to double Dorsey in the post, a favorite Howland tactic. It’s an offense that will spread UCLA thin.

* Prediction -- Memphis 76, UCLA 70.

--STEVE SPRINGER