UCLA moves into college hoops Top 10
The Bruins hoped to make a good impression with their nationally televised victory over Notre Dame on Saturday, and apparently they did. The UCLA basketball team rose six spots to No. 6 in the latest ESPN/USA Today coaches poll and four spots to No. 11 in the Associated Press poll.
With four consecutive victories -- all by big margins -- UCLA is climbing out of a hole that saw the team drop from its No. 4 preseason ranking to as low as No. 17 in the AP poll just two weeks ago.
"We're really playing well right now; I think that's pretty obvious," Coach Ben Howland said after the 89-63 win over the Irish. "These last four games, we're playing at a new level and have really shown a lot of improvement."
The CBSSports.com RPI has UCLA at 26th in the nation.
The Bruins get a chance to test their new rankings on Thursday night when they play at No. 18 Arizona State.
-- David Wharton
Photo: UCLA head basketball Coach Ben Howland during Saturday's game against Notre Dame at Pauley Pavilion. Credit: Christine Cotter / Los Angeles Times
