Mostly UCLA Hoops

Bruins maul Buffaloes 77-60

2012-01-29T07:47:00.000-08:00

UCLA guard Lazeric Jones, left, goes up for a shot as Colorado guard Nate Tomlinson defends during the second half of their NCAA college basketball game on Saturday, Jan. 28, 2012, in Los Angeles. Jones (team high 17 pts plus 9 assists), Travis Wear, Tyler Lamb and David Wear all score in double figures, and the Bruins have a season-high 26 assists as UCLA upsets the Buffaloes, who were tied for first in the Pac-12. UCLA won 77-60.

UCLA basketball brings strong second half to defeat Colorado, 77-60

By RYAN MENEZES

Daily Bruin in Men's Basketball Sports

Published January 28, 2012, 6:25 pm

The Sports Arena, for a day, felt like the home of the Bruins.

The Bruins, for a day, resembled the team that was supposed to be nationally ranked and picked to win the Pac-12.

Colorado, which entered the game tied for first place in the conference, couldn’t handle UCLA’s inside-out style of basketball Saturday afternoon at the Sports Arena.

The Bruins’ 77-60 win was as important a victory as they’ve had all year. It also topped off their rude welcome to the Pac-12’s newcomers. UCLA completed a two-game sweep back at home after a 76-49 stomping of Utah on Thursday.

“I think we built momentum off the Utah game,” sophomore guard Tyler Lamb said. “This game, this is the biggest win for us this year besides Arizona. … As good as my teammates came out here and played, I think we can build from it.”

A rowdy crowd of 9,253 came to watch the Saturday afternoon game, 3,000 more than UCLA’s previous attendance high at the Sports Arena, its home-away-from-home for a season.

The crowd had something to cheer about, and the fans were at their loudest at the end of the first half. Consecutive triples from Lamb and freshman guard Norman Powell just before halftime swiftly turned a two-point deficit into a 40-36 lead going into the locker room.

“I think our players were very enthused by the support of our fans,” coach Ben Howland said. “This was by far the best crowd we’ve had at the Sports Arena this year.”

For as hot as UCLA (12-9, 5-4 Pac-12) was in the first half – shooting 58 percent from the field – the Bruins sustained their play after the break. They disrupted numerous Colorado possessions, forcing six steals and blocking four shots in the second half. Their offense remained impressive, shooting 62 percent to pull away from Colorado (14-7, 6-3).

The lead jumped to 10, and not even a timeout by Howland after a made basket was going to stop the Bruins from letting it get to as much as 19.

It was a far cry from their second half one week ago against Oregon, when they couldn’t sustain their first-half rhythm and quickly blew a 13-point halftime lead.

“Our intensity picked up a little in the second half,” redshirt sophomore forward David Wear said. “There’s been a couple times where our intensity dipped off in the second half. It was good to come up with that much intensity – really talking about our defense and not allowing any second shots.”

Not only did the Bruins not fade in the second half, they were even more efficient. For the second straight game, UCLA shot better after halftime than before.

The Bruins also shot 3-pointers efficiently, going nine-for-13 from distance a game after going nine-of-16. The pair of threes just before halftime gave them six for the first half. UCLA was averaging 5.2 3-pointers per game this season.

Lamb led UCLA with three 3-pointers and finished with 13 points, six assists, seven rebounds and three steals. Howland called it Lamb’s best game in two seasons as a Bruin.

Senior guard Lazeric Jones had 17 points and nine assists, while the Bruins had a season-high 26 assists, on 31 made baskets.

The Bruins looked to their big men in the post early and often, as they have throughout their up-and-down season. But their outside shots were falling when the post wasn’t an option, keeping the Buffaloes on their heels and giving the Bruins all kinds of freedom.

The numbers reflected their complete play; UCLA finished with 32 points in the paint and 27 points off 3-pointers.

“We were just out there playing off the flow,” Lamb said. “We were taking what we were given. When the bigs were open we were hitting them and they were finishing. When they were being pressured we were kicking the ball back out.”

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Seniors lead UCLA basketball in stepping up to beat Colorado

UCLA forward Travis Wear puts up a shot as Colorado's Austin Dufault, left, and Andre Roberson defend during the second half of a game Saturday in Los Angeles. UCLA won, 77-60. Photo MARK J. TERRILL, ASSOCIATED PRESS

MORE PHOTOS »

By SAM STRONG

Daily Bruin in Men's Basketball, Sports

Published January 28, 2012, 6:58 pm

In a 77-60 win over Colorado at the Sports Arena, UCLA’s duo of senior point guards looked like senior point guards.

It’s no coincidence that what could have been the Bruins’ best win of the season was paired with 17 assists between Lazeric Jones and Jerime Anderson. As a team, the Bruins’ 26 assists were the most in a game since 2006 when the likes of Darren Collison and Arron Afflalo were dishing the ball.

With Jones contributing nine and Anderson eight, sophomore Tyler Lamb wasn’t going to be undone and added six of his own. After the game, coach Ben Howland raved about his team’s ability to share the ball.

“I thought we were making the extra pass,” Howland said. “It’s fun to watch. That’s how basketball is meant to be played.”

True to form, Howland wasn’t wholly satisfied.

“We could have had 30 assists but we missed some gimmes,” he said.

He wasn’t the only one. Jones – who has started to take fewer shots over the past two games in favor of finding an open teammate – pored over the stat sheet during the post-game press conference.

“I had four turnovers,” he said when prompted for what stood out to him. “That’s not good at all. Nine assists looked good until I saw four turnovers. I can’t do that. I have to take better care of the ball.”

Nonetheless, UCLA secured another Pac-12 homestand sweep with two blowout wins this weekend. The real challenge will be winning on the road in Washington next weekend as the Bruins have not won a game outside of Southern California all year. The team will have a rare two-day break before returning to practice Tuesday.

Brown shut down
Colorado senior guard Carlon Brown led the Buffs in scoring coming into Saturday’s contest with 13.4 points per game. Howland charged Lamb with the task of guarding Brown and Lamb accepted the challenge as he’s done all season. Brown finished with just six points and Howland was quick to point out that two of those points came while Lamb was on the bench.

“I’ve known (Brown) ever since I was in middle school,” Lamb said of the pair’s Inland Empire upbringing. “I’ve known what he’s capable of. He’s a very good player. I knew I was going to have to stop him.”

Home sweet home
The “home” crowd of 9,253 at the Bruins’ temporary downtown venue was the largest this season. Both Howland and his players credited the crowd for contributing to the win.
“Our fans came out and supported us and we fed off it a little bit,” Jones said. “They helped us today. It was really great.”

The one that got away
Colorado freshman guard Spencer Dinwiddie contributed nine points in the loss Saturday. Dinwiddie went to Taft High in Woodland Hills but was not recruited heavily by Howland and his staff, something the ninth-year coach said he regrets.
“He’s going to be a great player,” Howland said. “That was a huge mistake on my part. Watching him, I’m kicking myself. He comes from a great family. You make some mistakes sometimes in recruiting and that was a definite mistake.”

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Sophomore guard Tyler Lamb reacts after a UCLA scoring run in the second half. UCLA outscored Colorado 37-24 in the second half. Photo Daily Bruin, Evan Luxenberg

Lamb helps UCLA bring Colorado to a stop

By SCOTT M. REID / THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Published: Jan. 28, 2012 Updated: 9:04 p.m.

LOS ANGELES – UCLA guard Tyler Lamb and Colorado backcourt ace Carlon Brown go way back.

"I've known him since middle school," Lamb said of his former AAU club teammate.

Saturday afternoon, Lamb redefined the term "close friends."

Lamb's smothering defense all but totally shut down Brown, the Buffalos' leading scorer, setting the tone in a convincing 77-60 UCLA victory over Pac-12 co-leader Colorado at the Sports Arena.

Lamb held Brown to one field goal, none in the game's final 26 minutes-plus, and had team-highs in steals (3) and rebounds (7) plus a blocked shot on afternoon in which the Bruins limited Colorado to 34.8 percent shooting from the field in a second half in which UCLA led by 19.

Lamb, the sophomore out of Mater Dei High, was just as impressive on the offensive end, connecting on 3 of 5 shots from behind the 3-point arc on the way to 13 points while also handing out six assists.

"His best game as a Bruin," UCLA coach Ben Howland said of Lamb's performance.

The victory kept UCLA (12-9 overall, 5-4) within two games of the Pac-12 lead at the halfway point of a conference race that so far has failed to produce a front-runner.

"That was a very solid win for us against a very good team," Howland said.

The question now is can UCLA replicate the form it showed against Colorado (14-7, 6-3) and in blowing out Utah 76-49 Thursday night on the road?

UCLA travels to Washington on Thursday and then Washington State on Saturday.

The Bruins have only two road triumphs this season: a 92-60 victory against tiny Chaminade Nov. 21 on Maui and a 66-47 romp Jan. 15 against USC, the only team winless in Pac-12 play. Washington is tied with Cal and Oregon atop the Pac-12 in the loss column, and the Bruins haven't won at Hec Edmundson Pavilion since 2004, and the Huskies are 10-6 in the rivalry since then.

