|
|
« January 2008 |
Main
| March 2008 »
From UCLA Sports Information: John Wooden, UCLA's legendary former basketball coach, is resting comfortably this evening in an area hospital. The name of the hospital is being withheld at the request of the family.
Coach Wooden, 97, is doing fine and has visited with family throughout the day, according to his daughter, Nan Muehlhausen.
Coach Wooden was hospitalized earlier today. He has a hairline fracture of his left wrist and a fractured left collarbone from a fall in his condo last night. He also hit his head, but a CT scan of his head and neck were negative.
"Dad's spirits are good," Muehlhausen said. "He is up and joking around with the family. He will probably be in the hospital for a couple of more days before he goes home.
"We appreciate everyone's concern, but we are requesting that people do not call the hospital and do not try to visit Dad at this time."
"The entire UCLA community wishes Coach Wooden a speedy recovery," said UCLA Coach Ben Howland, who is in Tucson for Sunday's game versus Arizona. "We are glad that his injuries are not more serious, and we look forward to seeing him when we return to Los Angeles."
The Bruins were traveling most of the day between Tempe and Tucson in advance of Sunday’s game against Arizona, but Coach Ben Howland took some time off from film study to speak with reporters this afternoon.
Asked about UCLA’s streak of seven straight wins over the Wildcats, he said, "Things go in cycles; I don’t look at anything except tomorrow’s game. What I know is this is a very important game for both teams. They need it to ensure that they’re going to get at least a 9-9 record and hopefully 10-8. . . . We want to try and win the conference and ensure that we’re going to get a high seed in the NCAAs. I know that both teams will be sky-high and very motivated."
Although he noted that the schedule was not the reason UCLA lost its last Sunday game at Washington, Howland did change the schedule this time. "We’re going to practice tomorrow; we’re not going to be sitting around all day," he said. "We won’t go long, but we’re going to . . . get prepared for them. Today’s an off day for us, essentially, which I hope will help us a little more mentally." The Bruins practiced on the Friday after the win at Washington State earlier in the month.
Other highlights:
>> About UCLA’s 82-60 win over Arizona at Pauley Pavilion on Feb. 2, Howland remembered that "I thought we did a really good job against them defensively and that helped our offense get started. That was our best weekend. We played great against Arizona State, and our players obviously have great respect for Arizona and their program and their tradition, so I knew our guys were really up for that game. I remember Luc [Richard Mbah A Moute] sprained his ankle and that was the unfortunate part of that game."
>> Howland said he thought that interim Arizona Coach Kevin O’Neill has done a good job in trying circumstances. "I think Kevin’s doing a really good job and it’s a tough break anytime you lose one of your key guys to injury — we’ve done that — when you lose more than one, it’s even more difficult. [Bret] Brielmaier has been in and out of there, and Nick Wise obviously has been a big hit for them and they’ve still been able to play well. And they’ve had an unbelievable schedule. It’s never easy when you go into the year not knowing if you’re taking over; I know the team has responded real well. So I commend him; I think he’s done a great job." Howland added that Arizona’s streak of 23 straight invitations to the NCAA Tournament "is incredible."
>> Howland was happy about UCLA’s sharper shooting from long distance last night as the Bruins made 10 three-pointers. "It really helps us, especially when you’re getting zoned," he said. "That’s when you’ve got to make three-pointers because that’s what a zone gives up. Hopefully, you’re going to get some wide-open shots."
>> On Josh Shipp, who broke out of an 0-20 slump with four three-point baskets, Howland said: "He did a good job last night getting some shots in transition, but what I was really excited about was not only that he knocked down his threes, but he had eight assists — now, that’s really impressive to me. I always love guys who make plays for others and make other players better."
>> The Bruin coach was asked about the pounding that freshman center Kevin Love was receiving each game. "He’s obviously a very good player," Howland said, "and people are trying to do whatever they can, because he’s shooting 60% from the field. So, of course, you’re going to try to scheme and limit the amount of opportunities that a guy shooting 60% shoots. Fortunately, he’s very good at getting to the line. He is getting whacked and he handles it pretty well. He’s pretty tough; he gets hit a lot. That’s part of being a very good player and being a post player."
>> In light of Thursday’s incident during the Arizona-USC game in which an attendee chucked a water bottle from the stands onto the court (hitting USC’s Dwight Lewis on the foot), Howland was asked if fans were getting too crazy. "I’m sure the game management people will get that under control in a hurry because that’s a safety issue. What I do think is good is that’s there more awareness of it now than maybe there was years ago; that’s a positive thing. I’m proud of our fans for the most part. I think our fans are classy in a general sense, I really believe that they are among the best in terms of showing class towards their opponent."
Howland also said he thought the Pac-10 would get six teams in the NCAA Tournament, but did not think any team with a losing record would make it. "The conference is so good because there are no dogs that you’re just racking up wins on. Every win is a hard-earned victory for anybody in this league. In some leagues, you have a little more difference between the top half and the bottom half. This league has so much parity that between one and nine, anybody can beat anybody."
Thursday night’s first half against Arizona State was a tight, low-scoring game until the Bruins got it going near the end. Up only 23-18, Sun Devil star freshman James Harden missed a dunk and UCLA’s Josh Shipp sank a three-pointer to extend the lead to 26-18, where it appeared the half would end.
But a Shipp outlet to Darren Collison found the Bruin junior guard all alone on the left wing and he converted a long three-pointer just before the half to give UCLA an insurmountable 11-point lead at halftime. Here's how Chris Roberts called the play on the Bruin radio network: Also of note:
>> San Diego El Camino High’s Nelson Rosario — who will attend UCLA in the fall as a football wide receiver — had 19 points, 10 rebounds and eight blocked shots Thursday night to help his team to a 65-58 overtime win over Helix in the San Diego Section Division I quarterfinals. "For a guy whose third-best sport is basketball, he’s very dang good," El Camino Coach Ray Johnson said in the San Diego Union-Tribune. Rosario’s second-best sport is track, and he’ll likely be a scorer in three events in the California State track and field championships in June.
>> Saturday’s Washington State at Stanford game will be televised live in Southern California on FSN West beginning at 1 p.m. The Cardinal (12-3 in Pac-10) defeated WSU (10-6) in Pullman, 67-65, in overtime last month.
Audio courtesy of Chris Roberts and KLAC-AM (570)
UCLA scored its biggest-ever win at Arizona State tonight, beating up the Sun Devils by a 70-49 final, a point more than the Bruins' 99-79 win in Tempe in 1956! Highlights:
>> The Bruins had an 11-point lead after the first half, but didn't let up in the second half. They outscored ASU by 10, 41-31, in the second half and shot 57.7% from the field. They also dominated the boards, grabbing 16 boards to eight for the Devils (34-20 for the game). Josh Shipp and Russell Westbrook each had 11 points in the second half.
>> UCLA shot 49% from the field (24-49) and held ASU down to 40.9% (18-44) for the game. The Bruins hit 10 three-pointers, the most they've had in a conference game this season (previous high, nine, twice). And while ASU was only 7-12 from the foul line, the Bruins were ultra-efficient at 12-13. That's what good teams do.
>> The Bruins had four players in double figures tonight. Kevin Love struggled in the lane, but ended with a game-high 18 points on 6-11 field goals and 6-7 from the foul line, plus a game-high 12 rebounds for his 17th double-double of the season (10th in the last 12). Darren Collison and Josh Shipp each had 17 and Shipp broke out of his three-point shooting slump with a 4-8 night. He also had eight assists and no turnovers. Westbrook had 13.
>> Shipp told FSN's Don MacLean on the "Bruins Live" postgame show, "I was able to get some easy looks. I've been working on my shooting and I was able to knock them down tonight." About Sunday's game at Arizona, MacLean noted that UCLA has another "extra day" as it did before the loss at Washington. Said Shipp: "We just have to stay mentally tough. We had some slip-ups in the Washington game and we just have to stay mentally focused."
>> Said Collison on "Bruins Live" about his sharpshooting tonight: "I felt good out there. I shot the ball well today during warmups; I just can't explain it." He told MacLean that his great three-point shooting came "in the course of the game, that's what we saw." He said the Bruins were focused on ball movement to keep the game moving, recognizing that ASU wanted to slow the game down.
The Bruins shot only 39.1% for the half (9-23), but ASU was worse at just 33% (7-21), including some missed layins and dunks. UCLA had an 18-12 rebounding edge, but the difference came on three-point shooting: 6-11 for UCLA (Darren Collison 4-4, Josh Shipp 2-5) while ASU was 2-7. The Bruins finished the half on an 18-7 run.
The Devils also are in foul trouble: Jerren Shipp has three and Ty Abbott and Rihards Kuksiks have two each. Russell Westbrook, Alfred Aboya and James Keefe each have two for the Bruins.
