Reeves Nelson scored nine points and grabbed nine rebounds last year against No. 1 Kansas.UCLA Travels To No. 4 Kansas
The Bruins lead the all-time series with Kansas 10-5, but the Jayhawks have the nation's longest homecourt winning streak at 63 games.
The Official UCLA Men's Basketball website
Nov. 30, 2010
GAMEDAY CENTRAL
DATE: Dec. 2, 2010
SITE: Allen Fieldhouse (16,300)
TIP-OFF: 8:05 p.m. (CT)/6:05 p.m. (PT)
TV: ESPN
TALENT: Jon Sciambi (play-by-play) and Fran Fraschilla (analyst)
RADIO (UCLA ISP SPORTS): AM 570 KLAC
SIRIUS SATELLITE RADIO: 113
SIRIUS XM SATELLITE RADIO: 141 (KU's broadcast)
TALENT: Chris Roberts (play-by-play) and Tracy Murray (analyst)
SERIES: UCLA leads series 10-5
IN THE POLLS
UCLA is unranked in the AP Top 25 and the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll (Nov. 29). Kansas is ranked fourth in both polls.
SERIES VS. KANSAS
This is the 16th meeting between the Kansas Jayhawks and UCLA with the Bruins leading the series 10-5. Kansas won the last meeting a year ago in Pauley Pavilion 73-61 on Dec. 6, 2009. The then-No. 1 Jayhawks were led by Markieff Morris, who came off the bench to tally 19 points and six rebounds. Xavier Henry had 16 points while Sherron Collins added 14 points for KU. Cole Aldrich had seven points and 12 boards for the Jayhawks, which won for the second time in six tries in Los Angeles. The Bruins were led by Michael Roll's 16 points while Nikola Dragovic added 14 points and seven boards. Malcolm Lee added 12 points, four rebounds, three assists, one block and one steal for UCLA. The Bruins also got nine points and nine rebounds from Reeves Nelson. Tyler Honeycutt was playing in his first collegiate game against KU after missing the first six contests with an injury and had three points, six rebounds, two steals and one assist in 19 minutes. UCLA Head Coach Ben Howland is 1-1 all-time against Kansas.
BRUINS' INJURY REPORT
Freshman guard Matt Carlino (concussion) was medically cleared to play in the Bruins' contests in New York but did not play due to coaches decision. Sophomore forward Brendan Lane injured his right knee in the first half of the game against No. 7 Villanova (Nov. 24). He returned to the contest and played 11 minutes in the second half. He woke up on Nov. 25 in pain and didn't practice. His MRI on Nov. 26 was negative and he played 26 minutes against VCU that same day, recording four points and three boards.
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No. 4 Kansas to Host UCLA in Big 12/Pac-10 Hardwood Series Thursday
The Official Kansas Jayhawks Men's Basketball website
Nov. 30, 2010
Storied Match Up
Two of the most storied men’s basketball programs will battle in the Big 12/Pac-10 Hardwood Series when No. 4 Kansas (6-0) plays host to UCLA (3-2) Thursday, Dec. 2, at 8 p.m. (Central) on ESPN2. Last year Kansas defeated UCLA 73-61 in historic Pauley Pavilion. Kansas ranks third in NCAA Division I history in all-time wins with 2,009, while UCLA is eighth with 1,689 victories. UCLA has won 11 NCAA titles, while Kansas has won five national championships. The Bruins have appeared in the Final Four 17 times and Kansas on 13 occasions. Basketball Hall of Famer Larry Brown coached at UCLA from 1979-81, and then guided Kansas to two Final Fours - 1986 and 1988 - including the 1988 NCAA National Championship.
Kansas is coming off an 87-79 win against Arizona in the championship game of the Las Vegas Invitational on Nov. 27. UCLA is looking to rebound from a two-game losing streak and brings a 3-2 record into Allen Fieldhouse. The Bruins advanced to the Preseason NIT semifinals before losing their last two contests in New York City.