UCLA over the weekend at least addressed an area that proved fatal in losses at Oregon State and Oregon a week earlier: the Bruins failure to put two quality halves together.

The Bruins didn't panic when Colorado jumped to a 9-2 to open the game. UCLA came back with an 18-1 run of its own to take a 26-16 lead on a Norman Powell 3-point jumper and then counter a second Colorado run with 3-point jumpers from Lamb and Powell at the end of the half to take a 40-36 lead into halftime.

"We knew they were a good team, we just needed to stay calm," UCLA's David Wear said. "We knew this was going to be a game of runs and they made their run and then we made our run and we never really looked back after that."

Four Bruins scored in double figures led by guard Lazeric Jones with 17. Travis Wear added 14 points, his twin brother David 11. Bruins point guard Jerime Anderson had eight assists on a day when he, Jones and Lamb combined for 23 assists. UCLA's 26 assists were the most by a Bruins team since 2006.

But more than anything it was Lamb's defensive intensity that stood out Saturday. Brown came into the game averaging 14.1 points per game in Pac-12 play. Saturday through the game's first 13 minutes he had as many turnovers and shot attempts (1).

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UCLA's Travis Wear reacts after scoring and drawing a foul during the second half against Colorado. TWear finished with 14 pts, 7 rbds, 1 assist, 2 stls and a block. Photo MARK J. TERRILL, ASSOCIATED PRESS

UCLA spreads work around in 77-60 rout of Colorado

Lazeric Jones, Travis Wear, Tyler Lamb and David Wear all score in double figures, and the Bruins have a season-high 26 assists as UCLA upsets the Buffaloes, who were tied for first in the Pac-12.

By Chris Foster
The Los Angeles Times
6:25 PM PST, January 28, 2012

Those at the Sports Arena can tell the grandkids that they were there the day UCLA upset Colorado … in basketball.

Such is the way the go-figure Pac-12 Conference has played out thus far this season. Colorado entered the game tied for first place. UCLA wandered in seventh, trying to gain some traction.

The 77-60 victory had to restore some order to the college basketball world, at least in the eyes of Bruins fans. This was again UCLA, the school of Alcindor and Walton, against Colorado, school of Meely … Cliff Meely … All-American in 1971?

The Bruins (12-9 overall, 5-4 in conference play) methodically buried the Buffaloes (14-7, 6-3) in the second half, turning a 40-36 halftime lead into a rout with a series of second-half runs.

Lazeric Jones had 17 points, Travis Wear 14, Tyler Lamb 13 and David Wear 11 in a share-the-wealth type performance. The Bruins had a season-high 26 assists.

"That's how basketball is meant to be played," Coach Ben Howland said. "I love it that our players get joy out of making a pass that leads to a play."

When the slicing-and-dicing was done, UCLA had a two-game winning streak to take on the road. The Bruins play Thursday at Washington, where they haven't since 2004, and at Washington State on Saturday.

"Beating a team like this shows we can be in [the race]," Jones said. "If we continue to do that, who knows where we'll end up."

The Bruins play five of the six teams ahead of them in the standings during the second half of conference play.

"Not having to travel to play those teams is a huge bonus for us," David Wear said. "We focused against Colorado. As long as we do that, we can expect the same results against those [other] teams as well."

Colorado, which has won five of its conference games in altitude in Boulder, jumped to a 12-4 lead, then seemed to tire in the thick air.

Lamb and Norman Powell sank back-to-back three-pointers to give UCLA a 40-36 lead at the half. The Bruins made the second half a clinic on both ends.

"Whenever you're getting stops on defense, it's definitely a momentum booster," Lamb said. "It gets everybody up more when you're going down and stopping teams. Then you come down and score and everything starts snowballing."

Lamb was a big part of that roll down hill. He held Carlon Brown — the Buffaloes' leading scorer — to six points, nine below his average.

"I think he scored one basket on Tyler," Howland said. "He did a tremendous, awesome job."

Said Lamb: "I've known [Brown] since I was in middle school. We actually played on the same AAU team a couple times. I know what he is capable of. Coach Howland stressed to me that I was going to have to stop him."

Colorado shot 34.8% in the second half.

On offense, the Bruins were meticulous. Jones had nine assists, Jerime Anderson eight and Lamb six. Colorado came in leading the conference in field-goal percentage defense (38.8%). UCLA shot 59.6% and made nine of 13 three-pointers.

"We're going to enjoy this one," Howland said. "It's nice for our players. It will be 72 hours and 20 minutes before we practice again."

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Bruins forward Travis Wear fouls Colorado center Shane Harris-Tunks as he tries to block his shot in the first half Saturday afternoon at the Sports Arena. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times / January 28, 2012)

UCLA 77, COLORADO 60: Bruins have spring in their step in defeating Buffaloes

By Jon Gold Staff Writer

The Los Angeles Daily News

Posted: 01/28/2012 10:17:06 PM PST

Updated: 01/28/2012 11:09:45 PM PST

Maybe it was just the shoes, but UCLA head coach Ben Howland sure did seem to have some extra pep in his step on Saturday afternoon.

Sporting sneakers to support the fight against cancer to go along with his suit, Howland was springier than a well-coiled Slinky; still wound just as tight, but ready to let loose.

His players had a little extra bounce, too.

Playing against one of the hottest teams in the conference, it was UCLA that heated up, shooting 59.6 percent in a 77-60 win over Colorado in front of 9,253 at the Sports Arena.

"(Former UCLA head coach and current St. John's head coach Steve Lavin) went to the sneakers and stayed in them the rest of the way last year," Howland said with a smile. "I like it, too. Feels better on my feet."

The Bruins were better off them.

Their feet, that is, as UCLA converted alley-oop after alley-oop, putting on a show for what was certainly the best home crowd of the year at the Sports Arena.

Already up seven but coming off a 3-pointer by Colorado's Nate Tomlinson with just less than 14 minutes remaining, the Bruins went on a 13-3 run, capped off by a Jerime Anderson-to-Travis Wear alley-oop dunk, stretching the lead to 17 with 8 minutes, 44 seconds to play.

"Defensive stops - whenever we're getting stops it definitely is a momentum booster," sophomore guard Tyler Lamb said. "It gets everybody up more and then you come down and score, it all starts snowballing.

We were in the huddle and we were communicating in timeouts, coach Howland was asking us what we thought would work and our senior guards stepped up a lot."

Senior guard Lazeric Jones had a team-high 17 points and nine assists, Anderson added eight points and eight assists and Lamb added 12 points and six assists as UCLA finished with 26 on the afternoon. The sharp passing helped the Bruins erase an early deficit that was plagued by sloppiness.

The Buffaloes (14-7, 6-3 Pac-12) got off to a nice start in their first matchup with UCLA (12-9, 5-4) as a conference opponent, jumping ahead 12-4 as the Bruins committed four quick turnovers. UCLA climbed back, took the lead with 12:27 left and eventually went into halftime up by four, courtesy of a Norman Powell 3-pointer as the first half expired.

What changed so drastically for the Bruins in the second half? They picked up their defensive intensity.

After letting Colorado shoot 56 percent in the first half on 15-of-27 shooting, UCLA held the Buffaloes, who came into the game with nine wins in their past 11, to 34.8 percent shooting in the second half and ran away with it.

"Our intensity picked up a little in the second half," said David Wear, who finished with 13 points. "There've been a couple times where our intensity dipped off in the second half. It was good to come up with that much intensity, really talking about our defense, not allowing any second shots."

Howland credited Lamb with a standout effort as UCLA held Colorado's leading scorer Carlon Brown - who had been averaging 13.6 points per game - to just six points in 31 minutes, with two assists and three of the team's 14 turnovers.

"I really thought Tyler Lamb played great defense on Brown," Howland said. "He's a great player, and Tyler Lamb deserves a lot of credit for how he played. Thirteen points, six assists - I thought this was one of his best games as a Bruin."

Added Lamb: "Carlon Brown, I've known him since I was in middle school - I played on his AAU team a couple times. I've known what he was capable of. He's a very good player. Coach stressed that I would have to stop him and I tried my best."

What had Howland really excited as his Bruins prepare for a tough two-game road set in Washington against the Huskies and Cougars was the team's passing, though.

"We were really, really making the extra pass," Howland said. "It's fun to watch. That's how basketball is supposed to be played. I love that our players get joy out of making that play. The funnest thing on offense is to watch a pass that leads to a wide-open shot. I love that as much as anything."

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Five Observations: UCLA 77, Colorado 60

By Peter Yoon

ESPNLA.com, UCLA Report

January, 28, 2012 5:37 PM PT

Anthony Stover, left, and Travis Wear helped a strong UCLA defense in a victory over Colorado. Photo Jayne Kamin-Oncea/US Presswire

LOS ANGELES -- Some wins mean more than others.

UCLA coach Ben Howland will tell you that every win is equally important, but his body language and enthusiasm said something different after the Bruins defeated Colorado in convincing fashion, 77-60, Saturday in a Pac-12 game at the Sports Arena.

This victory meant more simply because it came against a team that was tied for first in the Pac-12 and it helped erase doubts that UCLA could, in fact, pull out a victory against an upper-tier conference team. UCLA's last three wins had come against conference cellar-dwellers Utah, USC and Arizona State, but the Bruins (12-9, 5-4) stayed afloat in the conference race with the victory over Colorado (14-7, 6-3).