>> Westbrook a three, Collison a three, the Bruins are filling the ASU passing lanes and the Bruins have a 37-20 lead with 17:57 to go. FSN analyst Don MacLean made a good point about Luc Richard Mbah A Moute's excellent defensive work on James Harden, especially keeping him from driving the lane.
>> Shipp's slump is over . . . as long as he can play against Arizona State every game. He was 5-8 against them from long distance at Pauley, and 4-7 so far tonight (2-5 first half, 2-2 second half). The Bruins are up, 51-32, with 12:12 to go.
>> You won't see this often: ASU's Abbott missed a right-hand dunk and then Westbrook had a breakaway and missed his own right-hand slam try. It happened with 11:45 to go in the game.
>> Arizona State has cut the Bruins' lead from 20 to 14 at 51-37 with 8:35 to play with a 9-3 run, but UCLA is shooting 69.2% (9-13) in the second half!
>> Defense matters: the Bruins went without a field goal for 6:22, from Josh Shipp's triple at 12:17, for a 51-32 lead, to Kevin Love's tip-in at 5:55 to play for a 55-39 lead. Arizona State was only able to outscore UCLA by a 7-4 margin during that time.
This game had every reason to be close, but it wasn't. Collison's three-point shooting and terrific defense on ASU's Harden and filling the passing allowed the Bruins to ease to a win that keeps them in first place.
Final score: UCLA 70, Arizona State 49
It's over! Josh Shipp hit his first three-pointer in February with 17:26 to go in the first half to give the Bruins a 3-0 lead. He had missed 20 in a row in the last six games since the ASU game at Pauley Pavilion; he was 5-8 from long distance against the Sun Devils there Jan. 31.
>> Russell Westbrook came up gimpy in the second minute of the game, hopping off his left foot, which he rolled against Oregon last Saturday. He has stayed in the game, however, but picked up his second personal foul on an offensive charge with 13:52 to play.
>> We have a grinder. With 7:43 to play in the half, the Bruins have an 11-9 lead. UCLA has only 12 shots (made 4) and Arizona State only 13 (made 4); both sides are playing very tightly on the defensive end. For the Bruins, some nice offensive movement has been negated by two offensive fouls called against James Keefe on bad screens. Has Keefe picked up Alfred Aboya's disease?
>> A long three-pointer by Darren Collison and then a trap led to a turnover and a Westbrook two-hand dunk; in 27 seconds, a tense 11-11 game was 16-11 for the Bruins. Now, after an offensive rebound by Aboya, the Bruins have it out of bounds with 3:59 to play.
>> The difference between two teams whose statistics are similar: the zone sags in and Collison makes a three-pointer; Jeff Pendergraph (a 79.8% foul shooter) missed the front end of a one-and-one and Kevin Love makes both ends of a one-and-one. It puts the Bruins up — suddenly — by eight, 21-13.
>> Same thing with a minute to go: James Harden misses a dunk for ASU and Shipp drills a three-pointer for a 26-18 lead. Small things means a lot.
Then Collison nails a long three-pointer after nearly falling down as the half ends. It's his fourth three-pointer of the game and the Bruins end the half up, 29-18.
The Bruins (24-3 overall, 12-2 in the Pac-10) are a 6 1/2-point choice to defeat Arizona State tonight in Tempe. The Sun Devils started the season hot at 14-2 and 4-0 in the conference, but are 3-7 since then. The over-under line is set at 125, so the oddsmakers think the final will be 66-59 for the Bruins.
>> UCLA has won seven straight against the Sun Devils and lead the series, 55-14. The games at Wells Fargo Arena, however, have been difficult. The Bruins have won the last three games there by a combined total of 11 points: 86-82 in 2005, 61-60 in 2006 and 67-61 last season.
>> ASU has a strong home record of 12-3, but UCLA is even better on the road at 7-1. Some bracketeers think the Sun Devils are in fairly good shape, but could really use a win tonight to cement their case. Seth Davis wrote on SI.com: ASU is 5-7 in its last 12 games, so a win over the No. 10 [RPI] Bruins would pretty much lock up a bid. At the very least, if they lose this one, they’ll need to beat USC at home on Saturday. If, on the other hand, they get swept at home by the L.A. schools, they will be in a precarious spot.
Arizona is considered a little surer bet for the tournament because of its difficult nonconference schedule.
>> SI.com’s Grant Wahl compiled an excellent article on just how rough things are getting for opposing teams in some arenas around the country. Included is the best reporting we’ve seen so far of just how bad it was for Kevin Love and his family at the UCLA-Oregon game in Eugene. Hint: It was bad.
>> The Bruins would like to see Josh Shipp end his 0-20 slump from three-point range tonight and the Sun Devils will depend on Latvian import Rihards Kuksiks for some three-point support to help its interior scorers Jeff Pendergraph and freshman James Harden.
Kuksiks told Norm Frauenheim of the Arizona Republic that "my English sometimes is not so good," but he’s done well enough to get through a year of prep school at the Florida Air Academy (also attended by UCLA forward Luc Richard Mbah A Moute) and now most of his freshman season at Arizona State. According to Frauenheim, Kuksiks is still looking for a good bowl of borscht!
>> The Bruins are second in the conference in field-goal percentage at 48.5% and have improved their field-goal defense to 42.1%, fifth-best in the league, and are best in the Pac-10 in rebounding defense at 27.0 per game. Arizona State shoots only 46.7% from the field (seventh), but opponents are only hitting 40.9% against the Sun Devils: That’s third-best in the league. The two teams are 1-2 in the league in steals (UCLA 7.56 per game to ASU’s 6.96) and both have positive turnover ratios.
 Bruin teams are in action all over the place this weekend; if you’re in town, you can say goodbye to one of UCLA’s best-ever women’s basketball stars this weekend, senior Lindsay Pluimer (pictured) in her home finales.
Baseball:
>> The Bruins were crushing Cal State Northridge on Tuesday, 22-2, when the game was halted due to darkness; it will be completed April 15. UCLA (2-1) outlasted UC Santa Barbara, 5-4, in 13 innings Wednesday at Jackie Robinson Stadium. On Friday, UCLA will meet Southern University in the inaugural Urban Invitational at 6 p.m. at Jackie Robinson Stadium. The Bruins will then play Bethune-Cookman at the MLB Urban Youth Academy at 5 p.m. Saturday. The academy is at 901 E. Artesia Blvd., Compton. (telephone: [310] 763-3479). The game will be televised nationally on ESPN2. The Bruins will finish the weekend at USC at 1 p.m. Sunday.
Softball:
>> The 14-2 Bruins moved up to No. 4 in the national rankings this week and Anjelica Selden was awarded two National Player of the Week awards and Pac-10 Pitcher of the Week honors for her three-win, 38-strikeout performance at the Palm Springs Classic last weekend. Freshman second baseman Gionna DiSalvatore was named Pac-10 Player of the Week for her 8-12 hitting spree and slugging percentage of 1.250 in Palm Springs. UCLA shut out Cal State Bakersfield on Wednesday, 3-0, with Donna Kerr (6-1) pitching four innings and Megan Langenfeld finishing the final three frames. This weekend, UCLA plays in the San Diego Classic against James Madison (2 p.m.) and San Diego (4:30 p.m.) on Friday at the University of San Diego, against Eastern Michigan (9 a.m.) and San Diego State (2 p.m.) on Saturday at San Diego State and against Saint Peter's at 11:30 a.m. Sunday at USD.
Track and field:
>> The men’s and women’s teams are in Seattle this weekend for the Mountain Pacific Indoor Championships. More important, the Bruins will open their outdoor season March 8 with the UCLA Invitational at Drake Stadium.
Men’s basketball:
>> UCLA (24-3 overall, 12-2 in the Pac-10) is in the Arizona desert trying to hold on to a one-game lead in the Pac-10. The Bruins are ranked fourth in the nation and have a chance to move up after Tennessee’s loss to Vanderbilt this week, but must defeat Arizona State (17-9, 7-7 in Pac-10 play) tonight and Arizona in Tucson at 1 p.m. Sunday. Tonight’s game will be televised locally on FSN Prime Ticket beginning at 7:30 p.m. Sunday’s game is scheduled to start at 1 p.m. Pacific time and will be televised nationally on CBS.
Men’s golf:
>> The Bruin "Blue Team" (second squad) finished second this week at the Cal State Bakersfield Spring Invitational, one shot behind Cal State Stanislaus. Junior Erik Flores was the tournament champion, carding a 10-under 206 for the three rounds, one shot ahead of fellow Bruin Craig Leslie. The Bruins are off this weekend.
Men’s tennis:
>> Sixth-ranked UCLA (8-1) stomped UC Santa Barbara at home Wednesday and will travel to La Jolla this weekend for the 119th Pacific Coast Doubles Championships.
Men’s volleyball:
>> Hoping that a change of scenery will help, slumping — but still seventh-ranked — UCLA (10-7) is in Muncie, Ind., this week for matches against No. 14 Ball State on Friday and Saturday evenings, both starting at 4:30 p.m. Pacific time. The Cardinals (10-6) have won nine of their last 10. Live audio of the matches can be heard on the BallStateSports.com website.