About Kansas
Kansas takes the nation's active longest home court winning streak and school-record 63 wins in Allen Fieldhouse into the UCLA contest. KU is 6-0 for the second-straight season and fourth time under head coach Bill Self. KU is coming off its second Las Vegas Invitational title having won the 2006 event as well. Kansas leads the Big 12 in scoring at 92 points per game, scoring margin at +35.3, field goal percentage at 57.8, three-point field goal percentage defense at 21.1, assists at 22.0, blocked shots at 6.5, and assist-to-turnover ratio at 1.9. Junior forward Marcus Morris leads the team with a 19-point scoring average, which is fourth in the Big 12. Morris is third in the Big 12 with his 67.7 shooting percentage and averages 6.3 rebounds per contest. His twin, Markieff, is next in scoring at 12.3 points per game and he leads KU with 9.5 rebounds per contest. Marcus was the Las Vegas Invite most valuable player, while Markieff and sophomore guard Travis Releford (8.3 ppg) were named to the all-tournament team. Releford is tied for the team lead with eight three-pointers along with Marcus Morris and senior guard Tyrel Reed (9.0 ppg). Junior guard Tyshawn Taylor (9.3 ppg) and senior guard Brady Morningstar (5.5 ppg) join the twins and Reed in the starting lineup. Taylor leads the Big 12 in assists at 7.2 per game. Top reserves for Kansas include sophomore forward Thomas Robinson (10.7 ppg, 6.3 rpg), sophomore guard Elijah Johnson (6.5 ppg), senior guard Mario Little (6.5 ppg) and sophomore center Jeff Withey (3.5 ppg). Withey leads KU with 11 blocked shots.
About UCLA
Located in Los Angeles, Calif., with an enrollment of 37,500, UCLA is 3-2 on the season. The Bruins average 74.8 points and are giving up 66.8 for a +8.0 scoring margin. The Bruins average 16.8 assists per game and are outrebounding foes by four boards per contest. Sophomore forward Reeves Nelson averages a double-double for UCLA with 17.6 points and 10.4 rebounds per game. Sophomore forward Tyler Honeycutt leads the team in three-pointers with eight and he is second in scoring at 14.6 ppg and rebounding at 8.0 rpg. Junior guard Lazeric Jones leads UCLA with 20 assists to complement his 12.6 points per contest. Junior guard Malcom Lee (11.5 ppg) and freshman center Joshua Smith (7.4 ppg) round out the UCLA starters. Top reserves for UCLA include sophomore forward Brendan Lane (5.6 ppg, 5.0 rpg), freshman guard Tyler Lamb (3.8 ppg) and junior guard Jerime Anderson (2.6 ppg).
The KU-UCLA Series
UCLA leads the all-time series with Kansas 10-5 yet the Jayhawks won the last meeting last season in the Big 12/Pac-10 Hardwood Series 73-61 in Los Angeles. UCLA won the previous meeting 68-55 in the West Regional finals of the 2007 NCAA Tournament in San Jose, Calif. Five of the 15 matchups have come in NCAA Tournament play with UCLA winning each of those battles. This series dates back to 1958 and UCLA won the first eight meetings, but Kansas has won five of the last seven.
Big 12/Pac-10 Hardwood Series
Heading into the 2010-11 season, the Big 12 holds a 20-16 advantage in all matchups against the Pac-10 in the Big 12/Pac-10 Hardwood Series. Kansas is 2-1 in the series and faced Arizona in the first two years of the event and UCLA last year. The Jayhawks defeated Arizona 76-72 in overtime in 2007-08 in Allen Fieldhouse and the Wildcats won 84-67 in 2008-09 in Tucson. Last year, KU won at UCLA 73-61.
Kansas/Pac-10 Series
Not to overshadow the Big 12/Pac-10 Hardwood Series, but Kansas has become familiar with the Pac-10 Conference since the arrival of Bill Self in 2003-04. Under Self, Kansas has played 12 Pac-10 teams heading into 2010-11. KU has already played Arizona (a Kansas 87-79 win Nov. 27 in Las Vegas) this season and after its matchup with UCLA Thursday, the Jayhawks will face USC Dec. 18 and travel to California Dec. 22. Kansas is 8-4 against Pac-10 foes in the Bill Self era.
Team Notables
--Kansas leads the nation in scoring margin (+35.3), field goal percentage (57.8), assists (22.0) and assist-to-turnover ratio (1.9). KU also ranks in the top five nationally in scoring offense (third at 92.0) and three-point field goal percentage defense (third at 21.1). The aforementioned is also first in the Big 12.
--Under Bill Self, Kansas has led the Big 12 in field goal percentage defense all but one season and that year KU was second. The Jayhawks' field goal percentage defense through three games is 35.8 percent. Last year KU led the league and was fourth nationally with a 37.9 field goal percentage defense.
--Kansas' bench averages 36.5 points compared to its opponents' 19.5 ppg.
--Kansas' 57-point win against Ohio (98-41) in the Las Vegas Invitational was the third-largest margin of victory in the Bill Self era and the largest in a game away from Allen Fieldhouse in the Self era.
--Kansas went 6-0 in the month of November and has 12 straight wins in the month dating back to the 2008-09 season. In the Bill Self era, KU is 31-4 (88.6 percent) in the month of November.