"I was very enthused," Howland said. "I knew this was a big game for us to get us back above .500 in the conference against a good Colorado team that has been playing extremely well. That was a very solid win for us against a very good team."

Five observations from the game:

1The Bruins turned up the defense in the second half

UCLA held a slim, 40-36 halftime lead, but ran away from the Buffaloes in the second half thanks to a defense that held Colorado to 34.8 percent shooting from the field after the break. Colorado had shot 55.6 percent in the first half, but went a stretch of nearly nine minutes midway through the second half with only one field goal as the Bruins took a 69-50 lead with 5:25 to play.

"I think our defensive intensity picked up in the second half which was nice because there’s been a couple of times this year when our defensive intensity has dipped off in the second half," forward David Wear said. "So it was good to come out with that intensity, really talking on defense and getting into our rotations and not allowing any second shots."

The Bruins had 10 steals in the game with six of those coming in the first 10 minutes of the second half as the Bruins set the defensive tone after coming out of the locker room by getting their hands in the passing lanes, making it difficult for Colorado to in-bound the ball and forcing the Buffaloes to use up most of the shot clock.

"We just did a better job buckling down," Howland said.

2UCLA's offense was very efficient

The Bruins were a well-oiled machine on offense, shooting a season-best 59.6 percent from the field for the game and getting 26 assists with only 12 turnovers. And this against the team that entered the game holding opponents to a Pac-12 leading 38.8 percent shooting.

UCLA had four players reach double figures in scoring -- Lazeric Jones with 17, Travis Wear with 14, Tyler Lamb with 13 and David Wear with 11 -- while Jerime Anderson and Joshua Smith each had eight.

The 26 assists were a season high and the most for UCLA since Dec. 31, 2006, against Washington.

"I thought we were really making the extra pass," Howland said. "It was so exciting and fun to watch. That’s how basketball is meant to be played and I love that our players get joy out of making the pass that leads to the play."

It was the second consecutive game that the Bruins set a season best in field goal percentage and the fifth time in six games that the Bruins have shot over 50 percent. They are now shooting 50.4 percent in Pac-12 games -- second in the conference. Over the last seven games, UCLA is shooting 52.5 percent.

"We’re executing better and better as the season progresses," Howland said. "We really went back to work on it after the first road trip in conference."

3Tyler Lamb is officially out of his slump

Lamb had one of the best all-around games of his career with 13 points, seven rebounds, six assists and three steals all the while holding Colorado leading scorer Carlon Brown to only six points.

He was 5-for-9 from the field, including 3-for-5 on 3-pointers and is ready to put behind a rough two-week stretch in which he went 4-for-18 against USC, Oregon State and Oregon.

"I thought Tyler Lamb did a tremendous, awesome job today," Howland said. "He had one of his best games as a Bruin because it was an all around game."

Lamb credited his teammates and family for helping him get through his rough stretch.

"My teammates kept it positive," he said. "They just always said keep playing hard, keep shooting. They didn’t lose any trust in me and my family helped me a lot. Everybody played a big role in getting me out of that slump and it’s been great."

Lamb, who had 10 points, four assists and three steals on 4-for-7 shooting Thursday against Utah, said the key was to slow down on the court.

"I think I was rushing," Lamb said. "I can tell when I let the game come to me and I can tell when I’m pressing. I think when I was in the slump, I was looking to press more and hurry up and get myself out of it but as of late I’ve just been letting the game come to me and take what’s given and it’s worked for me."

4Three-point shooting was an effective weapon

The Bruins made 9-of-13 (69.2 percent) of their 3-pointers, many of them coming at key junctures to stop Colorado runs. Lamb and Norman Powell hit back-to-back 3-pointers to give UCLA a 40-36 halftime lead after Colorado had taken a 35-34 lead with 1:36 left in the half.

Colorado made a last-ditch comeback effort and closed a 66-49 UCLA lead to 69-56 with 4:13 to play, but Lamb and David Wear made 3-pointers to seal the UCLA victory.

"I thought we were patient," Jones said. "We made good decisions and that’s basically it. When we're driving and penetrating to pass and to set each other up, things open up a lot."

UCLA is not known as a particularly good 3-point shooting team, so it's surprising to note that the Bruins are leading the Pac-12 in 3-point field goal percentage at 44 percent in conference games. They were shooting only 30 percent when the season began, but have become more efficient.

Against Utah and Colorado, the Bruins were a combined 18 of 29 (62 percent) on three-pointers. Howland credited better shot selection.

"I like our ratio of how many threes we’re taking versus how many shots we’re taking overall," Howland said. "Part of it is we’re not taking as many. We were taking too many early in the season."

5The Sports Arena came alive

For the first time at the Sports Arena, it felt as if UCLA had a home-court advantage. Attendance on Saturday was announced at 9,253 -- a season high even including games at the Honda Center.

Before Saturday, the Sports Arena had felt dull with an average announced attendance of 4,640, but an actual attendance that was far lower than that. When that crowd size doubled Saturday, the building finally had some energy and even got loud at times.

"Our players were very enthused by the support of our fans and the students today," Howland said. "That was nice."

Jones said the crowd played a role in the victory.

"Our fans came out and really supported us," he said. "We fed off of it a little bit. They felt when we were getting runs. They really helped us."

Boxscore (Yahoo.com)

UCLA senior guards excel with a little extra rest

2012-01-28T11:09:00.000-08:00

Thanks to howlandforprez for posting this on BZ.

UCLA senior guards excel with a little extra rest

Bruins seniors Lazeric Jones and Jerime Anderson played fewer minutes but made big contributions in Thursday's rout of Utah. Coach Ben Howland says he'll try a similar game plan against Colorado.

By Chris Foster
The Los Angeles Times
3:45 PM PST, January 27, 2012

UCLA Coach Ben Howland used two words to summarize the Bruins' performance against Utah on Thursday.

"Senior guards," Howland said.

Lazeric Jones and Jerime Anderson pushed the Bruins to a 76-49 victory over the lowly Utes, an example of less being more. The two guards logged heavy minutes in Oregon last week, but were able to catch their breath more Thursday.

Anderson played 29 minutes and made five of six shots, scoring 13 points. Jones played 32 minutes, finishing with seven points, six rebounds and six assists.

That will be the blueprint again Saturday, when the Bruins play Colorado at the Sports Arena.

"Some of it was a conscious effort, trying to keep everyone fresh in the game, and we'll continue to do that," Howland said. "Some of it was we were up by 25."

Jones averaged 36 minutes in the five previous games. He had one assist in 36 minutes against Oregon.

"He'll get fatigued, like anybody, and won't be quite as sharp as you need him to be," Howland said. "When he's playing more than 34 minutes, mistakes creep in."

Jones was nearly mistake-free against Utah and kept UCLA's offense fluid. Jones' six rebounds were on the defensive end, helping him to control tempo. He took only six shots, his fewest since taking five against Michigan on Nov. 23.

"It just goes to show you that Zeek is not playing for Zeek; Zeek is playing for UCLA," Howland said. "He did a great job sharing the ball. He was really being unselfish."

Anderson played, "maybe his best game at UCLA," Howland said. Anderson has made 19 of his last 28 shots, but he felt a difference in Thursday's game while playing less than 30 minutes for the first time in seven games.

"I just took what they gave me," Anderson said. "My teammates found me at open spots, and I just tried to take open shots and just get the ball to the right guy."

Howland said solid play from freshman Norman Powell allowed him to share the playing time.

"I was most pleased with Norman's defensive effort" Thursday, Howland said. "He did a good job fighting over the top of screens."

Wear and tear

Another advantage to routing Utah was clear to forward David Wear.

"We're not as beat up," Wear said. "We won't have to spend as much time in the training room getting treatments. We were able to rest our legs."

Wear still has pain in his right knee, which he injured against Oregon, Howland said. But he was able to practice during the week and played 24 minutes, scoring 13 points, against Utah.

The Bruins only other medical problems were related to illness, Howland said. Center Joshua Smith and Anderson are sick but will play against Colorado.

Getting Buff

Howland said he was not surprised by Colorado's success this season. The Buffaloes (14-6, 6-2 Pac-12 Conference) are in a four-way tie for first in the Pac-12.

Howland pointed out that Colorado set a school record with 24 victories last season.

"They are really good at picking and popping," Howland said, noting that Colorado inside players Austin Dufault and Andre Roberson are also "good outside shooters."

UCLA (11-9, 4-4) has a 2-8 record against Division I teams that had a winning record as of Friday.

UCLA Hosts Pac-12 Front-Runner Colorado

2012-01-27T19:50:00.000-08:00

UCLA Hosts Pac-12 Front-Runner Colorado

The Bruins lead the all-time series with Colorado 4-1 and are 4-0 against the Buffaloes in L.A.

