Some days, it seems like UCLA just can't lose

UCLA fans always seem to start the weekend off right.

In the Pac-10, a team will typically play both schools from another state on the same weekend (making it easy to do just one trip to Arizona, Oregon, Washington, Northern California and Southern California — the latter two being two totally distinct states of mind).

The Bruins have won their weekend opener a stunning 32 consecutive times.

The last time they lost on a Thursday or Friday in conference was Jan. 20, 2005. Jordan Farmar was a freshman. George W. Bush was popular enough to be reelected. Tom Cruise hadn't jumped on Oprah's couch yet. Facebook still wasn't cool.

That's a long time ago.

Here in 2009, the Bruins just came through a rough stretch, dropping two out of three games with losses to Arizona State and Washington. The win was over Washington State — on a Thursday.

Last night, the Bruins had some serious Thursday mojo working. After roughing up Cal, 81-66, senior point guard Darren Collison thought about it for a moment. He figures the Bruins are feeding off of the crowd. "When it's an opener on a Pac-10 weekend, everybody's just up for it. They're excited."

Sure, college students like to start off the the weekend with a big party, but is that energy really translating onto the court? What about Coach Ben Howland's extra time to prepare? Or the players' time to rest?

"It could be a mixture of all of that," Collison said. "But I can honestly say that just feeding off the crowd" is a big reason.

—Adam Rose

Photo: Gary A. Vasquez / US Presswire