--Kansas has used the starting line-up of Tyshawn Taylor, Brady Morningstar, Tyrel Reed, Markieff Morris and Marcus Morris in each of the last three games.
Individual Notables
--Junior Marcus Morris was named the Phillips 66 Big 12 Player of the Week on Nov. 29 following his Las Vegas Invitational MVP honors. Morris leads KU in scoring at 19.0 and has three games of 20-plus points this season. He has led Kansas in scoring in five of six games this season and has pulled down 17 rebounds in his last two games. Morris' 19.0 ppg is fourth in the Big 12. Morris' 67.7 shooting percentage is third in the Big 12.
--Junior Markieff Morris, twin of Marcus, was named to the Las Vegas Invitational all-tournament team. He is averaging 12.3 points per game, has scored in double figures in all but one game this season and had a season-high 15 points against Arizona (Nov. 27). Markieff's 9.5 rebound average is fourth in the Big 12 as he has pulled down eight-plus boards in five games this season. Markieff has led KU in rebounds in four games this season.
--Junior Tyshawn Taylor leads the Big 12 and is seventh nationally in assists per game at 7.2 and has led KU in assists in five of six games this season. In his last four games, Taylor is 12-for-19 (63.2 percent) from the field. He is scoring 9.3 points per game compared to 7.2 ppg last season. Taylor is third in the Big 12 in assist-to-turnover ratio at 2.5.
--Senior Tyrel Reed has started all six games and is averaging 9.0 points per contest. He is tied for the team lead with eight three-pointers made and is 10-for-10 from the free throw line. One of 30 nominees for the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award, Reed has 10 assists and six steals this season.
--Senior Brady Morningstar leads the Big 12 in assist-to-turnover ratio at 3.6. He leads Kansas with 12 steals on the season and his 2.0 spg average is tied for seventh in the Big 12. Scoring 5.5 points per game, Morningstar had a career-high 10 assists against North Texas on Nov. 19 and is tied for 13th in the Big 12 in assists at 3.0 per game.
--Sophomore Thomas Robinson scored 14 points on 5-of-7 shooting against Arizona. He had two dunks and was 4-for-5 from the free throw line against the Wildcats. Robinson averages 6.3 rebounds which is tied for 16th in the Big 12 and his 1.2 blocked shots per game are tied for 13th.
--Sophomore Travis Releford was a Las Vegas Invitational all-tournament selection that has made five three-pointers in his last two games and eight for the season. Releford is tied for the team high with eight three-pointers made. He has scored 10-plus points in each of his last three games, including a career-high 13 points against Ohio.
--Senior Mario Little is scoring 6.5 points per game and is shooting 61.5 percent from the field. He is averaging 4.3 rebounds in his last three games. Little, 6-6, has five blocked shots on the season.
--Sophomore Jeff Withey leads Kansas with 11 blocked shots and his 1.8 blocks per game are fourth in the Big 12. He is scoring 3.5 points per game. Withey averages 8.8 minutes per game compared to 3.0 last season.
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UCLA BASKETBALL NOTEBOOK: Bruins expecting to face big problems in KansasBy Jon Gold Staff Writer
Long Beach Press-Telegram
Posted: 11/30/2010 10:19:55 PM PSTUpdated: 11/30/2010 10:57:20 PM PST
Coming off a disappointing visit to the Big Apple, playing at Kansas is probably not UCLA head coach Ben Howland's dream scenario.
The Bruins were torched on the perimeter in two losses to No. 7 Villanova and Virginia Commonwealth, and now they have to prepare for a three-headed monster in the post in Lawrence.
Kansas twins Marcus and Markieff Morris combine for 31.3 points - 19 per game from Marcus - and 15.6 rebounds per game, while teammate Thomas Robinson has been a force off the bench, averaging 10.7 points and six rebounds.
UCLA has learned, and learned quickly, that this is not the same Kansas squad as last season, miles apart from the Jayhawks that were ranked No. 1 last season when they defeated UCLA 73-61 at Pauley Pavilion, behind Markieff Morris' game-high 19 points.
"They're different; they don't have that one dominant force in the middle," sophomore forward Tyler Honeycutt said of Kansas, which employed massive center Cole Aldrich last season. "I know Robinson's improved a lot, and so have the twins. They're going to be really hard to guard because they're so big and have great post moves."
That could be a problem.
Defense has not been UCLA's strong suit this season, and Howland has set out to fix it.
The team spent three hours breaking down the VCU game Sunday, a day after returning from New York following Friday's 89-85 loss to the Rams.