Jan. 27, 2012

from the UCLA Men's Basketball website
LOS ANGELES -

UCLA Game Notes | Colorado Game Notes | 2011-12 Media Guide
Gametracker | Live Audio

GAMEDAY CENTRAL
DATE: Jan. 28, 2012
SITE: Los Angeles Sports Arena (15,000)
TIP-OFF: 1:02 p.m. (PT)
TV: Prime Ticket
TALENT: Joel Meyers (play-by-play), Don MacLean (analyst) and Courtney Jones (sideline)
RADIO (UCLA Sports Network from IMG College): AM 570
SIRIUS SATELLITE RADIO: Channel 93
SIRIUS XM SATELLITE RADIO: Channel 190
TALENT: Chris Roberts (play-by-play) and Tracy Murray (analyst)
SERIES RECORD: UCLA leads 4-1
SERIES AT UCLA: UCLA leads 4-0
SERIES STREAK: UCLA +1

SERIES VS. COLORADO
This is the sixth meeting between UCLA and Colorado with the Bruins leading the series 4-1. UCLA is 4-0 all-time in games contested in Los Angeles. The Bruins won the last meeting, 104-70 in Pauley Pavilion on Dec. 2, 1977. Raymond Townsend led the Bruins with a game-high 21 points as UCLA shot 42-of-52 from the foul line (both are still Pauley Pavilion records). Kiki Vandeweghe added 18 points for UCLA. Emmett Lewis led Colorado with 18 points. The Bruins' only loss to Colorado was in Boulder on Dec. 7, 1962 when the Buffaloes beat Coach John R. Wooden's team 82-60. UCLA Head Coach Ben Howland is 0-0 against Colorado.

CHARTING COACH HOWLAND
Ben Howland earned his 300th victory of his career with the 72-54 win over DePaul in the 15th Annual John R. Wooden Classic (Dec. 13, 2008). He is currently 368-190 (.659), which ranks 35th on the winningest active coaches list by percentage and 50th on the active list by victories. Howland's first career victory was his first game at Northern Arizona in 1994, a 71-69 victory over New Mexico Highlands. His 100th career victory came in his second season at Pittsburgh in the 77-65 win at home over Seton Hall (Jan. 13, 2001). His 200th win came in his third season at UCLA with the 56-37 home win over Delaware State (Nov. 19, 2005). Howland is 19-9 (.679) in the NCAA Tournament (15-6 (.714) at UCLA).

COACH HOWLAND HITS MILESTONES
Ben Howland won his 200th game at UCLA with the win over Utah (200-92, .685 at UCLA in his ninth season) on Jan. 26. He won his 100th Pac-12 game with the win at USC on Jan. 15 (101-51, .664).

BRUINS' INJURY REPORT
Sophomore forward David Wear, who left the game in the final minutes at Oregon (Jan. 21) after hurting his left knee, had an MRI on Jan. 23, 2012. That MRI showed no significant injury (was negative) and he returned to practice on Monday, completing a full workout. He started against Utah (Jan. 26) and had 13 points, five rebounds and three assists.

JONES LEADING UCLA
Senior point guard Lazeric Jones had his career-best eight straight games in double figures snapped in the loss at Cal (Dec. 31). He has scored in double figures in 12 of the last 15 games. The Bruins are 10-5 in the last 15 contests after starting the season 1-4. In the last 15 games, Jones has averaged 14.6 points, 4.7 assists, 3.6 rebounds and 1.9 steals while shooting 48.8 percent (78-for-160) from the field and 43.6 percent (24-for-55) from three-point range.

TWIN PEAKS
The Wear twins (David and Travis) have scored in double figures in the same game seven times this season and they have done so in five of the last nine contests. Additionally, they posted career-highs in scoring in back-to-back outings as David scored a career-best 17 points in the loss at California (Dec. 31) while Travis had a career-high 20 points in the win over Arizona (Jan. 5). In the last seven games, David is averaging 13.0 points while Travis has averaged 14.9 points per game. David has shot 62.1 percent from the floor (36-for-58) while making all three of his three-point shots and draining 14-for-19 (.737) from the free-throw line. Travis has shot 66.1 percent (41-for-62) from the field while sinking 22-for-25 (.880) of his free throw attemtps. Combined, they are 77-for-120 (.642) from the field and 36-for-44 (.818) from the charity stripe.

2012 PAC-12 BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT COMBINED MEN'S & WOMEN'S ALL-SESSION PACKAGES
Experience the March to Madness and help your Bruins feel at home in Staples Center! There are 2012 Pac-12 Basketball all-session ticket packages available online or by calling (310) UCLA-WIN today.

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Bruins still need Joshua Smith to come up big

2012-01-27T19:45:00.000-08:00

Bruins still need Joshua Smith to come up big

Center's inconsistent play this season pretty much mirrors that of the Bruins.

By Chris Foster
The Los Angeles Times
7:29 PM PST, January 25, 2012

Coach Ben Howland sums up center Joshua Smith's value to the UCLA basketball team with a succinct statement:

"We need him," he said.

Exactly how much depends on which "him" shows up.

If it's the 6-foot-10 handful who made eight of 12 shots against Arizona State this month, the Bruins need him a lot.

If it's the 305-pound lump who a week later turned the ball over four times in 12 minutes against Oregon, well, not so much.

Similarly, UCLA's season has had its ups and downs. The Bruins are 10-9 overall, 3-4 in Pac-12 Conference play heading into Thursday night's game against Utah (5-15, 2-5) at the Sports Arena.

"None of us envisioned that this is where we'd be at," Smith said. "We were ranked 17^t^h, we were the preseason pick to win the Pac-12, there was a lot of hype around us. We haven't lived up to the hype."

The same could be said about Smith — and he does.

"I wanted to be first-team all conference," Smith said. "I thought that was a goal I could attain."

Smith paused and laughed weakly. "It's not looking like that," he said. "But right now, I'm not playing for myself. I'm playing for the team."

Often, as Smith goes, so go the Bruins.

"His inside presence helps us so much," forward Travis Wear said. "He can score whenever he wants because he is so big. It opens shots for the guards. It opens up the rebounding for guys like me."

Smith had 18 points in a win against Arizona State, a night when he said he "felt ready." But he meandered in the three games since.

He was in foul trouble in an easy win against USC and was no factor in a loss to Oregon State. Then came a loss against Oregon, which Howland said was "as poor a game as he has played all year."

Afterward, Howland pointed out to Smith that he had been sixth on the team in shots. "He said I needed to be second," Smith recalled.

Smith is averaging 9.5 points and 5.2 rebounds a game — down from last season's 10.9 points and 6.3 rebounds. And his biggest games this season have come mostly against UCLA's weaker opponents.

A year ago, he had a breakout game against Kansas in which he had 17 points and 13 rebounds. This season, he had one point and one rebound against the Jayhawks.

The go-to reason for such performances, for fans and Howland, is conditioning. But Smith said that is not the case.

"It's funny, but I'm actually in better shape than I was last year," said Smith, who was selected to the conference's all-freshman team a year ago. "When I don't play well, the first thing people say is I'm out of shape."

Smith's mannerisms and body language are what caught the attention of senior point guard Jerime Anderson.

"It's a confidence thing," Anderson said. "After the Oregon game, he was telling me something is different and that he needed to make some changes to get back to where he was, and get better."

Smith brought ideas home from Oregon.

"Watching the Oregon game, I saw I was getting good position but I was rushing my shots," Smith said. "My footwork wasn't good. I wasn't reading guys."

Anderson said Smith needs to "be assertive."

"I have no issues with him demanding the ball," the Bruins playmaker said. "I have no issues passing up shots to get the ball inside to get him going."

When that happens, Anderson said, opponents have the issues.

"When he's posting up inside and aggressive to get the ball, that's when we're at our best as a team," Anderson said. "He can take us pretty far when he puts his mind to it."

Bruins looking for quality win vs. Colorado

2012-01-27T19:38:00.000-08:00

Bruins looking for quality win vs. Colorado

By Peter Yoon

ESPN Los Angeles, UCLA Report

January, 27, 2012 5:08 PM PT

LOS ANGELES--UCLA got it's confidence-boosting victory, now it's time for a little morale booster.

Fresh off of Thursday's 75-49 drubbing of Utah, the Bruins face Colorado Saturday at the Sports Arena looking to make a statement that they can compete with the teams in the upper half of the conference standings and that they still intend to compete for the Pac-12 regular-season title.

So far UCLA has yet to show either of those things in conference play, but a victory over Colorado (14-6, 6-2 Pac-12), which is in a four-way tie for first place, would certainly fit the bill.

"We have a huge opportunity tomorrow against a very good team," coach Ben Howland said.

UCLA's last three victories certainly haven't put the Bruins back on the conference radar. Sure, UCLA (11-9, 4-4) won those games by an average margin of 20.6 points, but those games were against Arizona State (6-14), USC (5-16) and Utah (5-15), the only three teams in the conference without an overall winning record. Sandwiched in between those walkover wins was a disappointing road sweep at Oregon State (13-7, 3-5) and Oregon (15-5, 6-2)

The good news is that the Bruins are still only two games out of first place and the Pac-12 is still up for grabs. They have been in it to the end in three of their four losses and were only a point behind California at halftime in their other loss. The bad news is that UCLA has won only three games against Division I opponents with winning records this season.

They have Colorado and then a road trip to Washington (13-7, 6-2) and Washington State (11-9, 2-5) so now is the time to put up some resume-worthy victories.