Women’s basketball:
>> The Bruins (14-13 overall, 9-7 [5th] in Pac-10 play) finish their 2007-08 home schedule with games against Arizona State (18-9, 12-4) tonight at Pauley Pavilion and on Saturday against Arizona (9-18, 3-13) at 11 a.m. Both games will be audiocast on uclabruins.com with Dave Marcus on the play-by-play and Michael Sondheimer as analyst. Saturday’s game also will be available on KTLK-AM (1150). These will be the final home games in the outstanding career of senior Lindsay Pluimer, who ranks sixth in the Pac-10 in scoring (14.5 points per game), eighth in rebounding (6.4 per game) and in the top 10 in six of the 13 individual categories.
Women’s golf:
>> The Bruins are top-ranked, but all bets are off in high winds and strong UCLA efforts in rounds one and three at the Arizona Wildcat Invitational — second-best each day — was for naught as the second round blew any chance UCLA had for victory. The Bruins finished sixth overall with their best individual performance by All-American Tiffany Joh. She overcame an 80 in the second round to shoot a two-under 70 in the final round and finish fifth overall. UCLA is off until March 9.
Women’s gymnastics:
>> UCLA (12-1) lost to No. 2 Utah last Sunday and suffered injuries to all-around stars Anna Li and Brittani McCullough, both of whom had concussions. The Bruins are, however, ranked ninth in the country and will take on No. 10 Oregon State (8-1) at 2 p.m. Sunday at Pauley Pavilion. UCLA will webcast the meet on uclabruins.com, with Darren Preston and former U.S. Olympian and NCAA champion Steve McCain on the call. Sunday's meet is UCLA's second annual Breast Cancer Awareness meet and the Bruins will wear leotards with pink accents and pink ribbons. All fans are encouraged to wear pink, and pink wristbands will be given away to all attendees. Pink Crocs will also be given away to 30 lucky fans.
Women’s swimming:
>> UCLA is competing in the Pac-10 Swim Championships this week in Long Beach (swimming) and Federal Way, Wash. (diving). Ranked 15th in the nation, the Bruins set a school record 7:14.73 in the 4 x 200 m freestyle relay Wednesday with freshmen Lauren Hall, Alex Sullivan and Emily Bibb plus junior Anna Poteete. The meet continues through Saturday at the Belmont Plaza Pool in Long Beach.
Women’s tennis:
>> The Bruins (8-3) are ranked 11th in the nation, but dropped Wednesday’s match to No. 4 Baylor (10-1), 5-2, at the Los Angeles Tennis Center. UCLA has its hands full this weekend as well, with No. 6 Stanford coming to the LATC at 1:30 p.m. Friday, followed on Saturday by No. 8 California.
Women’s water polo:
>> No. 1-ranked UCLA (17-0) has only one match this week, at UC Santa Barbara, beginning at noon Saturday.
Lindsay Pluimer photo courtesy of UCLA
UCLA’s annual "Junior Day" is coming up March 8 and Bruin team members and the coaching staff will be talking up the benefits of coming to the nation’s most popular university . . . at least by the number of admission applications received.
According to sources close to the program and reports on Scout.com, UCLA has offered scholarships to at least the following high school players:
> Tyler Gaffney (6-1, 215), running back from San Diego Cathedral HS
> Cierre Wood (6-0, 200), running back from Oxnard Santa Clara HS
> Shaquelle Evans (6-2, 190), wide receiver from Inglewood HS
> Je’Ron Stokes (6-1, 180), wide receiver from Northeast (Philadelphia, Pa.) HS
> Todd Golper (6-1, 225), linebacker from Arcadia HS
> Manti Te’o (6-2, 225), linebacker from Punahou (Honolulu, Hi.) HS
Plus cornerback Marlon Pollard (6-0, 165) from San Bernardino Cajon HS, who has already made a verbal commitment to attend UCLA.
These recruits and a bevy of others who are offensive and defensive linemen, an emphasis for the 2009 class, will tour the campus, meet with Bruin head Coach Rick Neuheisel and the position coaches and attend the UCLA-California basketball game in Pauley Pavilion.
 Bruin Coach Ben Howland was pleased with the wins over Oregon State and Oregon, but he knows that the Bruins haven’t won anything yet.
"This league is going to come down to the conference tournament, and how people do in that, as to whether they get invited and who doesn’t to the NCAAs," he told reporters during his weekly news conference on campus. "I was shocked that this league has never had a team that’s 9-9 that’s been invited to the NCAA Tournament, because so many of the other leagues have. We’ve had teams that were 7-9 get in from the ACC or the SEC in years past, definitely 8-8s all the time. I’m very confident that we’ll have someone in our league invited that is 9-9 this year because our league’s so good. I think that’s understood across this country that it’s the best league, top to bottom. The University of Washington is in ninth place right now and they’re a pretty darn good ninth-place team.
"Oregon State is definitely not on the level of the other nine teams. Those nine teams: anybody can beat anybody on a given night. That’s what makes it so difficult [for us] and so fun for you and the fans."
Asked about what it would take to obtain his goal of playing first- and second-round games in Anaheim and regional games in Phoenix, he said: "Winning the Pac-10. I think either Stanford or UCLA will get that path. I don’t think it will be anybody else in the West who will get that path. I just don’t want to travel across the country if we can avoid it."
Howland has said repeatedly that he isn’t concerned with being a No. 1 seed or a No. 2 seed in the West regional as long as the Bruins can play close to home. "The difference between being a one [seed] or a two, or even one through three this year," he said, "will be negligible."
>> On the injury front, Howland said, "Nikola Dragovic has a strain in his groin that he did yesterday in some shooting. He won’t practice today, or probably tomorrow; I’m not sure how long he’ll be out." He added that Luc Richard Mbah A Moute’s ankle is "still sore" but he is practicing, and that Kevin Love has a stomach virus.
>> Guard Russell Westbrook turned his ankle during the Oregon game, but came right back into action. "That was a pretty good sprain that he had in the game and he came back out there," Howland said. "I asked our trainer [Carrie Rubertino], ‘How is he able to come back out?’ but he’s sprained it so many other times –- stretched out those ligaments many times -– so therefore he’s able to come back. He had soreness and will be sore today, but he should be able to practice. When I watched on film, he really turned it good."
>> On Josh Shipp’s 0-20 shooting slump on three-point shots, Howland said: "Today I had him come in. It’s probably, in reality, my poor coaching, just not doing enough repetitions. Shooting is repetition. Today, I had him come in this morning and he was 200 for 285 shots [70.2%]. He really shot well this morning, so a lot of it is my not doing a good enough job getting him in there and getting more shots, more repetition.
"Part of that too, is when you play a guy so many minutes and you’re beaten up –- and we ask him to do everything, play really good defense –- and still knock down shots from the perimeter, When you’re playing 35 minutes a game and you’re playing really hard, it’s not easy. But I think today was a really good step back in the right direction.
"He’s been coming in to look at the film of the last three games, just to see the shots. I’m really confident that he’ll get it going again. In fact, I want him to see the ASU game; he shot really well the first time we played ASU. When he’s open, we expect him to take the shot.
"One thing I think he’s got to do, is shot fake. So many people -– because he’s so good -– are running at him and flying at him, he’s got to be able to shot-fake it and bounce it some. He’s actually doing a better job of that."
>> The Bruin coach also said that it’s likely that he’ll be able to play Love and a resurgent Lorenzo Mata-Real at the same time again this season. "I could see those guys playing together again, though, especially when you look at the bigger lineups we’ll play against here in the future."
>> Howland added that he’s thinking about conditioning at this time of the season. "We didn’t practice yesterday; our guys lifted and did some biking and that’s always good to try and get two days off, especially this time of year. We’re playing our last game in February on Thursday and we’re almost into March.
"In one way, I thought Luc benefited from being out 13 days in that he seemed to have his legs back. At the end of our season, I tell them all to take a couple of weeks off, just so they can get their bodies back. We started back in October, and it is quite a physical pounding, so there’s a fine line between making sure they get enough shots and enough repetition and then doing too much to where it affects you, especially with a limited bench. The fact that I’m not playing our bench a lot makes it more difficult, especially for Darren [Collison], Russell, Josh in particular."
>> Concerning Arizona State (17-9, 7-7 in the Pac-10) on Thursday, Howland said he didn’t anticipate substantive changes in how the Bruins will prepare for the Sun Devils in their second game of the season. "They’re still doing the same defense -- that’s a match-up, 3-2 zone with a lot of switching, man-to-man principles. Our preparation for an opponent, in terms of how we do it, doesn’t change. It’s just based on personnel, what they’re doing different, if they’re doing something different than the first time."
