Sunday syllabus: the week that was and the week ahead

It’s basketball time! The highly ranked Bruin men’s basketball team will start its season this week:

Cross-country:

>> Last week: The Bruin men enjoyed a fourth-place finish in the Pac-10 Conference, UCLA’s best finish in coach Eric Peterson’s eight years. Senior Austin Ramos finished fourth overall, and every one of the 10 Bruin runners had a lifetime best over the 8,000-meter course. The Bruin women, however, finished last in the conference and even lost five points in the Lexus Gauntlet against USC, which finished eighth.

>> Next week: The Bruin men are off and will compete in the NCAA West Regional on Nov. 10 in Eugene, Ore.

Football:

>> Last week: The Bruins were humbled, 27-7, at Washington State and outgained, 546-265. Khalil Bell and Brandon Breazell were injured during the first half and did not return to the game

>> This week: UCLA (5-3, 4-1 in the Pac-10) travels to Tuscon to take on Arizona (3-6, 2-4), which enjoyed a miracle comeback to beat Washington, 48-41, on Saturday in Seattle. The last Bruin trip to Arizona, in 2005, resulted in a 52-14 loss.

Men’s basketball:

>> Last week: The Bruins continued practice and were picked No. 2 in the nation in the first ESPN coaches' poll.

>> This week: UCLA will open its exhibition season Friday with a game at Pauley Pavilion against Azusa Pacific.

Men’s soccer:

>> Last week: No. 24 UCLA (8-5-2, 4-1-1 in the Pac-10) won its fourth straight game with a 2-1 win Friday night over Oregon State at Drake Stadium. David Estrada and Maxwell Griffin scored to give UCLA a 2-0 lead at halftime.

>> This week: The Bruins will play Washington at 2:30 p.m. Sunday at Drake Stadium, and then head to the Bay Area to play at Stanford on Friday night and at California next Sunday.

Men’s water polo:

>> This week: No. 3 UCLA (15-5, 2-2 conference) plays No. 1 USC (13-0, 4-0 conference) at 1 p.m. Sunday at the Sunset Canyon Recreation Center. The Bruins will have one game this coming week, a nonconference game Saturday at UC San Diego.

Women’s basketball:

>> This week: UCLA will open its 2007-08 season with an exhibition game at 7 p.m. Thursday against Team Concept at Pauley Pavilion. Senior forward Lindsey Pluimer will return along with two other starters and the No. 4-ranked recruiting class in the nation.

Women’s soccer:

>> Last week: The top-ranked Bruins (12-1-2) dispatched ninth-ranked USC, 2-0, on Friday night at Drake Stadium. The game drew a strong crowd of 3,345 for a doubleheader with the men’s and women’s teams, and Lauren Cheney and Kara Lang scored second-half goals to run UCLA’s unbeaten streak to 35 matches at home.

>> This week: The Bruins face Arizona State on Friday night and Arizona on Sunday afternoon, both at Drake Stadium.

Women’s volleyball:

>> Last week: No. 7 UCLA (16-6, 6-5 Pac-10) had a rough weekend, losing to No. 3-ranked Stanford in four games Friday night at Pauley Pavilion, and to No. 9 California in five games Saturday night.

>> This week: The Bruins will play USC on Friday at Galen Center. The Bruins defeated USC, 3-1, at Pauley Pavilion on Oct. 5.