"The Pac-12 is still wide open," center Joshua Smith said. "There’s not really a team that has defined themselves as the top team and a lot of the teams are winning home games. This is a big week for us to get above .500. Colorado is a pretty good team."

Colorado's emergence as a conference frontrunner is almost as surprising as UCLA's spot in the middle of the pack. The Buffaloes, in there first year in the conference, were picked 10th in the preseason poll, but have shown that last year's 24-win season and run to the NIT Final Four were no flukes.

They lead the conference in field goal percentage defense at 38.8 percent, are out-rebounding opponents by a conference-leading 6.4 rebounds per game and boast victories over Washington and Arizona this season.

"They’ve got good players, No. 1," Howland said. "They play real hard and execute their stuff. They’re a hard to play against. They’re doing a great job of playing man to man defense. And they’re tough. Coach [Tad] Boyle has done a great job."

Shooting guard Carlon Brown, a Utah transfer, leads the team in scoring at 13.4 points per game, but forwards Andre Roberson and Austin Dufault provide major matchup problems for the Bruins because of their ability to play inside and outside.

Roberson, a 6-7 sophomore, is leading the Pac-12 in rebounding with 11.1 per game--an average of three more than anyone else in the league--and Dufault, a 6-9 senior, is second on the team in scoring (11.1 points per game) and rebounding (4.9). He's also shooting 44.1 percent on three pointers.

"They’re both tough matchups," Howland said. "They’re hard because they can post up and play on the perimeter. They run a lot of sets for Roberson where they clear him out. He’ll drive you. They’re good players."

Freshman Spencer Dinwiddie is shooting 43.9 percent on three-point attempts and is the fourth Colorado player averaging in double figures scoring.

"We know that they are a very good team and I think if we just play 40 minutes of consistent high-pressure defense and we play smart offensively and make good decisions, I think that will help us a lot," forward David Wear said.

At this point it's probably too early to say that this is a must-win game for UCLA, but history shows that if UCLA wants to win the Pac-12 title, every game is a must-win for the rest of the season. UCLA's next conference loss would be its fifth and over the last 48 seasons, only Washington in 1984-85 and California in 2009-10 have won the regular-season title with five losses.

"Every win is important," Howland said. "We’re playing a lot of top teams coming up and this is the first of a number of them so every win is important."

So are more important than others.

UCLA bounces back, rolls over Utah 76-49

2012-01-27T19:27:00.000-08:00

Sophomore center Joshua Smith contributed a total of 14 points in UCLA’s 76-49 victory over Utah, where the Bruins extended their 15-point halftime lead. Photo: Daily Bruin Blaine Ohigashi

UCLA bounces back, rolls over Utah

By SCOTT M. REID / THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

Published: Jan. 26, 2012 Updated: 11:37 p.m.

LOS ANGELES – Jerime Anderson's halftime speech to his UCLA teammates Thursday night was brief was to the point.

"Two words," the Bruins senior point guard recalled later.

"The first was something I can't repeat. The second word was 'Oregon.'"

Anderson's speech was both a reminder of how the Bruins blew a game Saturday in Eugene and also a rallying cry for UCLA as it kept its foot on the gas in the second half and rolled over Utah, 76-49, at a less than two-thirds full Sports Arena on Thursday night.

UCLA (11-9, 4-4 Pac-12) turned a 15-point halftime lead into a 36-point advantage in the second half by shooting 73.7 percent from the field and maintaining its defensive intensity in the final 20 minutes.

"This game was a real confidence booster for us," forward David Wear said. "We focused for a full 40 minutes defensively."

Wear and the Bruins believe they can still get back into the Pac-12 race with a victory against Colorado (14-6, 6-2), one of four schools tied for the conference lead, on Saturday.

"With the Pac-12 still wide open this year," said UCLA center Joshua Smith, who led four Bruins in double figures with a game-high 14 points. "There's not really a team that has really established itself as a dominant team. We know this was a very big week for us."

The weekend looms even larger after UCLA wasted a pair of winnable games last weekend in the Willamette Valley. The 75-68 loss at Oregon was particularly difficult to get over after UCLA led by 15 late in the first half only to lose control of the game in the opening moments of the second half.

The memory was still fresh as UCLA took a 36-21 lead into the locker room Thursday after the Bruins broke the game open with a 14-4 run over the final 6:33 of the first half.

"We felt the first five minutes of the second half were really huge," said Coach Ben Howland, who picked up his 200th victory at UCLA. "I didn't talk about last Saturday (at halftime) but that was exactly what was going through my mind."

This time there was no let up.

After Utes center Jason Washburn scored the opening basket of the second half, the Bruins rattled off six quick consecutive points, capped by a David Wear 3-point jumper to go out, 42-23. Another Wear 3-pointer and a 3-point play by Jerime Anderson found the Bruins ahead, 53-32.

Moments later, UCLA sophomore guard Tyler Lamb picked up a steal on one end, and then nailed a 3-pointer on the other and then freshman guard Norman Powell converted another Utah turnover to stretch the gap to 58-32.

Anderson played what Howland characterized as his "best game as a Bruin," scoring 13, and adding three assists, three steals and a blocked shot.

David Wear finished with 13 points. Guard Tyler Lamb had 10 points, four assists and three steals on perhaps UCLA's most balanced game of the season. UCLA's other point guard, Lazeric Jones, scored just seven points but was still pivotal to the offense dishing out six assists.

But perhaps the most encouraging performance came from Smith, who rebounded from a disastrous game against Oregon in which he didn't score a field goal until the final 37.9 seconds of the loss.

"I thought he was really motivated after last week," Howland said.

______________________

Men’s basketball nets another home win against Utah, doesn’t let halftime lead slip away

By SAM STRONG

Daily Bruin in Men's Basketball Sports

Published January 27, 2012, 1:39 am

In its last game, the UCLA men’s basketball team mounted a 13-point halftime lead against Oregon only to see it quickly erased when the second half began.

Thursday at the Sports Arena, the Bruins built a 15-point halftime advantage and made sure that this one didn’t get away in a 76-49 win.

After last weekend’s debacle at Oregon, UCLA coach Ben Howland attributed the Bruins’ poor play to defensive issues.

Those issues were corrected, if only for a night. UCLA held Utah to 37 percent from the field and 31 percent from 3-point range.

“Guys played hard defensively for 40 minutes which is what we talked about going in,” Howland said after the game.

Redshirt sophomore forward David Wear had an explanation for the upshot in defensive effort.

“I think we focused for a full 40 minutes,” he said. “Our rotations were fast. We were talking and we were moving.”

Although the defense was improved, the Utes are one of the worst offensive teams in the conference. Utah (5-15, 2-6 Pac-12) ranks in the Pac-12’s bottom three teams in nearly every offensive statistical category.

UCLA scored 14 points off turnovers, five of them coming from steals and baskets at the other end by sophomore guard Tyler Lamb.

The Bruins opened the second half strong and their halftime lead of 15 quickly ballooned to 20 and beyond, making sure to not let the Utes back into the game as they did the Ducks.

“I told my team that we cannot let this happen again,” senior guard Jerime Anderson said. “I refuse to let it happen again for the rest of the year. If we have a lead like that, we have to control it.”

“That was one of the main things we talked about at halftime,” Wear added. “We can’t have another letdown like we did at Oregon. We knew we had to focus and come out with great intensity to not have another letdown.”

Sophomore center Joshua Smith bounced back from disappointing games in Oregon last weekend to finish with a team-high 14 points on 5-of-6 shooting and five rebounds. Smith showed marked progress from the Bruins’ last two games. He looked to be giving more effort on both ends of the floor, chasing a ball far out of bounds at one point in the second half.

“It’s just giving more effort,” Smith said. “I acknowledge I didn’t play my best against Oregon but coach just told us we have to play as hard as we can. That’s what I was trying to focus on, trying to play as hard as I could until a sub came.”

The game got so out of hand that UCLA’s walk-on unit checked in with more than four minutes to play.

Wear (13), Anderson (13) and Lamb (10) also scored in double figures for the Bruins.
UCLA (11-9, 4-4) now turns its attention to Colorado on Saturday. The Buffs started the conference season strong but have since cooled off.

Still, they’re one of six teams with a winning record in the conference and are coming off a 74-50 defeat of USC on Thursday. With a sweep of the Pac-12 newcomers, UCLA would remain perfect at home within the conference.

______________________

UCLA gets confidence boost with win over Utah

The Bruins benefit from a much stronger showing on defense in their 76-49 victory. Joshua Smith scores 14 points, while Jerime Anderson and David Wear both score 13.

By Chris Foster
The Los Angeles Times
10:53 PM PST, January 26, 2012

This was a must-see game ... in 1983.

It was merely a get-well moment for UCLA on Thursday night.

The Bruins and Utah were NCAA tournament news the last time they played, when the Utes pulled off a second-round upset in 1983. But Utah star Pace Mannion is now 51 years old and both teams probably will be left strolling down memory lane rather than hitting the road to the Final Four this season.

So what transpired during UCLA's 76-49 Pac-12 Conference victory in the Sports Arena was more about renovation than revenge.

UCLA (11-9 overall, 4-4 in conference play) could not have asked for a better opponent against which to scrub clean memories from its 0-2 swing through Oregon last week.

