Yes, Ben Howland is happy

After beating Cal on Thursday, 81-66, Ben Howland seemed out of character. "I don't have a lot to complain about tonight," UCLA's coach said. "I'm pretty happy."

After beating Stanford on Saturday, 97-53, he was nearly giddy when talking about the play of Alfred Aboya. Nearly — which is as enthusiastic as Howland gets.

Asked about his quote from a couple of days earlier, Howland grinned. "Boy, I didn't know that quote would be emphasized so much! That was just kind of off the cuff. Yeah, I'm very happy today. I'm really proud of the effort we gave in both games. It feels good, obviously, to win — and feel like the team's improving, that we're getting better, that we're improving as a group. That's exciting."

Howland, who spent four years coaching Pittsburgh, also slipped in a comment about Sunday's Super Bowl. "Go Steelers!"

Later, Alfred Aboya said he's rooting for the Arizona Cardinals, since they beat his favorite team (the Philadelphia Eagles).

More feel-good vibes from Howland:

—Adam Rose

Photo: Victor Decolongon / Getty Images