After, he showed the Bruins video clips of former defensive greats such as Arron Afflalo and Luc Richard Mbah-a-Moute.
"They just took more pride in the defense because they knew that by doing that, they could generate their offense," said sophomore forward Reeves Nelson, who leads the team in scoring at 17.6 points per game. "That's what Coach was trying to show us. He wants to put an emphasis on transition, but at the same time, if you don't get a lot of stops, you can't transition."
A foul issue
Center Joshua Smith's foul issues persisted in New York, as the 6-foot-10, 305-pound freshman picked up four more fouls against both Villanova and VCU, and he now has four fouls in all five UCLA games.
As a result, Smith hasn't put up the big numbers expected of him early as he's been relegated to just 16 minutes per game.
"We just talked about that earlier today, and he has a habit of reaching," Howland said. "He has to play with his feet set. Some of it, he has to get in better condition so that he doesn't play fatigued.
"But he had some bad calls go against him, and I made it clear - the biggest guy always seems to be singled out. He had a terrible call in the Villanova game, he was clearly there for a charge, and the guy ran him right over."
Howland also mentioned that Smith was brutalized on the glass, pointing out that a VCU guard wrapped his arms around him when he was setting up for a rebound, with no call coming.
"You can't allow guys to do that," Howland said. "If they're going to do that, you have to get them off you. Shaq learned. All these big guys learn."
Gimmicks? Who needs a gimmick?
UCLA's matchup with Kansas is its last game as part of the Pac-10/Big-12 Hardwood series.
Howland isn't sad about that fact.
"UCLA doesn't need any kind of scheduling gimmicks to help us get good games against people," Howland said. "Good teams want to play us. (The series has) helped other teams in our league get BCS-teams on the schedule for a home-and-home. It's not something we need help with."
Bumps and bruises
Freshman guard Matt Carlino is fully recovered from an early season concussion, though Howland didn't think it prudent to rush him back into action for the NIT trip.
"He's practiced the last two days, and he's getting back into things," Howland said. "I didn't use him in New York because he had one practice in two weeks. But after we came back Saturday, he shot around and did some conditioning."
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Kansas basketball team excited to play UCLA on Thursday
By Gary Bedore
KUSports.com
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Tyshawn Taylor, who has been a part of Kansas University’s tradition-rich college basketball program the past three years, acknowledges another school with vast hoops history — UCLA.
“It’s a storied program,” Taylor, KU’s junior guard from Hoboken, N.J., said in advance of Thursday’s 8 p.m., home game against the Bruins, who have won a record 11 NCAA Div. I championships entering the 2010-11 season. KU has won three NCAA Div. I titles to go with a pair of Helms Foundation national crowns for five overall.
“It’s a great history. They’ve got a great coach. They’ve got good talent,” added Taylor, whose Jayhawks rank second in history with 2,009 victories, while UCLA is eighth at 1,689.
Bruins’ coach Ben Howland has led UCLA to three Final Fours (2006, ’07, ’08) in his first seven seasons in Westwood, Calif. That run included a spot in the ’06 NCAA title game.
UCLA followed the Final Four run with a 26-9 record and spot in the NCAA Round of 32 in 2008-09, then an un-Bruin-like 14-18 mark last season.
“They’ve probably been struggling for the past couple years. Some schools go through that,” Taylor said. “It’s schools like that where you know they’ve got good players, they’ve got big-name guys, they’ve got a real good coach and they come from a program that you know they’re going to work hard, the coach is going to demand the best out of them.
“Those are schools you kind of sleep on just because they haven’t been the UCLA that we know, and then they come in here and they can beat us because they’re still UCLA. We’ve got to be ready. We’ve got to be prepared, play them like they’re the best team.”
The unranked (3-2) Bruins opened the 2010-11 campaign with home wins over Cal State Northridge (83-50), Pepperdine (79-69) and Pacific (57-44) before dropping Preseason NIT games to Villanova (82-70) and Virginia Commonwealth (89-85) at New York’s Madison Square Garden.
“I’m excited and our guys will be excited about playing arguably as storied of a program as there is in the country. I think our fans will be excited about that, too. The building should be jumping, without question,” KU coach Bill Self said.
The Bruins — who have reached 17 Final Fours to KU’s 13 — have been in a rebuilding mode of sorts since the falling apart of Rivals.com’s top-rated recruiting Class of 2008. That class consisted of No. 2-rated Jrue Holiday (left for NBA after one season), No. 25 J’Mison Morgan (dismissed from team, now at Baylor), No. 46 Drew Gordon (transferred to New Mexico seven games into last season) as well as No. 48 Malcolm Lee (current starter) and No. 37 Jerime Anderson (reserve).