Even though the Bruins won easily in their first meeting at home, 84-51, Howland expects a tough game Thursday and into the future. "Look at the youth of the team right now, it’s incredible," he explained. "They have good, young players in their program. They’re going to be very good not only this year. I think we’re going to get six, seven teams in [to the NCAA Tournament] and they’ll be one of them. If they beat us on Thursday, it obviously enhances their resume to get in. So we know they’re going to play very, very hard and be very motivated. That’s the same thing we saw on Saturday; if Oregon beats us, that enhances their chances of getting into the NCAA Tournament."
>> Beyond Shipp’s slump from long range, Howland also wants his team to work on foul shooting. "We didn’t shoot the fouls well this last weekend; that’s one thing that was a sore point. We’re going to work on it today at the end of practice because we’ve got to make our foul shots and we’ve been doing a very good job of that this year. I think this is the best foul-shooting team we’ve had since I’ve been here. It can be very frustrating for a coach, I know; I’ve been there."
>> Asked about the Memphis-Tennessee game last Saturday, he said the close loss by the Tigers "probably helps them in the long run, to lose that game and get [rid of] that pressure of being undefeated. Ask the Patriots: was it important to be undefeated or to win the whole thing?"
In response to a question about whether he prefers to play a tough schedule or be much better than every team he plays, Howland intimated that he’d prefer both. "I’d rather win every game and be way better than everybody else. It would sure make me happier."
Ben Howland photo courtesy UCLA.
 UCLA’s two-time Academic All-American center, Chris Joseph, has been awarded an NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship. He’s one of 58 fall-sport student-athletes (29 men and 29 women) who will receive the one-time grant of $7,500.
Joseph (pictured) was a starter at guard in 2006 and at center in 2007 and compiled a 3.95 GPA at UCLA with a major in geography. He earned first-team Academic All-America honors in both 2006 and 2007. He’s the 63rd NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship from UCLA and the 17th in the sport of football.
Also of note:
>> The Times’ UCLA beat writer Chris Foster reports that Bruin players will start 7-on-7 drills at Spaulding Field next week in advance of the opening of spring practice on April 3. Such sessions are strictly arranged by the players and coaches are not allowed to be involved.
>> The Bruin coaching staff has been busy with meetings with all of the returning players, as well as meetings with recruits who have signed letters of intent.
Chris Joseph photo courtesy UCLA.
Don’t go to Jackie Robinson Stadium today if you’re looking for the baseball matchup between UCLA and Cal State Northridge. That game has been moved to CSUN’s Matador Field beginning at 2 p.m. because of the continuing wet conditions at the Bruins’ home field.
Sophomore left-hander Matt Drummond will start for the Bruins, facing righty Drew Muren of Northridge, a freshman making his first collegiate start. The game will be audiocast on uclabruins.com with Danny Lee at the microphone.
UCLA’s Wednesday game against UC Santa Barbara is still scheduled for a 6 p.m. start at Jackie Robinson Stadium. Also:
Softball:
>> UCLA’s Anjelica Selden struck out 17 Northwestern Wildcats on Sunday as the fifth-ranked Bruins won 6-2 against the second-ranked team in the country. She’s now 7-1 on the season and the Bruins improved to 13-2. In the three games she pitched at the Palm Springs Classic over the weekend, she was 3-0 with 38 strikeouts in 22 innings! The Bruins will face Cal State Bakersfield at Easton Stadium on campus on Wednesday, beginning at 2:30 p.m.
Men’s Basketball:
>> In the latest RPI calculation by Ken Pomeroy, UCLA ranks ninth in the nation. Tennessee and Memphis are 1-2, followed by North Carolina, Texas, Duke, Xavier, Georgetown and Kansas. Vanderbilt ranked 10th. Other Pac-10 rankings include Arizona at 17, Stanford at 20, Washington State at 22, USC at 39, Oregon at 56 and Arizona State at 69.
Women’s Gymnastics:
>> UCLA not only lost to No. 2 Utah on Sunday, 197.450-195.825, but suffered injuries to all-around stars Anna Li (ranked No. 2 in the nation in the all-around) and Brittani McCullough during the floor exercise. Both are being evaluated in advance of Sunday’s meet with Oregon State in Pauley Pavilion. The Bruins dropped to 12-1 on the season, while the Utes improved to 9-0 and 22-2 all-time against UCLA.
Women’s Tennis:
>> UCLA (8-2) is ranked seventh in the nation, but has three ranked opponents on the schedule this week, starting with No. 8 Baylor (9-1) at the Los Angeles Tennis Center today at 1:30 p.m. Third-ranked Stanford and 11th-ranked Cal come to town for matches on Friday and Saturday. Bruin senior Riza Zalameda has risen to a No. 10 national ranking in singles.
Women’s Water Polo:
>> The top-ranked Bruins (17-0) took a thrilling sudden-victory match against No. 2 Stanford on Sunday to win the UC Irvine Invitational. Senior Gabrielle Domanic’s goal with seven seconds to play in the third (sudden victory) overtime period was the game-winner. Junior goalkeeper Brittany Fullen had a career-high 15 saves in the match and was named the Mikasa Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Player of the Week.
UCLA moved up to fourth (from sixth) in the Associated Press (writer’s) poll today, with Tennessee and Memphis ranked 1-2 and North Carolina third. Also:
>> The roster for the Jordan Classic, a high school all-star game to be played April 19 at 7 p.m. (Eastern time) at Madison Square Garden and televised by ESPN2, contained some familiar names for Bruin fans. Guards Jrue Holiday from North Hollywood Campbell Hall and Malcolm Lee from Riverside J.W. North and power forward Drew Gordon of San Jose Archbishop Mitty -– all of whom have signed letters of intent to attend UCLA in the fall –- were selected.
>> The special white-and-pink jerseys worn by UCLA for its "Think Pink" Week game against Washington at Pauley Pavilion on Feb. 10 were auctioned online after the game and raised $5,062.60. All of it will be donated to the Revlon/UCLA Breast Center to further breast cancer research. The highest single bid was $660 for Erica Tukiainen’s No. 13 UCLA jersey.
Luke Winn of Sports Illustrated was in Memphis to see the Tigers battle Tennessee in a 1-vs.-2 match-up. Afterward, he reflected on the upcoming NCAA Tournament: There’s only a small pack of legitimate title hopefuls: Tennessee, UCLA, North Carolina, Duke, Kansas, Memphis and Texas. Our national champion won’t come from outside that group because the drop-off to the crowd that includes the rulers of the Big East (Georgetown, Louisville, Notre Dame and Uconn) and Big Ten (Wisconsin, Purdue, Indiana) is too big. Of the seven contenders, none has the mix of athleticism and quality depth that the Volunteers do. But if I were to fill out a bracket today, I’d be inclined to set up a Tennessee-UCLA title game with the Bruins winning, for three reasons:
• Much of UCLA’s roster already has either one or two Final Fours under its belt.
• Florida, the only team the Bruins have ever seemed to cower and hide from, is finally out of the picture.
• The lone UCLA starter without Final Four experience, Kevin Love, gives them an interior dimension that the Vols simply do not have.
On another matter, John Canzano of The Oregonian -– he who famously ran afoul of Colleen Bellotti in the Autzen Stadium press box last season -– wrote a very interesting column on Love and his quiet work with some kids at Nickerson Gardens in Southern California.
His column also included this: No, Love's not coming back to UCLA for another year.
Get that straight now.
His father Stan said Friday, "Kevin doesn't really talk about it, he doesn't really think about it, he doesn't want the whole NBA thing to be a distraction, but I can tell there's some pressure on him."
Understand, Love is a certain NBA lottery pick, which means a guaranteed three-year multimillion-dollar contract, which means that everyone, including his coach, Ben Howland, knows that Love's college experience will amount to less than a full calendar year. So yeah, welcome to Kevin Love's life -- the inner-city pipedream.
As we have noted previously, if Love is a lottery (top 14) pick -– and many mock drafts have him at 18-20 right now – he will certainly go. If not, it’s our opinion that he’ll be about 50-50 to stay another year and be a top-10 pick.
UCLA announced today that its regular season finale in men's basketball on March 8 versus California will begin at 12:30 p.m. The game will be televised by ABC.
The March 6 contest versus Stanford will tip at 8 pm and be televised by Fox Sports Net (FSN Prime Ticket in Los Angeles).
Thanks to losses by Kansas and Duke, UCLA moved up from sixth to fourth in this week's ESPN/USA Today college basketball poll.
Tennessee took the top spot after defeating Memphis on Saturday, with the Tigers falling from first to third. North Carolina ranks second, with UCLA fourth, followed by Texas, Duke, Kansas, Stanford in eighth, then Wisconsin and Georgetown. Washington State stayed in the poll at No. 22, and Arizona and USC also received votes this week.
A soggy weekend ruined some of the schedule, but for the Bruin men’s basketball team, things couldn’t be sunnier!
