Valentine's Day hangover for UCLA

If you thought UCLA was killed by Arizona this weekend, step back in time a couple of days.

Like many creatures, the Bruins actually wandered into the desert, curled up and died.

It started at the end of the Arizona State game, when the Bruins couldn't pull away, couldn't hang on and couldn't catch up. Their weekend was over in Tempe, we just didn't know it until they got to Tucson.

Two games, two losses.

UCLA Coach Ben Howland acknowledged that the Bruins didn't have much time to prepare for Arizona. The ASU hangover didn't help.

Some impressive streaks also faded away under the desert sun, and we're not talking about those four blowout wins over Pac-10 opponents. At ASU, the Bruins lost their first weekend opener in conference play dating to a game against Stanford in 2005. That same season, UCLA started a winning streak at McKale Center, where home-court advatage finally returned for 'Zona after a four-year drought in its own hoops oasis.

It's too bad the state is abuzz over NBA All Star Week. If the Bruins visited later in the month month, maybe the "hope springs eternal" vibe of spring training would have rubbed off.

Instead, UCLA will return home to host the top team in the conference. The Bruins already fell to Washington earlier this season, and need a win to stay in the mix for the Pac-10 title. Otherwise, UCLA will be behind by 2 1/2 games with just five to go.

"This is going to be a gut-check week," Howland said.

Just as important as the Washington game is for the conference standings; it will test the Bruins (with time to prepare) against another up-tempo team. That sort of pressure caused headaches for UCLA in most of its losses this season and resulted in 14 first-half turnovers in its last game. Considering that late collapses and a lack of bench minutes were a concern last month, it's tempting to question conditioning — but the mistakes seem to be mental.

A combination of press and half-court zone has caused sloppy shooting and turnovers. When the Bruins weren't able to penetrate off the dribble, they fell back on their usually reliable outside shooting. Howland was unhappy with that approach because many of those shots from beyond the arc just weren't open.

The good news for UCLA is that the Huskies are better known for playing man-to-man defense instead of zone. If the Bruins can start penetrating (again) or hitting from the outside (again), the cure for this hangover may be a little hair of the Dawgs.

—Adam Rose

Photo: UCLA's Jrue Holiday drives on Arizona's Jamelle Horn.

Credit: Chris Morrison / US Presswire