LOS ANGELES — As UCLA readies itself for the first round of the NCAA Tournament, coach Cori Close isn’t worried about the tactical preparation. The Bruins have studied film, focusing on how to keep Sacramento State’s leading scorer away from her strong hand, stay at home on shooters when the Hornets run pick-and-rolls in the center of the court, and speed up a team that walks the ball down the floor. UCLA, a No. 4 seed, understands its scouts and feels confident it can play to its strengths.
UCLA has two things atop its mind. The first is about facing pressure — the kind that comes with returning to the tournament after missing last season, having star newcomers and hosting the first two rounds. It’s why UCLA is taking pressure-packed free throws two days before their tournament start. Each player is required to make two shots, maintaining concentration as teammates and scout team players bang on pots and pans and yell as a state-of-the-art sound system in the Mo Ostin Basketball Center blares music at a decibel more customary at a Super Bowl halftime show than mid-day at a college campus practice facility.
But Close recognizes that besides dealing with pressure, there’s also the matter of joy to attend to. The eldest Bruins know what it’s like to have the…