Baseball:
>> Last week: The Bruins finally got to play, but the schedule was re-arranged thanks to the weather. After a Friday rainout, UCLA opened its season Saturday with a dramatic 7-5 win over Oklahoma as right fielder Gabe Cohen blasted a two-run, walk-off homer in the bottom of the ninth inning. Freshman Dan Klein (1-0) got the win. In the second game of Saturday’s doubleheader, the Sooners came back to defeat UCLA, 3-2, in 12 innings. Starter Tim Murphy held Oklahoma to two runs in six innings and Brendan Lafferty pitched four innings of scoreless ball, but Klein gave up a run in the top of the 12th and took the loss (1-1).
>> This week: The Sunday game with Oklahoma was rained out, so the Bruins will play next on Tuesday at Jackie Robinson Stadium against Cal State Northridge and Wednesday against UC Santa Barbara. Game time for both is 6 p.m. On Friday, UCLA will host Southern at Jackie Robinson Stadium (6 p.m.) and then play Bethune-Cookman on ESPN2 on Saturday at 5 p.m. UCLA will have its first meeting of the season with USC at Dedeaux Field on Sunday, March 2 at 1 p.m.
Football:
>> Last week: UCLA confirmed last week that Eric Scott is no longer on the football staff and that Reggie Moore will be the wide receivers coach in 2008.
Men’s Basketball:
>> Last week: The Bruins began the week ranked No. 6 in the nation and they will move up thanks to defeats of teams ahead of them (Memphis, Kansas, Duke) and two wins against Oregon State (84-49) and Oregon (75-65). In Saturday’s game, UCLA (24-3, 12-2 Pac-10) trailed for almost 31 minutes and was down, 48-37, before dominating the final 13 minutes of the game, outscoring the Ducks, 38-17, to end the game.
>> This week: The Bruins head to Arizona for games against Arizona State (17-9, 7-7) on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. and against Arizona (17-10, 7-7) on Sunday at 1 p.m.
Men’s Golf:
>> Last week: The second-ranked Bruins finished second to No. 4 Alabama in the John Hayt Collegiate Invitational in Ponte Vedra, Fla., early in the week. UCLA soph Jason Kang tied for second at 214 (-2) for the three rounds and defending champion Kevin Chappell tied for 12th.
>> This week: The Bruin "Blue Team" (second squad) will play in the Cal State Bakersfield Spring Invitational at Seven Oaks Country Club on Monday and Tuesday.
Men’s Tennis:
>> Last week: The sixth-ranked Bruins had both of their matches canceled, against Arizona State and Arizona. Because these matches do not count in the Pac-10 standings, they will not be made up.
>> This week: Weather permitting, the Bruins (7-1) will be back in action Wednesday against UC Santa Barbara at the Los Angeles Tennis Center. UCLA will also send teams to the Pacific Coast Doubles Championship in La Jolla, being held from Friday through Sunday.
Men’s Volleyball:
>> Last week: UCLA (10-7, 7-6 in MPSF play) has lost four of its last six Mountain Pacific Sports Federation matches, losing twice this past week at UC Santa Barbara and at Cal State Northridge, both times in four sets. Sophomore Garrett Muagututia had a career night against the Matadors, hitting .480 with 31 kills, but UCLA failed to close out the third set despite having three set points and then lost the fourth set, 30-28.
>> This week: UCLA finishes its midseason, six-game road trip with two matches against Ball State in Muncie, Ind., on Friday and Saturday.
Women’s Basketball:
>> Last week: UCLA split two games on the road, defeating Oregon State in Corvallis, 55-52, on Thursday night and then dropping a 66-55 decision to Oregon at McArthur Court in Eugene on Saturday. As usual, senior Lindsay Pluimer led the Bruins in scoring in both games, with 17 and 15 points, respectively.
>> This week: The Bruins (14-13, 9-7 for fifth in the Pac-10) complete their regular-season schedule at home against Arizona State (17-9, 11-4 for 3rd in Pac-10) on Thursday night and against Arizona (9-18, 3-13 for 9th in Pac-10) on Saturday at 11 a.m. In the first meetings, UCLA lost to Arizona State and defeated Arizona on the road.
Women’s Golf:
>> This week: The No. 1-ranked women’s golf team will find out just how good it is starting Monday at the Wildcat Invitational in Tuscon. A total of 12 of the top 25 teams in the nation will compete, including No. 2 Duke (three-time defending NCAA champions), No. 3 Arizona State and No. 4 USC. UCLA boasts three players ranked in the top ten in the nation: All-American Tiffany Joh (5th) and freshmen Maria Jose Uribe (7th) and Glory Yang (9th).
Women’s Gymnastics:
>> Last week: The ninth-ranked Bruins eased past Arizona, 196.575 to 196.050, in Tucson to run their record to 12-0.
>> This week: No. 2-ranked Utah (8-0) comes to Pauley Pavilion today at 2 p.m. in a major test for the Bruins. The match will be Webcast live on the All-Access section of the uclabruins.com site (registration required).
Women’s Soccer:
>> Last week: UCLA’s sophomore scoring machine, Lauren Cheney, made the U.S. National Team for the Algarve Cup in Portugal from March 5-12. If she plays well, she has an opportunity to be part of the U.S. team for the CONCACAF Olympic Qualifying Tournament in April in Juarez, Mexico.
Women’s Softball:
>> Last week: UCLA is ranked fifth in the nation and has been busy at the Palm Springs Classic. The Bruin defeated Massachusetts, 4-2, and No. 18 Georgia, 5-2, on Friday and then followed up with two impressive wins Saturday. First, Anjelica Selden tossed a four-hitter as UCLA stomped No. 10 Baylor, 6-1, and then freshman Donna Kerr pitched a one-hit shutout as the Bruins cruised past No. 14 Hawaii, 3-0, in the nightcap. Selden improved to 6-1 on the season while Kerr is now 5-1 with a 0.88 ERA.
>> This week: UCLA (12-2) finishes up in the Coachella Valley with a game against No. 2 Northwestern today, then hosts Cal State Bakersfield on Wednesday at Easton Stadium. The Bruins then head south to the San Diego Invitational for five games in three days from Friday through Sunday.
Women’s Tennis:
>> Last week: The seventh-ranked Bruins were rained out against Arizona State on Friday, but defeated Arizona in Tucson, 6-1, yesterday to improve to 8-1 on the season.
>> This week: UCLA will take on Arizona State today in Tempe, weather permitting, and then start a busy week at home: Baylor on Tuesday at 1:30 p.m., Stanford (5-1) on Friday at 1:30 p.m. and California (3-2) on Saturday beginning at noon.
Women’s Water Polo:
>> Last week: No. 1-ranked UCLA drowned Cal State Northridge, 12-4, and No. 9 Loyola Marymount. 11-6, on Saturday at the UC Irvine Invitational. Katie Rulon had four goals in the opener and Brittany Rowe added three goals against LMU to lead UCLA.
>> This week: UCLA (16-0) zipped past No. 5 Cal, 9-4 this morning and will play in the tournament championship match this afternoon at 5:15 p.m. Courtney Mathewson, Rowe and Anne Belden each had two goals for UCLA and goalkeeper Brittany Fullen had 11 saves. The Bruins have only one other match this week, at UC Santa Barbara next Saturday at noon.
The Bruins managed a 75-65 win today against Oregon, coming back from a 48-37 deficit to maintain its first-place standing in the Pac-10. The crowd of 11,355 was loud, topping out at 112 decibels, about the same as being on the tarmac as a jet plane takes off. Other notes:
>> UCLA improved to 24-3 and 12-2 in the Pac-10 while Oregon dropped to 15-12 overall and 6-9 in the conference.
>> UCLA now leads the all-time series at 79-25 and has a 44-5 record in Los Angeles (39-5 at Pauley Pavilion).
>> Bruin Coach Ben Howland is now 8-2 against Oregon at UCLA.
>> Oregon forward Maarty Leunen had a team-high 11 rebounds, moving into third place all-time on the Ducks rebound list with 863. It’s the most rebounds by a Duck in 31 years since Greg Ballard finished his career with a school record 1,114 in 1977. Leunen is the active leader in Pac-10 rebounding. His double-double with 17 points and 11 rebounds was his 16th this season.
>> Bruin center Kevin Love had his 16th double-double of the season with 15 points and 11 rebounds. He has had 10 double-doubles in his last 12 games.
>> UCLA’s total of 75 points in the 18th time this season that it has scored 70 or more points. The Bruins are 18-0 in those games.
>> UCLA’s largest deficit of the game was 11 points at 48-37, but the Bruins are now 3-2 in games in which they have trailed by 10 or more points. The Bruins led for only 9:01 in today’s game; Oregon had the lead for 30:59.
>> UCLA converted 57% of its offensive possessions into points: 17-31 in the first half (54%) and 21-36 (58%) in the second half. Oregon converted 48% with 17-29 in the first half (58%) and just 15-37 (41%) in the second half. The Bruins scored on their last nine possessions and made eight of 10 free throws in the final three minutes. >> UCLA’s junior class, which includes Darren Collison, Luc Richard Mbah A Moute, Alfred Aboya and Michael Roll, is now 86-16 in almost three seasons.
