Final Four failure III

SAN ANTONIO -- UCLA got sped up and out of the Final Four, its third failure in three years on a stage the Bruins used to own.

The bigger Memphis Tigers lured the defensive-minded Bruins into their speed trap and won 78-63 in Saturday night's national semifinal matchup of No. 1 seeds, knocking UCLA out of contention for a record 12th championship.

The Bruins lost in the 2006 title game to Florida and then again to the Gators in last year's semifinals. It's a rerun they're tired of seeing.

"This is what we're going to remember," a glum-looking Josh Shipp said. "They outplayed us."

If John Wooden was watching back in Los Angeles, the 97-year-old architect of UCLA's basketball dynasty must have been a little down. It certainly wasn't the kind of showing expected from a school that practically invented the art of hanging national championship banners.

Asked what needs to change for the Bruins to win at the Final Four, Ben Howland smiled slightly and replied, "Get a new coach maybe."

The Bruins came in 13-4 all-time in semifinal games, including 10-2 under Wooden and now 1-2 under Howland. But they never managed a run against the Tigers in a rematch of the 1973 title game, when Bill Walton shot 21 of 22 for 44 points and the Bruins won.

"They played better than we thought they were going to play," Darren Collison said. "We knew they were very good, but we thought with our defensive abilities we were going to cause a little havoc."

Russell Westbrook led the Bruins (35-4) with a career-high 22 points.

Collison, a three-time Final Four veteran, went 1-for-9 with 2 points and fouled out. The junior who dictates UCLA's offense and defense had more fouls (11) than baskets (9) in his last three NCAA Tournament games.

"To get here three times in a row and not to win all those three times, it's really frustrating," Collison said. "You're always thinking how I can get over that hump. Last year it was painful. This year, it's even more painful."