KU’s recruiting Class of 2008 was ranked No. 2, right behind the Bruins. That class, which has helped the Jayhawks to a 66-11 record, consisted of the No. 77-rated Taylor, plus No. 29 Marcus Morris, No. 50 Markieff Morris, No. 70 Travis Releford and No. 150 Quintrell Thomas (transfer to UNLV). The large class also includes juco transfers Mario Little and Tyrone Appleton (left team after one year and never played again).
“Look at the players they’ve had,” Self gushed of UCLA under Howland. “Start with the (Aaron) Afflalos, the (Darren) Collisons, the (Russell) Westbrooks, the Kevin Loves. Now they’ve got Joshua Smith, a McDonald’s All-American, highly recruited, (Tyler) Honeycutt, another McDonald’s All-American playing the three. They’re good.”
Sophomore forward Reeves Nelson averages a team-leading 17.6 points and 10.4 rebounds per game. Sophomore forward Honeycutt averages 14.6 ppg and 8.0 rpg. Junior guard Lazeric Jones averages 12.6 ppg and junior guard Lee 11.5 ppg.
Self by the way, like combo guard Taylor, is well-versed in UCLA history. KU’s coach was a long-time admirer of the late John Wooden.
“Nobody in the 1960s, in the ’70s beat them. Very rarely did they ever lose, certainly not in the NCAA Tournament,” Self said, referring to a stretch from 1963-64 to 1974-75, in which Wooden’s Bruins won 10 national titles.
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Coach Ben Howland spends nearly three hours dissecting tape of the Bruins' loss to Virginia Commonwealth, pointing out every rushed shot and lapse. He then shows some of his better defensive teams as contrast.UCLA 's latest tape, and old tapes, give lessons on defense
UCLA BASKETBALL FYI
November 30, 2010
By Ben Bolch
The Los Angeles Times
Better to have learned and lost than to never have learned at all?
That could be UCLA's mantra after two defeats in New York that left Coach Ben Howland with plenty of teachable moments. Howland spent nearly three hours dissecting tape of the Bruins' loss to Virginia Commonwealth with his players, pointing out every rushed shot and defensive lapse.
"Just the first half alone was an hour and a half," sophomore forward Tyler Honeycutt said Tuesday.
Howland also dipped into the video archives, showing players some of his better defensive teams going into lockdown mode. There were clips of Russell Westbrook stealing passes and Alfred Aboya defending the post and Lorenzo Mata-Real hedging a screen all the way to midcourt.
"It kind of shows you how playing defense can generate your offense and it can be pretty fun," sophomore forward Reeves Nelson said.
The Bruins (3-2) could certainly use every tip as they prepare to face No. 4 Kansas (6-0) on Thursday at Allen Fieldhouse, where the Jayhawks have won 63 consecutive games.
What worries Howland most is his team's repeated defensive breakdowns. Virginia Commonwealth scored eight of its first 11 baskets on layups, some coming on put-backs after the Bruins failed to box out.
Even though he called the defensive problems "mostly an effort thing," Honeycutt acknowledged that there's probably no quick fix.
"We talk about our chemistry off the floor is great, but it's not really [seen] on the court," Honeycutt said. "It looks like everybody is kind of spaced out, so we just need to be on that same page, everybody communicating."
Honeycutt also suggested that UCLA's new up-tempo offense might have hindered its defense by leaving less time to focus on that side of the ball, a notion Howland dismissed.
"We're not a very good defensive team right now," Howland said, "and I'm not sure if we weren't trying the [offensive] transition that would be any different."
Either way, the Bruins hope their recent defeats serve as a lesson learned and not an opportunity lost.
"We can definitely learn from these two games that we just played," Nelson said. "I'd rather lose them now than in March."
Middle man
Howland said the Bruins needed to do a better job of running their offense through center Joshua Smith. Of course, that would entail keeping the foul-prone freshman on the court.
Smith is averaging only 16 minutes a game after picking up one foul for every four minutes played. But Howland likes what happens when the ball reaches Smith's hands.
"Not only can he score down low and is a problem to match up with," Howland said, "he's an outstanding passer for a kid with his size."
Etc.
Freshman center Anthony Stover, among the Pacific 10 Conference leaders with five blocked shots, has earned more playing time because of his energy and hustle, Howland said. Stover is averaging nine minutes a game.… Freshman guard Matt Carlino, sidelined since Nov. 8 by a concussion, has resumed practicing but probably won't play against Kansas except in a blowout. Asked whether making his college debut against the Jayhawks would be tough for Carlino, Howland said, "Yeah."
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