>> The only negative today was Josh Shipp's 0-1 from three-point range, so he's now in an 0-20 slump.
Quotes from Oregon Coach Ernie Kent:
"I thought we had an excellent game plan going into tonight’s contest. We executed it for the first 30 minutes; unfortunately, a basketball game is 40 minutes. We did the same thing against USC. We played one of our best games against one of the top teams in the country, but our poise has to be a lot better in the stretch of the contest. Our goal now is to get three more wins and get to the Pac-10 Tournament. That’s our only goal right now.
"We had 11 turnovers in the second half. It doesn’t take a mathematician to figure out that that’s going to hurt you eventually. We did the same thing against SC. Tajuan Porter is struggling sometimes at key points in the game. We just have to have better leadership and poise at key points of the game. It was easier last year when we had Aaron Brooks because we could depend on him for our leadership.
"Overall, our basketball team stood out; we all did a good job. Our bench really helped us out. Malik [Hairston] played well as well as Bryce Taylor. We played solid basketball for the first 30 minutes."
Quotes from UCLA Coach Ben Howland: "That was another great example of an opposing team giving us their best shot. Oregon is a very good team and they played extremely hard. I believe they’re an NCAA team, even with their current record. We dug a big hole in the beginning, but I was proud of how our guys fought back and kept our composure.
"We did a better job attacking our basket in the second half. We also fought hard on the boards to get valuable second shots. I thought our defense down the stretch was phenomenal and our steals helped us to this win. You have to give Darren Collison a lot of credit for not only scoring, but handling the basketball, but also in slowing down Tajuan Porter. I was happy for Russell [Westbrook], especially coming back from missing a layup and rolling his ankle. He is all about the team and it was good that he made some plays for YouTube. Luc’s defense on a great player like Maarty Leunen was phenomenal. We also rebounded well and that made a difference for us all game.
"Kevin Love’s last eight minutes were very important for us in our comeback. Mata-Real’s minutes were also extremely important for us. He was a great lift off the bench and his big blocks and tip-back shot really helped us cut the lead."
Tajuan Porter's lightning-fast release on a three-point shot at the buzzer gave Oregon the halftime lead, and he's the leading scorer in the game with 11 points, including 3-5 on three-point shots.
The Ducks shot 48.3% from the field to UCLA's 56.5%, but Oregon had six more attempts and out-rebounded the Bruins, 15-12. For the Bruins, Russell Westbrook and Luc Richard Mbah A Moute had seven each, but the team is 0-4 on three-point tries with Josh Shipp continuing his slump at 0-1.
>> Coming back on the court for second-half warmups, Kevin Love appears to be walking normally and without any special wrapping on his left leg.
>> The Bruin offense continues to struggle, and even when UCLA had a breakaway Westbrook slipped and fell to the ground. He got up and appeared to just twist his ankle. Oregon leads, 40-35, with 15:43 to play. UCLA is 2-8 from the floor in the second half.
>> An 11-2 run sparked by Porter's ball-handling and shooting gave Oregon a 48-37 lead with 13:55 to go, but the Bruins came right back with five points, including a thunderous Westbrook dunk. Love missed two foul shots, and a Maarty Leunen basket has Oregon up, 50-42, with 11:56 to play.
>> UCLA has ratcheted up the intensity several notches, and a 13-4 run that included a Westbrook three-pointer has brought the Bruins back to 52-50 with 7:58 to play. The Bruins have missed layin after dunk after jumper and are shooting only 8-24 in the second half. The Ducks have only 11 second-half shots, but have made seven (63.6%). Oregon has 15 turnovers and the Bruins have 12 steals.
>> The Bruins have ridden a 22-6 run featuring rugged defense and a Collison three-pointer for a 59-56 lead with 3:39 to play and a one-and-one coming to Love. Oregon is now down to 7-16 from the floor in the half and the Ducks haven't made a field goal since 10:54 to play. And they're up to 17 turnovers.
>> Since trailing with 13:27 to go by 37-48, the Bruins rushed to the finish, outscoring Oregon 38-17 to win the game, 75-65. UCLA made eight of 10 free throws in the final three minutes to ice the game. Collison led four men in double figures with 17 and Westbrook added 16. Love had another double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds.
Final score: UCLA 75, Oregon 65
The Bruins' student section is on its best behavior concerning the Ducks, but it doesn't apply to ESPN commentator and former Bruin Coach Steve Lavin. So when he showed up at courtside with a deep burgundy tie, the students started screaming, "Take off that red tie!" Somehow, a student came up with a yellow-and-blue striped tie, and Lavin appeared to promise to change! Look for it on the telecast.
>> Oregon is wearing some of the strangest jerseys in history, courtesy of Nike. They're black, with black lettering and individual names, which makes them unreadable! At least the numbers are in a contrasting yellow!
>> The Bruins are down 10-4 at the first TV timeout, with the Ducks shooting 67% (4-6) and UCLA only 2-6 for 33%. UCLA is having a difficult time with the Oregon defense, which packed in to try to handle Kevin Love and drives by Darren Collison.
>> It's 17-17 with 11:38 to go as the Bruins already have four steals to slow the Ducks, which are shooting 7-9 from the field (77.8%). Josh Shipp brought the house down with a thunderous breakaway tomahawk dunk to bring the Bruins even.
>> It's 25-23 for Oregon with 3:50 to go in the half, and Alfred Aboya on the line for two shots. The teams have come down to earth with Oregon now at 43.5% (10-23) and the Bruins at 55.6% on 10-18. But the Ducks have controlled the tempo and are out-rebounding the Bruins, 12-10. It's still a challenge for the Bruins to get a good shot at the offensive end.
>> Bad news with less than a minute to go, as Love crumbled to the ground with a left leg injury. The Bruins tied the game at 31-31 on a Russell Westbrook dunk, but Tajuan Porter threw in a long-range, three-point shot to give the Ducks the halftime lead.
Halftime score: Oregon 34, UCLA 31
The Bruins are 14-point choices to knock off Oregon today at Pauley Pavilion and maintain their grip on first place in the Pac-10. With the over-under line at 143, the sharpies have penciled in a 78-64 UCLA win. Also of note:
>> The Ducks will start three players who shoot 50% or better from the field, all in the front court: Malik Hairston (51.7%), Maarty Leunen (56.2%) and Joevan Catron (54.2%). But the Ducks are shooting only 48.2% as a team because guards Bryce Taylor (48.9%) and especially Tajuan Porter (37.6%) aren't holding up their end. Porter has had an especially difficult season from behind the arc, making only 33.9% of his three-point shots. He made 110 three-point shots last season; he's at only 62 so far this season.
>> Looking for keys? Porter's three-point shooting and the continually improving play of sophomore forward Joevan Catron will be big for the Ducks. Catron played against UCLA in the first game in Eugene, Ore., after coming off an injury that had sidelined him for six games. In his eight games back, he's scored in double figures four times, including 14 against USC on Thursday.
>> The Bruins have won two games in a row from Oregon and four in a row at Pauley Pavilion. All-time, the Bruins are 46-5 in Los Angeles against the Ducks.
>> After the rough time that Oregon's student section, the Pit Crew, gave the Bruins in general and Kevin Love in particular at the game in Eugene, an e-mail message was sent to UCLA student-section ticket holders this week that read: When Kevin Love was asked about the experience when traveling to the Oregon schools, he stated "It was brutal up in Oregon, but I took the high road and didn't let it get to me."
The hope is that our fans will never subject anyone or any student-athlete to behavior that is unsportsmanlike. Please make sure that you and other Bruin fans continue to enjoy the game with class and refrain from making personal comments about opposing student athletes.
We are UCLA . . . cheer like champions and support your Bruins.
>> The game is being televised to about 80% of the country on ABC, with Brent Musburger and ex-Bruin Coach Steve Lavin handling the microphones.
It’s a busy weekend for the Bruins, with four teams playing on campus and two hoping not to be rained out. In addition to the men’s nationally televised basketball game Saturday against Oregon, the undefeated women’s gymnastics team will face its severest test of the season — and measure its possibilities on the national level — at home Sunday against No. 2-ranked Utah.
Baseball:
>> The Bruins — ranked as high as No. 1 in one poll — were to start their 2008 season Friday, but their game against Oklahoma was rained out. Weather permitting, a doubleheader will be played at Jackie Robinson Stadium at noon Saturday. Sophomore left-hander Gavin Brooks (6-7 last season, 4.47 ERA) will start for the Bruins in game one, with junior lefty Tim Murphy (5-4, 5.68 ERA last season) in game two. Fans who attend the Bruins’ basketball contest with Oregon can gain free admission to the nightcap by simply showing their basketball ticket stub at the admission gate.
