Howland: 'This will be a very hard-fought game'

Uclablogpixhowland_ben250 UCLA basketball Coach Ben Howland was excited about his team, about the Pac-10, but especially about how well his Bruins did in the classroom.

"We had a great quarter," he said. "We had a 3.15 [grade-point average] as a team last quarter, which is the best our team has done since I’ve been here. Our guys are doing a great job outside of basketball as well and I’m really, really proud of them. We had eight players on the [Director’s] Honor Roll."

He also talked some basketball:

>> "Look at our league, it’s ridiculous how good our league is. Realistically, there’s nine teams in our league fighting for six, maybe seven spots in the NCAA Tournament. The only team that I think is out of it is Oregon State. Arizona State is in the top 25; they were picked for ninth."

Howland said at the beginning of the season that the Pac-10 was so good that the conference champion might have four losses. Now, he’s revising that number downward because "Washington State’s going to be difficult for anybody to beat, home or away."

>> On the upcoming match-up with USC:

"[Tim Floyd]’s just done a great job this year molding that young team. They’re the one team that really had Memphis [beaten]; they missed a foul shot to win the game in the last two seconds of regulation. Lewis, Mayo and Hackett are a very formidable backcourt.

"Mayo is one of the best players in the country. I was watching him earlier, how low he gets on his drives to the basket. He’s very difficult to stay in front of. He can really, really shoot it. Gibson is really coming on now, in the last seven or eight games. He’s a very good player and a real hard match-up because he can step out, he can drive it, he can post you, he can block shots.

"And Jefferson is very, very athletic. So their first five are really, really good players, athletic and long. They’ve got some guys who can really shoot the ball. They’re a very good team, make no mistake about that. I fully expect that USC will be in the NCAA Tournament. I have no doubt about that. They’re good. This will be a very hard-fought game."

>> Howland was also happy about the relative health of his team. "Darren [Collison]’s hip was sore yesterday in practice the last couple days. It gives him some soreness. I think everybody else was pretty good." He noted that injured guard Michael Roll was off of crutches and in a walking boot.

Howland also noted how impressed he has been with Josh Shipp’s performance this season, easily his best at UCLA. "He’s mentally tough. He’s been through the wars. What’s amazing to me is he’s gone through two surgeries that are really serious and be able to come back and fight through everything he’s had to fight through: the rehab and the pain, it’s just incredible, his fortitude. He’s really, really committed and dedicated."

Ben Howland photo courtesy of UCLA