Utah joined the Pac-12 this season and the welcome wagon was rolled out — and it continues to roll over the Utes (5-15, 2-6), who are 0-10 outside Salt Lake City this season.

Joshua Smith scored 14 points, while Jerime Anderson and David Wear both scored 13. UCLA shot 58.7% in what amounted to a extra practice session before its game Saturday against Colorado, which is in a four-way tie for first place.

“This was a real confidence booster for us,” Wear said.

The Utes have been a care package in high-tops for much of the season. They have been pummeled by Colorado (73-33) and California (81-45). The Bruins joined that crowd, taking control of the game with a 14-4 run that gave them a 36-21 lead at halftime.

The second half was more about group therapy.

The Bruins had a 13-point lead at Oregon on Saturday and collapsed in the second half. They pushed the lead to 20 points in the first four minutes of the second half Thursday.

UCLA shot 73.7% in the second half.

“I didn't talk about the Oregon game, but it was on my mind,” said Ben Howland, who picked up his 200th victory as UCLA's coach. “I told them to build on that lead, especially the first five minutes.”

The Bruins dissected the Utes from there.

Anderson made five of six shots in what Howland said was “one of the best games he has played at UCLA. He was very efficient.”

Smith, who stuck out like a 305-pound sore thumb in Oregon, was five of six from the field. He also had five rebounds and was an immovable object on defense.

“Josh can do that on offense every night,” Anderson said. “When he plays like he did on defense tonight, it definitely helps our team a lot.”

Smith entered the game with the score tied, 9-9, and scored four consecutive points to start a 17-8 run. He also got an offensive rebound to extend a possession that ended in a three-pointer by Anderson.

“Josh was a difference-maker for us tonight,” Howland said. “He was very motivated after last weekend.”

The Bruins were spectators on defense at Oregon State on Jan. 19 and gave up 51 second-half points to Oregon two nights later. Utah shot 37%, though the Utes did not have a player averaging in double figures after Josh Watkins was dismissed from the team last week.

“This was a good win for us,” Howland said. “The guys played well defensively for 40 minutes.”

The only down side for the Bruins was that they don't get another crack at Utah this season.

______________________

UCLA 76, UTAH 49: Bruins no longer blue, thanks to Utes' visit

By Jon Gold Staff Writer

Los Angeles Daily News

Posted: 01/26/2012 10:42:33 PM PST

Updated: 01/26/2012 11:11:24 PM PST

Nothing quite boosts the confidence like stomping on a doormat.

The Pac-12 gave the UCLA mens basketball team a bit of a reprieve Thursday, a quick pick-me-up after what was a weekend to forget in Oregon.

The Bruins rebounded from back-to-back losses in the Beaver State with a 76-49 win over Utah on Thursday in front of 4,434 at the Sports Arena.

"This was a real confidence-booster for us," UCLA sophomore forward David Wear said. "To have two good days of practice and to carry it into the game from practice - we wanted to play 40 minutes without any letdown."

Heading into the matchup with the Utes, no Bruin was as blue as Joshua Smith.

The hulking sophomore center admitted to being in his own head in recent games, and adding a 6-foot-10, 300-pound behemoth to the opponent certainly can't help UCLA.
Good thing the Utes have only one player taller than 6-6.

But Smith stayed out of his own way and steamrolled Utah, finishing with a team-high 14 points on 5-of-6 shooting while tying for the team lead with six rebounds.

"Coach told us they weren't that big inside - they had the 6-10 dude but outside of that I think the next tallest dude they have is like 6-7," Smith said. "We had the advantage inside and coach told us to be aggressive."

When the Bruins (11-9, 4-4 Pac-12) made it a concentrated effort to get it to Smith midway through the first half, they were rewarded.

Tied at nine with 15 minutes left in the first half, when Smith entered the game, UCLA went on a 19-8 run, with Smith scoring seven points.

With a little momentum, the Bruins pounced on the Utes (5-15, 2-6), taking a 15-point lead into halftime.

"I talked about the first five minutes of the second half being huge," UCLA head coach Ben Howland said. "Just keeping up intensity and playing hard. I didn't talk about last Saturday but it was exactly what was on my mind."

UCLA has been here before, though, up big at the halfway point.

The Bruins were up 13 at halftime against Oregon last Saturday, only to watch the Ducks storm back to win by seven.

There would be no such surge by the lowly Utes. UCLA shot 14-of-19 in the second half, with a balanced effort led by Jerime Anderson. Anderson had eight points in the second half, finishing with 13, while sophomore forward David Wear added 13.

"Our senior guards did a really good job leading us," Howland said. "I thought Jerime had one of his best games as a Bruin tonight."

______________________

Five Observations: UCLA 76, Utah 49

By Peter Yoon

ESPN Los Angeles, UCLA Report

January, 26, 2012 11:36 PM PT

David Wear was part of UCLA's balanced attack in the Bruins' rout of Utah on Thursday. Photo: Jayne Kamin-Oncea/US Presswire

LOS ANGELES -- UCLA bounced back from its disappointing weekend in Oregon with one of its most dominant performances of the season in a 76-49 Pac-12 victory over Utah on Thursday night at the Sports Arena.

The Bruins (11-9, 4-4 Pac-12) raced to 36-21 halftime lead and unlike Saturday at Oregon, where they blew a 13-point halftime lead, the Bruins finished the job and evened their record in conference play.

"What I said to my team at halftime, I told them two words," senior guard Jerime Anderson said. "One was something I can’t say right now and the other was Oregon. I just said, ‘Man, we cannot let this happen again.’ If we have a lead like that we should be able to control the lead and come out with the win."

UCLA began the second half with a 6-2 run, expanded the lead to 20 points four minutes into the half and led by as many as 35 before coach Ben Howland cleared the bench and got all the walk-ons in the game.

"I talked about the first five minutes of the second half being huge and our intensity level," Howland said. "We have a 15-point lead and have to build on that right away and set the tone in the second half."

Five observations from the game:

1Joshua Smith emerged from the doldrums

Smith had a poor performance on the Oregon trip last week, but rebounded nicely with a dominant performance Thursday night. He finished with a game-high 14 points on 5-fot-6 shooting and added five rebounds in his 18 minutes.

"Just giving more effort," Smith said. "The Oregons I didn’t play my best. Coach just told us when you go out there you have to play as hard as you can. Whatever you do you have to give it your all until you come out and that’s what I was really trying to do is focus on playing as hard as I could until a sub came in."

It was a far cry from his lethargic games at Oregon State and Oregon, where he had 16 points, six rebounds and seven personal fouls in 31 combined minutes over the two games. But most of all, his body language and energy level was noticeably better.

"I thought he was motivated after last weekend and he played well tonight and was a difference maker for us," Howland said.

2Jerime Anderson was another difference maker

Anderson looked as comfortable as he has all season running the offense and played with precision and efficiency. He scored 13 points on 5-for-6 shooting and had three assists and three steals as he kept the UCLA offense running smoothly.

"Jerime played one of the best games of his career today," Howland said. "He really played solid and really controlled things for us out there for us."

Anderson made 2-of-3 3-point shots and had only one turnover for the game. Anderson said he just tried not to force anything.

"I just thought I just took what they gave me," he said. "My teammates found me at open spots and I just tried to take open shots and just get the ball to the right guy and that was pretty much it."

3The Bruins shared the ball nicely

The shot distribution for UCLA was as balanced as it has been all season. Norman Powell and Tyler Lamb led the team with seven shots each while Smith, Anderson, Lazeric Jones, David Wear and Travis Wear each had six shot attempts.

"We were playing very unselfish and sharing the ball," Howland said.

It was a departure from the last few games when Jones had been taking the Lion's share shots. He had 16 attempts at Oregon, 17 at Oregon State and had averaged 14 attempts over the last five games, but was shooting only 37 percent over that span.

UCLA shot a season-high 58.7 percent as a team, including 73.7 percent in the second half and Jones had six assists and a team-leading six rebounds to go along with his seven points.

"It just goes to show you that Zeek is not playing for Zeek, Zeek is playing for UCLA," Howland said. "He did a great job sharing the ball. He was really being unselfish. He’s our captain, he’s our leader."

4Howland unveiled the twin-tower lineup

Smith and Anthony Stover, both 6-foot-10 centers, were on the floor at the same time for the first time this season. Normally Stover backs up Smith, but Howland experimented by pulling out both of the Wear twins and putting the two big men in at the same time.

"That won’t be something that we’ll be going to a lot I don’t think," Howland said. "I didn’t want to bring the Wears back in because we needed to keep their minutes down getting ready for Saturday’s game and not playing them more than they have to."

The move caught the big men by surprise. Howland sent Smith in for Travis Wear, but Stover came trotting off the floor. When Smith told Stover to stay out there, Stover put his palms face up and had a confused look.

"With me and him in there is was fun," Smith said.

5There is still skepticism surrounding this team

This was a nice bounce-back victory for UCLA, but it was also a bit of a scheduling break to play Utah (5-15, 2-6) after such a tough road trip. The Utes are among the worst teams in the conference and recently dismissed leading scorer Josh Watkins from the team.