Softball:
>> No. 5 UCLA continues its second straight week on the road, this time in the Coachella Valley at the Palm Springs Classic. The Bruins won twice Friday, defeating Massachusetts, 4-2, in its first game and then coming from behind to top No. 18 Georgia, 5-2. Freshman Donna Kerr improved to 4-1 on the season with an assist from Angelica Selden, who earned a save for pitching the seventh inning. Selden (5-1) then went all the way in the nightcap, allowing only two hits and striking out 13. On Saturday, UCLA will face No. 10 Baylor at 12:30 p.m. and No. 14 Hawaii at 8 p.m. The Bruins will play powerhouse Northwestern at 11 a.m. Sunday.
Men’s basketball:
>> No. 6 UCLA is now 23-3 on the year and 11-2 in the Pac-10, and will try to stay in first place against Oregon in a nationally televised game at 12:30 p.m. Saturday at Pauley Pavilion. The 15-11 Ducks (6-8 in the Pac-10) desperately need a win to bolster their NCAA Tournament selection hopes. The game will be seen locally on ABC with Brent Musburger and former Bruin Coach Steve Lavin calling the action. As always, the game will be on the radio on KLAC-AM (570), with Chris Roberts on play-by-play and Don MacLean as analyst.
Men’s tennis:
>> The sixth-ranked Bruins (7-1) were supposed to meet 5-0 Arizona State on Friday at the Los Angeles Tennis Center, but the match was canceled after 10 minutes of play because of rain. UCLA will meet 8-1 Arizona (weather permitting) at the tennis center at 1:30 p.m. Saturday, with the Arizona State match rescheduled for 11 a.m. Sunday.
Men’s volleyball:
>> The Bruins are ranked No. 6 in the country, but had a bad week, losing in four sets Wednesday at UC Santa Barbara and in four sets Friday night at No. 4 Cal State Northridge. UCLA is now 10-7 overall and 7-6 (fifth) in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation.
Women’s basketball:
>> UCLA improved to 14-12 overall and 9-6 in the Pac-10 with a tight 55-52 win Thursday at Oregon State. Now standing fifth in the Pac-10, UCLA will play Saturday at McArthur Court in Eugene, Ore., against 11-16 Oregon with tip-off at 2 p.m. The game will be audiocast live on uclabruins.com, with Dave Marcus and Jamila Veasley at the microphones. It’s UCLA’s last road trip of the regular season as the Bruins will finish at home next week against the Arizonas.
Women’s gymnastics:
>> The ninth-ranked Bruins knocked off Arizona in Tucson on Friday night, 196.575-196.050, to run their record to 12-0 this season in advance of Sunday’s showdown with Utah at Pauley Pavilion. The second-ranked Utes are 6-0 this season and have a stunning all-time record of 21-2 against the Bruins. The match will begin at 2 p.m. Sunday and will be webcast on the all-access channel of uclabruins.com, with Darren Preston and former U.S. Olympian Steve McCain on the call. Fans wearing blue to Pauley will receive $2 off admission, and the first 1,000 fans wearing blue will receive Bruin foam "paws."
Women’s tennis:
>> Seventh-ranked UCLA (7-1) saw its match with No. 18 Arizona State (6-0) rained out Friday in Tempe; it will be made up Sunday (weather permitting) beginning at 10 a.m. Pacific time. Saturday’s match at Arizona (5-3) is hoped to start on time at noon.
Women’s water polo:
>> No. 1-ranked UCLA cruises into the UC Irvine Invitational with a glossy 13-0 record and will play Cal State Northridge at 9 a.m. Saturday, and then either Arizona State or Loyola Marymount at 2 p.m. Both games will take place at Corona del Mar High School. The Bruins also will play Sunday against an as-yet-undetermined opponent.
Although Oregon’s student section was, to be charitable, overly boisterous when the Bruins defeated the Ducks at McArthur Court on Jan. 24, Bruin Coach Ben Howland told reporters on a conference call Friday that he would not be speaking to UCLA’s student section — known as The Den — before Saturday’s 12:30 p.m. game at Pauley Pavilion.
"I’m not worried about our fans doing something outlandish or ridiculous," he said. "I would hope that they would be responsible and support our team and be loud for us, and not be demeaning or derogatory to the other team. I never like that."
Howland acknowledged that the Ducks (15-11 overall, 6-8 in Pac-10 play) will be hungry for a win Saturday and that the situation on the floor has changed since the game in Eugene, Ore. "When we played them the first time, [Joevan] Catron was just coming back off his injury, so he didn’t play as much as he’s playing now. It [was] different then than it is now."
Asked how he expects the Ducks to deal with UCLA and freshman center Kevin Love this time around, the Bruin coach noted that "Kevin is a guy who creates problems down low because he’s so good down there. So what they do is try to front him and try to help from the weak side. They’re playing some zone; they zoned last night against USC a number of possessions. They haven’t zoned as much this year as they have in the past, but we’ll definitely see some zone tomorrow."
Even with the 6-6 Catron back, the Ducks are fairly small along the front with 6-6 Malik Hairston and 6-9 Maarty Leunen. With the availability of Love, 6-8 Luc Richard Mbah A Moute, 6-9 Lorenzo Mata-Real, 6-8 James Keefe, 6-9 Alfred Aboya and 6-9 Nikola Dragovic in the front court, the Bruins could field a much bigger front line Saturday. "Where that helps us, more than anything," Howland said, "is defensively and rebounding-wise, more than the offensive side of things. Our best offensive lineup [is] the five guys that start."
>> On why the Bruins are playing so much better with Mbah A Moute back in the lineup: "He’s very multifaceted. In a college game, he can guard anywhere from a five-man (center) to a one-man (point guard). So he’s really invaluable in that. He’s long, he’s athletic, he’s 6-8 and 230 pounds, with great quickness and strength and toughness. We have no one else like that."
>> Howland also complimented Love on his progress at the defensive end: "He’s really improved a lot from earlier in the season to now. He’s a much better defender than he was earlier. I think he’s doing a very good job and defensive rebounding is a big part of it. He’s by far the best defensive rebounder that we’ve had here, that I’ve had since I’ve been a head coach. He’s doing a much better job at extending, helping and hedging. A lot of people are trying to run off of him; ball screens, seeing if they can get him before he can get there; he’s doing a very good job. He’s made a lot of improvement in that area."
>> Howland added: "I was really happy about how Lorenzo played last night. He did a really good job both in the first and second half." Asked if Mata-Real would see floor time, the Bruins coach said "his playing time is dictated by the matchups and who we’re playing against."
Saturday’s game will be televised on ABC with Brent Musburger and Steve Lavin (!) scheduled to call the action.
No trouble for the Bruins tonight as they played solidly throughout against a very inferior opponent (including two players — Marcel Jones and Sean Carter — on suspension) and had four players score in double figures. Of note:
>> UCLA improved its overall record to 23-3 and 11-2 in the Pac-10. Oregon State fell to 6-20 and 0-14 in the conference. The Beavers have lost 15 in a row.
>> In the all-time series, UCLA now leads 83-33 and has a 46-7 edge in Los Angeles. UCLA has won the last seven in a row from Oregon State and five in a row at Pauley Pavilion.
>> UCLA Coach Ben Howland improved his record against Oregon State to 9-3. The Beavers' interim coach, Kevin Mouton, is now 0-2 against UCLA.
>> The Bruins had a seasonal high in blocked shots with 10 (best previous, seven vs. Washington on Feb. 10).
>> Guard Darren Collison equaled his season high of nine assists tonight, also achieved vs. Arizona State.
>> UCLA held Oregon State to 34.5% from the field tonight, the lowest shooting percentage against the Bruins in conference play (previous low, 36.2% at Cal).
>> The Bruins had a 43-24 edge in rebounding (+19), equaling the team’s rebound-margin high for the season (three other times) and the best performance in conference play.
>> The Bruins equaled a seasonal high in assists (20), done twice before, and set a conference season high.
>> No UCLA player had 30 or more minutes tonight, the first time that has happened in the conference season. The last game this season in which no UCLA player had 30 minutes of playing time was the 76-48 win over UC Davis on Dec. 29.
Quotes from Oregon State Interim Coach Kevin Mouton:
"They got away really fast. When we got it to 11 (34-23), we were using the clock and we made them play defense. Early, we missed a lot of layups we could not finish. We accomplished what we wanted to do early, but our layups would not go down. We got to the line, but we missed some free throws. I think SC is very similar to UCLA; if we can spread it out and use some clock, we could get some opportunities.
"One thing they had on us is size and strength. I was disappointed how we came out (in the second half); we need to have more energy. We can’t let them push us around. We understand that they are a physical club. The one player who stood out was Joey McConnell. He is going to play. He played hard; when we put him in the game, our offense ran a lot better.
"I would not be surprised if they make it back to the Final Four. Their help defense is as good as their one-on-one defense and they have been there before."
