Sunday syllabus: the week that was and the week ahead

The men’s basketball team won a thrilling NCAA second round game Saturday to highlight and otherwise quiet Finals Week for most Bruin teams. Almost everyone is back in action this week, however, and the football team got good news as the NCAA approved the petitions of three players for additional eligibility.

Baseball:

>> Last week: The Bruins had most of the week off and probably wished they had the whole week off. UCLA lost all three games against No. 7 Long Beach State, starting with a 13-3 drubbing at Jackie Robinson Stadium on Friday (Tim Murphy took the loss, now 2-1, despite nine strikeouts in five innings). On Saturday, the Bruins lost a doubleheader at Blair Field in Long Beach, leading into the ninth inning of the first game, 2-0, before losing 3-2. Charles Brewer (2-2) took the loss, giving up all three runs in the bottom of the ninth. In the nightcap, Long Beach State (16-3) eased past the Bruins, 10-3, as Gavin Brooks (1-1) took the loss.

>> This week: UCLA is now 10-8 and has four games on the road this week. The Bruins play at San Diego State on Tuesday and then play a three-game series in Arizona against the Wildcats on Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

Football:

>> Last week: The NCAA approved the petitions of wide receivers Marcus Everett and Gavin Ketchum and defensive tackle Brigham Harwell for an additional year of eligibility. The NCAA did not approve Michael Pitre’s petition, and he has signed with an agent and will try to sign with a professional football team.

Rowing:

>> This week: The Bruins are back in action at the Windermere Stanford regatta this Saturday and Sunday. UCLA is undefeated thus far in the spring, winning against Loyola Marymount and San Diego State.

Softball:

>> This week: UCLA is ranked second in the country and will be back in action Tuesday in Santa Barbara with a doubleheader against the Gauchos beginning at 1 p.m. UCLA will then start Pac-10 play this weekend in Oregon, taking on Oregon State on Friday and the Oregon Ducks on Saturday and Sunday, all at Easton Stadium on campus.

Track & Field:

>> This week: Both the men’s and women’s teams will be at the Cal/Nevada Championships in Fresno this weekend Friday and Saturday.

Men’s Basketball:

>> Last week: The Bruins set a school record for wins with first- and second-round NCAA Tournament wins in Anaheim over Mississippi Valley State, 70-29, on Thursday and Texas A&M, 53-49, on Saturday. UCLA is now 33-3 on the season, the most victories ever for a Bruin basketball team. Guard Darren Collison led UCLA with 21 points Saturday and scored the winning basket on a drive in the final minute.

>> This week: Top-seeded UCLA marches on to the West Regional in Phoenix, where the Bruins will face 12th-seeded Western Kentucky (29-6) on Thursday. If UCLA should win that game, it will play in the regional final Saturday against either third-seed Xavier (29-6) or seventh-seed West Virginia (26-10).

Men’s Golf:

>> This week: The fourth-ranked Bruins will be in action this week in Alpharetta, Ga., at the U.S. Collegiate Championship on Monday through Wednesday with No. 2 Georgia, No. 3 Charlotte and No. 5 Oklahoma State in the field. On Friday, the Bruins will have a one-day dual match against Coastal Carolina.

Men’s Tennis:

>> This week: The Bruins are 12-1, have won six in a row and are ranked sixth in the nation. Their next match is against Loyola Marymount at the Los Angeles Tennis Center on Tuesday, starting at 2 p.m. They will head to the Northwest this weekend for matches against Washington in Seattle on Friday and Oregon in Eugene on Saturday.

Men’s Volleyball:

>> This week: Ninth-ranked UCLA is now 14-10 after upsetting No. 1 BYU in its last match on March 12. The Bruins return to action Friday against UC San Diego on the road, followed by a trip to Long Beach State to face the 49ers on Saturday at the Walter Pyramid. UCLA defeated UCSD in the only meetings between the teams, and the Bruins are 1-1 this season against the 49ers.

Women’s Gymnastics:

>> This week: The Bruins will be in action at the Pacific-10 Championships in Seattle on Saturday and could contend for the crown depending on team health. Despite injuries, UCLA has beaten conference opponents Arizona, California, Stanford, Oregon State and Washington so far this season.

Women’s Swimming:

>> Last week: The Bruins finished their 2008 season 31st in the nation in the NCAA Championships in Columbus, Ohio. Senior Nicolette Teo earned All-America honors with a seventh-place finish in the 100 m Breast, then came back to finish 12th in the 200m Breast and win Honorable Mention All-America honors in that event. Junior Anna Poteete was 27th in the 100 free and set a new school record of 49.23.

Women’s Tennis:

>> Last week: Although the Bruin team was off, senior Riza Zalameda was honored as the Pac-10 Player of the Week for March 10-16. Zalameda is ranked seventh in the nation, nearly made the field for the Pacific Life Open and then helped the Bruins smash USC, 6-1. It’s the third time in her career that she’s been selected as Pac-10 Player of the Week.

>> This week: The eighth-ranked Bruins (12-4) are back in action Tuesday at Hawaii and then return to face Oregon on Saturday at noon at the Los Angeles Tennis Center on campus.

Women’s Water Polo:

>> Last week: Senior Courtney Mathewson was named Mountain Pacific Sports Federation co-Player of the Week for her four goals that helped UCLA to an 8-7 win over third-ranked USC on March 14. She has scored at least one goal in each of UCLA’s last 11 matches.

>> This week: No. 1 UCLA (21-0) is in Hawaii this week and will play an exhibition game with the Canadian national team on Wednesday in Honolulu and then face Hawaii on Friday.