The Bruins still have only one or two wins that could be considered wins of note -- Arizona and Richmond -- and even those are iffy.

UCLA's victories have come against opponents that are a combined 75-122. Meanwhile, the Bruins' losses have come against teams that are a combined 136-47. So basically, UCLA has beaten bad teams and lost to good teams.

Penn (10-9), Richmond (12-9) and Arizona (14-7) are UCLA's only victories over teams with winning records, so Saturday's game against Colorado (14-6, 6-2) will tell far more about whether the Bruins have bounced back from their tough road trip or if they are simply destined to be a middle-of-the-road team in a middle-of-the-road conference this season.

"We just need to come out and have the same effort as we had tonight," David Wear said. "I think if we just play 40 minutes of complete high-pressure defense and we play smart offensively and make good decisions like we did tonight and we come out with better intensity in the second half, that will get us on the right track."

Anderson said he hopes the team is, indeed, on that track.

"We played inspired tonight," he said. "We played with some fire under our belly just because we’re coming off the weekend that we had and we had to bounce back. When our back is against the wall, our team has a lot of heart and we can show it if we just go out and play hard and have the intensity that we’re supposed to have."

Boxscore courtesy of Yahoo.com

Bruins Return Home to Host Utah in Sports Arena

2012-01-25T20:56:00.000-08:00

Bruins Return Home to Host Utah in Sports Arena

The series between the Bruins and Utah is tied at 4-4 with Utah winning the last meeting in 1983.

UCLA Men's Basketball website

Jan. 25, 2012

LOS ANGELES -

UCLA Game Notes | Utah Game Notes | 2011-12 Media Guide
Howland's Press Conference Video | Gametracker | Live Audio

GAMEDAY CENTRAL
DATE: Jan. 26, 2012
SITE: Los Angeles Sports Arena (15,000)
TIP-OFF: 7:32 p.m. (PT)
TV: Prime Ticket
TALENT: Joel Meyers (play-by-play), Don MacLean (analyst) and Courtney Jones (sideline)
RADIO (UCLA Sports Network from IMG College): AM 570
SIRIUS SATELLITE RADIO: Channel 128
SIRIUS XM SATELLITE RADIO: Channel 192
TALENT: Chris Roberts (play-by-play) and Tracy Murray (analyst)
SERIES RECORD: Series tied 4-4
SERIES AT UCLA: UCLA leads 2-1
SERIES STREAK: Utah +1

SERIES VS. UTAH
This is the ninth meeting between UCLA and Utah with the series tied 4-4. UCLA is 2-1 all-time in games contested in Los Angeles. The Bruins lost the last meeting between the two teams, a Mar. 19 meeting in the Second Round of the 1983 NCAA Tournament. The 10th-seeded Utes upset 2nd-seeded UCLA 67-61 in Boise, Idaho. Kenny Fields led UCLA with 18 points while Rod Foster chipped in 14 points. Only five players scored for Utah, led by a trio of Peter Williams, Pace Mannion and Angelo Robinson, who each scored 18 points for the Utes. UCLA led 34-32 at halftime, but Utah shot 73.7 percent (14-for-19) from the field in the second half to end the Bruins' season (23-5 record). UCLA Head Coach Ben Howland is 0-1 all-time against the Utes. Assistant Coach Scott Garson, who earned his master's degree from Utah in 2003, spent five seasons (administrative asst./head manager, 1999-2002; video coordinator, 2002-03 and assistant coach, 2003-04) on Rick Majerus' staff.

CHARTING COACH HOWLAND
Ben Howland earned his 300th victory of his career with the 72-54 win over DePaul in the 15th Annual John R. Wooden Classic (Dec. 13, 2008). He is currently 367-190 (.659), which ranks 35th on the winningest active coaches list by percentage and 50th on the active list by victories. Howland's first career victory was his first game at Northern Arizona in 1994, a 71-69 victory over New Mexico Highlands. His 100th career victory came in his second season at Pittsburgh in the 77-65 win at home over Seton Hall (Jan. 13, 2001). His 200th win came in his third season at UCLA with the 56-37 home win over Delaware State (Nov. 19, 2005). Howland is 19-9 (.679) in the NCAA Tournament (15-6 (.714) at UCLA).

COACH HOWLAND APPROACHING MILESTONE RECORD
UCLA Head Coach Ben Howland is approaching 200 career victories at UCLA and currently sits at 199-92 (.684) at UCLA in his ninth season at the helm of the Bruins. With the win over Eastern Washington (Dec. 14), Howland passed Jim Harrick for second place on the all-time UCLA career victories list. Harrick posted a 192-62 record in his eight seasons (1988-89 to 1995-96) as the Bruins' mentor. Coach John R. Wooden is the all-time leader at 620-147 (.808) in his 27 seasons (1948-49 to 1974-75).

BRUINS' INJURY REPORT
Sophomore forward David Wear, who left the game in the final minutes at Oregon (Jan. 21) after hurting his left knee, had an MRI on Jan. 23, 2012. That MRI showed no significant injury (was negative) and he returned to practice on Monday, completing a full workout. He is listed as probable for the Utah contest on Jan. 26 at the Los Angeles Sports Arena.

JONES LEADING UCLA
Senior point guard Lazeric Jones had his career-best eight straight games in double figures snapped in the loss at Cal (Dec. 31). He has scored in double figures in 12 of the last 14 games. The Bruins are 9-5 in the last 14 contests after starting the season 1-4. In the last 14 games, Jones has averaged 15.1 points, 4.6 assists, 3.4 rebounds and 1.9 steals while shooting 48.7 percent (75-for-154) from the field and 44.2 percent (23-for-52) from three-point range.

TWIN PEAKS
The Wear twins (David and Travis) have scored in double figures in the same game seven times this season and they have done so in five of the last eight contests. Additionally, they posted career-highs in scoring in back-to-back outings as David scored a career-best 17 points in the loss at California (Dec. 31) while Travis had a career-high 20 points in the win over Arizona (Jan. 5). In the last six games, David is averaging 13.0 points while Travis has averaged 16.0 points per game. David has shot 61.5 percent from the floor (32-for-52) while making his only three-point shot and draining 11-for-15 (.733) from the free-throw line. Travis has shot 67.9 percent (38-for-56) from the field while sinking 20-for-23 (.870) of his free throw attemtps. Combined, they are 70-for-108 (.648) from the field and 31-for-38 (.816) from the charity stripe.

2012 PAC-12 BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT COMBINED MEN'S & WOMEN'S ALL-SESSION PACKAGES
Experience the March to Madness and help your Bruins feel at home in Staples Center! There are 2012 Pac-12 Basketball all-session ticket packages available online or by calling (310) UCLA-WIN today.
All-Session $283: includes lower-level seat to both the men's and women's basketball Pac-12 Tournaments.
All-Session $115: includes an upper-level men's basketball seat and a lower-level women's basketball seat to the Pac-12 Tournaments.
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Oregon trip exposes UCLA's lack of mental toughness

2012-01-22T07:10:00.000-08:00

AP Photo/Rick BowmerUCLA's Joshua Smith was one of many players who simply couldn't get in done in Oregon this weekend.

Oregon trip exposes UCLA's lack of mental toughness

By Peter Yoon

ESPN Los Angeles, UCLA Report

January, 21, 2012 8:22 PM PT

EUGENE, Ore. -- This one will sting for quite some time.

It's not just that UCLA lost to Oregon, 75-68, Saturday at Matthew Knight Arena, and it's not even that the Bruins blew a 13-point halftime lead in doing so. The most troubling thing about this loss is what is says about the mental toughness of this season's UCLA team.

Tough teams win on the road, but UCLA has not shown the ability to do that. Tough teams don't get rattled, but UCLA did exactly that for the second consecutive game. Tough teams play complete games, but UCLA can't seem to string together a consistent 40-minute effort on both ends of the floor. Tough teams fight and will themselves to win, but that doesn't seem to be a part of the team's makeup.

What it all adds up to is a team that is struggling to stay afloat in a weak Pac-12 conference even when the conference leaders can't seem to figure out how to stay on top. The Bruins (10-9, 3-4) were swept on this Oregon swing and leave the Beaver State in seventh place in the Pac-12.

Yes, the Bruins, picked to win the Pac-12 in a preseason poll, are in seventh place and going nowhere fast and they have nobody but themselves to blame. That the Bruins had a 37-24 lead on the road against one of the conference's better teams says a lot about their ability to compete in the conference. That UCLA fell apart in the second half shows how far the Bruins have to go to be able to compete.

"We’ve got to be mentally tougher," coach Ben Howland said.

UCLA came on this Oregon trip needing a sweep to rekindle thoughts of winning the Pac-12 title, but now must refocus on simply trying not to embarrass itself. The last time the Bruins were swept on the Oregon trip was 2004 and it has happened only six times in 48 years, so that tells you how close they are to irrelevancy.

The NCAA tournament seems a far-fetched pipe dream at this point and a berth in the second-tier NIT tournament is also fading fast. Thankfully the CIT and CBI might still come a knocking, but any type of postseason for the Bruins will require a turnaround in the mental toughness and maturity department.

