A look at UCLA's bench

After UCLA's first Pac-10 loss to Arizona State, a lot of people — including Ben Howland — didn't think the Bruins used their bench effectively. After their second Pac-10 loss to Washington, it might be a trend.

In an average conference game this season, UCLA has called up five players off the bench for 54 minutes of action. Those reserves have responded by scoring 17 points per contest.

The numbers are tilted by a pair of blowouts (reserves saw more action) and an overtime game (reserves saw surprisingly little), but there's one stat that balances everything out. A Bruin starter averages 14.6 points per 40 minutes, while a player coming off the bench averages 12.6.

It's no shocker that starters are more effective scorers. What this math doesn't tell you is that the more a starter plays, the more he tires. That was a hot topic after ASU, when Darren Collison and Josh Shipp each played 42 minutes. The entire bench combined for just 43 minutes, which was a season low when you factor in the overtime minutes.

Thursday's narrow victory over Washington State featured less bench contribution than average, but where it gets interesting is in a game like Saturday's loss to Washington. The reserves accounted for very little time in what was probably the most up-tempo contest of the year. The Bruins' only game with more combined points this season was a blowout victory over Wyoming.

Here's a look at UCLA's bench production since Pac-10 play began:

• Oregon State — 70 mins, 30 points, five players (blowout victory)
• Oregon — 55 mins, 20 points, four players
• USC — 48 mins, four points, four players
• Arizona — 72 mins, 27 points, seven players (blowout victory)
• Arizona State — 43 mins, seven points, four players (overtime; Roll played 23 off the bench)
• Washington State — 49 mins, 13 points, five players
• Washington — 42 mins, 18 points, six players

In their last three games, the Bruins have struggled down the stretch. Darren Collison has said that playing a lot of minutes shouldn't be a problem — but is it possible these guys are getting a little tired?

Ben Howland likes a slow, grinding sort of game that just didn't materialize in Seattle. He doesn't like some of the media's preseason assessments that said UCLA is extremely deep at guard (the implication being that the Bruins could run the court more). But with the athletes on the Bruins' roster, it would be fun to see what happens if he leans on his bench and tries to match up-tempo teams like the Huskies.

—Adam Rose

Photo: Elaine Thompson / Associated Press