Quotes from UCLA Coach Ben Howland:
"I’m glad we came out and played hard all game. I thought Darren Collison and Russell Westbrook did an exceptional job of sharing the ball and running the team. Kevin Love had a fantastic first half. I also felt that Lorenzo Mata-Real did a great job for us tonight. He played well on both ends of the court and in both halves. We need him down the stretch and I was very happy with his play tonight.
"It was also good to get the reserves some valuable minutes. We have a huge game coming up on Saturday. Every game is going to be difficult, especially with everyone fighting for NCAA berths and seedings. Oregon is going to give us their very best game of the year, regardless of how they fared tonight at the Galen Center.
"We were very fortunate to get the win in Oregon as they are a very good team. We’ll have our hands full Saturday and are very fortunate to get some rest for some of our players."
The halftime salute to previous NCAA championship teams at UCLA was especially well-received tonight. The teams included the 1965 track and field team, represented by Coach Jim Bush and UCLA’s greatest-ever middle-distance runner Bob Day (3:56.4 for the mile in 1965!); the 1975 tennis squad, which included current Bruin tennis Coach Billy Martin; and two NCAA champion basketball teams: the 1970 team, represented by former guard Kenny Booker, and the 1973 team, represented by Larry Farmer, later a Bruin head coach himself.
>> Coming out of halftime, you would expect UCLA Coach Ben Howland to urge the Bruins to maintain their first-half intensity. They did. A 14-4 run has UCLA up, 63-33, with 14:43 to play in the game after a Russell Westbrook three-pointer from about 24 feet.
>> The carnage continues in the second half as the Bruins have a 76-40 lead with 6:13 to go and the starters are done for the night. This is the first time since before the start of the conference season that Howland has given his starters substantial rest. The Bruins are in the midst of a 13-3 run over the previous 5:29, featuring a Lorenzo Mata-Real dunk and a follow of his own missed shot.
>> How about Mata-Real! He’s doing the "Mata-Mash" with another dunk and then thrilled the crowd with a spin move into the lane for a left-handed "sky hook," then followed up with a right-hand hook from eight feet along the right baseline! With 3:08 to play, he has 11 points on 5-of-6 from the field, four rebounds and three blocks in just 17 minutes.
>> One of the loudest cheers of the night came when end-of-the-bench guard Matt Lee threw a perfect lob to the rim for a Chace Stanback dunk with 1:04 to go.
The outcome of the game was never in doubt, but the Bruins covered a 27-point spread with ease to win by 35 points.
Final score: UCLA 84, Oregon State 49
(A lack of Internet connectivity made it impossible to post highlights of tonight’s game while it was happening, so we can only bring them to you now that we have returned home and are able to connect.)
The Bruins were favored by 27 points tonight, with an over-under of 129, so the final was supposed to be UCLA 78, Beavers 51. Interestingly, on one betting site, about two-thirds of those wagering thought the Bruins would not cover. UCLA had defeated Oregon State by 23 points in Corvallis last month.
Through the first half, the game is closer than the line . . . but we're only at halftime.
>> The game started slowly with the Bruins leading only 10-9, but UCLA went on a 14-0 run in 3:55 to open the game to 24-9 with 11:23 to play. UCLA is enjoying 75% field-goal shooting and a rebound edge of 22-9 up to this point.
>> The Bruins are up, 38-23, with 3:56 to play in the half. UCLA is shooting 56% in the half and the Beavers are at only 36% but the Tarver brothers — Josh and Seth — have been strong with drives to the hoop and six points each so far.
>> It’s halftime and the game is over, but there's no mercy rule in basketball. From a 34-23 lead after an 8-2 OSU streak in 1:46, the Bruins ran off 13 points to four for the Beavers in the final 4:12. The halftime score is 49-27.
>> The only downer for the Bruins in the half is Josh Shipp's 0-1 shooting from three-point range, making him 0-16 in his last 4 1/2 games.
The halftime stats show the Bruins shooting 18-32 for 56.3% from the field and 10-14 from the foul line (71.4%). Kevin Love has 11 points and nine rebounds in the first half; Darren Collison has 10 points and five assists; and Russell Westbrook has nine points and six assists.
Oregon State manages 35.7% shooting in the half and is led by Josh Tarver with eight points. The Beavers have 11 rebounds to UCLA’s 26.
The Times’ UCLA beat writer, Chris Foster, has filed a must-read story on the Bruins’ offensive approach this coming season in separate interviews with Coach Rick Neuheisel and offensive coordinator Norm Chow. Highlights:
"I think we need to adapt what we do to our personnel," Neuheisel said, "rather than say, ‘Here’s our offense, oh we don’t have it. I think our offense needs to be able to morph into whatever we have and take advantage." He used the same player-based approach at Colorado and Washington, adding, "The ability to take your offense and match it to your personnel is what makes geniuses.""We’re going to run the ball," Chow said. "To win in this game, in any league, you have to run the ball." And, he added, "We’re not going to ask our kids to do something they are not capable of doing." "We can be flamboyant as long as we stick to our plan," Neuheisel said. "If we stick to our plan, and with Norm’s reputation as a play caller, we’ll be fine. We’ll make enough plays to get the ‘oohs’ and ‘aahs,’ and to get the best wide receivers, the best quarterbacks, the best running backs, the best tight ends and best linemen to want to come here."
Neuheisel added that he expects injured running back Raymond Carter to participate in spring practice drills, but not in any contact. Khalil Bell will not be back until fall, so the primary running backs during spring ball will be Christian Ramirez, Chane Moline and Craig Sheppard.
Separate from the interview, the Bruins also will move reserve tight end Scott Glicksberg to center during the spring, going back to his high school position on the offensive line. He’ll be taking the place of Nathaniel Skaggs, who will become a defensive lineman.
>> The Bruinsnation.com site put together an interesting compilation of NFL experience among the Pac-10 coaching staffs, and UCLA came out on top:
1. UCLA: 70 years of combined NFL experience (24 years of playing experience + 46 years of NFL coaching experience)
2. Stanford, 58 (24 + 34)
3. USC, 50 (21 + 29)
4. Washington, 38 (8 + 30)
5. Arizona State, 32 (3 + 29)
6. California, 13 (7 + 6)
6. Oregon State, 13 (1 + 12)
6. Washington State, 13 (13 + 0)
9. Oregon, 6 (0 + 6)
10. Arizona, 4 (3 + 1)
>> The Bruins have hired Frank Gansz Jr. as their special teams coach. His father, Frank Gansz, an assistant at UCLA in the 1970s and for two seasons the head coach of the Kansas City Chiefs, has been hired as the special teams coach at SMU by new Coach June Jones. The elder Gansz will be 70 in November and has been out of coaching since 2001.
Oregon State Coach Kevin Mouton has suspended senior forward Marcel Jones and freshman forward Sean Carter for tonight's game against UCLA for their roles in last week's trash-talking fracas with the University of Washington.
That leaves the Beavers in even more of a jam than they are normally. Oregon State has lost 15 in a row and is 0-13 in the Pac-10.
Jones is usually a starter at forward and was looking forward to a homecoming as he prepped at Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana.
Oregon State is reeling, and not just from having fired its head coach, Jay John, and an 0-13 conference record. In case you missed it, the Beavers lost to Washington at home by 38 points on Saturday, 97-59, and that wasn’t the worst of it.
Senior forward Marcel Jones and freshman center Sean Carter got into a trash-talking shouting match with some Washington players after the Huskies’ practice Friday, and then Jones left a message on Washington guard Joel Smith’s cellphone that his "butt-kicking was waiting" in the parking lot at the team’s hotel!
Interim coach Kevin Mouton — known these days as Coach Moo — told reporters Tuesday, "You know what? I think that will be the last call that [Jones] ever makes on his cellphone to somebody like that. I heard a comment that winners talk after games and losers talk before they lose. That sums it up in a nutshell."
Mouton hasn’t said whether he will discipline Jones or Carter, by either suspending them for the UCLA game on Thursday evening, or reducing their playing time.
It’s another sideline to a rematch of last year’s game at Pauley Pavilion, which the Bruins led by 30 points at halftime and won by 47, 82-35, and this season’s game in Corvallis, Ore. That one was tight for a half, but the Bruins ran away in the second half for an 85-62 win.
>> Dan Raley of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer looked ahead to the NCAA Tournament and noted that "no Pac-10 team has advanced to the NCAA Tournament with a 9-9 league record, but the exception undoubtedly will come this season, with everyone regularly beating up on each other.
" ‘I'd be shocked if we were 9-9 and didn't get in,’ said Arizona Coach Kevin O'Neill. 'I'd be surprised if anyone was 9-9 and didn't get in. If you had to play in this league, you'd see that 9-9 is a heckuva record and you could do something in the NCAA Tournament.’ "
>> The Bruin futures report continues bright as two of next season’s freshmen, guards Jrue Holiday and Malcolm Lee, were selected to play in the | |