"I think it’s pretty devastating right now to lose after you have a 13-point lead," senior guard Jerime Anderson said. "That’s where we need to become a better team and grow as a team and be able to come out on top and get this win. We were spotted 13 points in 20 minutes and we weren’t able to come out with that."

The turning point in the game is easy to spot: When UCLA jumped out to an early lead, Oregon started running a full-court press. The Bruins wilted under the pressure by committing a few costly turnovers and by speeding up their tempo and pace.

The same thing happened to the same team two days earlier in an 87-84 loss at Oregon State, where a rattled Bruins team lacked the discipline to stay in control, got into a run-and-gun fest and fell flat.

"We need to go back and work on our press offense and focus on taking our time and not having the other team force us into a frantic pace," Travis Wear said. "That really isn’t our game."

It's no secret that this isn't the most talented team UCLA has ever had, but it's a team that should be able to contend in a weak Pac-12 conference. The players frequently talk about their unity and camaraderie, so that's clearly not the issue.

The inability to win on the road is puzzling. UCLA played close with Stanford, Oregon State and Oregon, but were unable to close out those games. So what exactly has kept the Bruins from getting over that hump?

"I’m not exactly sure what we’re lacking," guard Lazeric Jones said. "We showed in the first half that we can be a really good defensive team and play as a team. We did a really good job in the first half. In the second half, we had some breakdowns."

The Bruins might do themselves a favor and look at the team that just beat them for some answers. Oregon has won three out of four road games this season and has won seven games by eight points or fewer, including a two-point win at Arizona and a three-point victory over USC. Oregon forward E.J. Singler said his the Ducks never felt as if they were out of the game on Saturday.

"We have a passion for the game and an eagerness to win," he said. "We have a lot of seniors who are sick of not closing out games so we want to change that."

It's that type of killer instinct, the closer mentality and grit, that UCLA seems to be missing. They don't have the sense of urgency to play at a high level from opening tip to the final buzzer. Jones has it, but probably doesn't have the necessary skills to will a team to victory. He had 14 points Saturday, but made only 6-of-16 shots. Jones is shooting only 40 percent from the field in conference games and often tries to do too much.

Certainly Joshua Smith doesn't have it. He is supposed to be the team's dominant player, but he pretty much pulled a no-show in Oregon, combining for 16 points, eight rebounds and seven personal fouls in 31 minutes in the two losses. His body language was awful in both games. He looked dazed and as if he didn't want to be there.

Against Oregon, he played like someone who had mentally checked out before the opening tip and finished with six points, three rebounds and four turnovers in 12 minutes.

"He did not have a particularly good game," Howland said.

The Wear twins are playing much better, but they also seem to lack the competitive fire and leadership qualities necessary to will a team to victory. The Bruins are playing hard for the most part. They compete, they hustle and they sweat. They are coachable and well-coached and have enough talent to win the Pac-12 conference.

There's just always been a little something missing with this team, a little something off that made you wonder if it had the chops to compete for the conference title. Oregon exposed Saturday that the Bruins do not and now the realization is beginning to set in that the Bruins will be playing out the season as a middle-of-the-pack squad hoping to pull off a miracle in the Pac-12 tournament.

And that's why this loss will sting for quite some time.

UCLA squanders 15-point lead, loses to Oregon 75-68

2012-01-22T07:03:00.000-08:00

UCLA's Travis Wear (24) defends against Oregon's Devoe Joseph (34) in the second half of an NCAA college basketball game Saturday, Jan. 21, 2012, in Eugene, Ore. Oregon defeated UCLA 75-68.

UCLA squanders 15-point lead, loses to Oregon

By SCOTT M. REID / THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Published: Jan. 21, 2012 Updated: 8:08 p.m.

EUGENE, Ore. – UCLA forward Travis Wear was reflecting late Saturday afternoon on the Bruins' lost weekend in the Willamette Valley, trying to decide what was more painful — a 75-68 loss to Oregon earlier in the afternoon or the 87-84 defeat at Oregon State on Thursday night.

"I think this one hurts more because we had that lead in the first (half) and we were playing so well. Our defense was clicking, our offense, everything was going right," Wear said.

Then UCLA blew the blowout, leaving the demoralized Bruins to nurse an ache that could sting even more come March. As bad as the loss appeared from where Wear and the Bruins stood Saturday afternoon it could loom even larger come Selection Sunday.

UCLA squandered a 15-point lead in front of 10,830 at Matthew Knight Arena, dropping the preseason Pac-12 favorite to 3-4 in the conference and 10-9 overall. It also completed the first sweep of the Bruins by the Oregon schools since 2004, Coach Ben Howland's first season in Westwood.

"Obviously, a huge setback," UCLA guard Jerime Anderson said. "We're 3-4 now so. I'll let those numbers speak for themselves."

A few other numbers also speak volumes for the Bruins:

• 51: As in the 51 points the Ducks (15-5, 6-2) scored in the second half, erasing a 15-point deficit late in the first half and a 37-24 gap at halftime.
•22.6: The Ducks' shooting percentage from the field in a first half dominated by the Bruins.
•12.5: UCLA's free-throw percentage in the opening half when the Bruins connected on just 1 of 8 free throws.

"It's a disappointing loss, a great opportunity to get a road win," Howland said. "And we couldn't get it done."

A series of Bruins lapses at both ends of the floor fueled an 11-0 Oregon run to open the second half that permanently shifted momentum and rattled a UCLA team that was never able regain its bearings. However, it was in the first half when the Bruins missed a chance to bury the Ducks.

UCLA was so bad from the foul line that even Wear, who had began the trip having made his previous 20 foul shots, missed both of his free-throw attempts in the first half. The Bruins ended up shooting 47.6 percent from the line, the normally automatic Wear going 3 for 6.

"You've got to step up and hit them," Wear said. "I missed three today, normally I knock those down. As a team we definitely have to focus on our foul shots because if we would have made a few more we probably would have won the game."

Instead, Oregon needed less than 90 seconds in the second half to take control of the game.

"They just came out pretty inspired," Anderson said. "They made some nice threes that got them back into the game very quickly and we had too many defensive lapses."

After Oregon center Tony Woods opened the second half scoring with a free throw, the Ducks' full-court press forced a Tyler Lamb turnover. Oregon on the other end found guard Garrett Sim opened on the wing, where he drained a 3-point jumper despite getting fouled by Anderson. Sim made the free throw to cut the UCLA lead to 37-30 with 18:47 still left to play.

"I was just trying to close out as quick as I could," Anderson said.

"It wasn't really something that serious, but the ref thought it was a foul so sometimes, you know, it goes that way."

Another Sim 3-pointer made it 37-30 45 seconds later. Duck forward E.J. Singler cut the gap to 37-35 with a jumper with 17:16 remaining. Oregon went up for the first time, 52-50, on a Singler lay-up with 7:47 left then another Oregon 3-point bomb, this time from Johnathan Loyd, gave the Ducks the lead for good, 55-52, with 6:53 remaining.

Singler finished with a game and career-high 26 points, 17 of them coming from the foul line where he went 16 of 17.

"We showed toughness and heart today," Singler said. "Coming out and winning feels good and shows we have heart, and that means a lot."

For UCLA, Saturday revealed a team still in search of a complete game a month into Pac-12 play.

"I think it's pretty devastating right now to lose after you have a 13-point lead going to the second half," Anderson said.

"That's where we need to be a better team and grow as a team and be able to come out on top and get this win because you know we were spotted 13 points in 20 minutes and we weren't able to come out with that."
_________________

UCLA men's basketball falls to Oregon 75-68

By SAM STRONG

The Daily Bruin in Men's Basketball, Sports

Published January 21, 2012, 5:31 pm

EUGENE, Ore. — UCLA is a basketball school.

Oregon is a football school.

For one half of basketball at Matthew Knight Arena on Saturday, those titles held true.

Leave it to Oregon’s football team to erase UCLA’s 13-point halftime lead without playing a snap to send the Bruins home as 75-68 losers, the first time they have lost both games in Oregon since 2004.

UCLA opened the game with one of its best halves of basketball this season, at one point mounting a 15-point advantage that was backed by improved defense. As each basketball team entered the locker room, out came the Rose Bowl champion Oregon football team to the delight of the 10,830 delirious Duck fans in attendance.

“Their crowd was really into it,” senior guard Lazeric Jones said.

As each image from the Pac-12 football deities’ Rose Bowl win flashed across “Knight Vision,” the fans’ cheers – mingled with quacks – ratcheted up. The arena grew louder at halftime than it had at any point in the first half when the basketball team shot a dismal 22.6 percent from the field.

As the football team walked off the floor and its basketball counterparts returned, there was a renewed sense of energy in the air and on the court for the Ducks. Oregon (15-5, 6-2 Pac-12) opened the second half on a 13-0 run.

“Their intensity level went up a little bit and we could sense it,” redshirt sophomore forward Travis Wear said. “Unfortunately, we couldn’t stop it.”

The run was capped by a rare four-point play from Oregon guard Garrett Sim as he drained a 3-pointer and was fouled by UCLA senior guard Jerime Anderson, sending the arena into a frenzy that nearly equaled the ovation for the football team.

“I was just trying to close out as quick as I could,” Anderson said. “I only hit him on the hand. It wasn’t that serious, but the (referee) thought it was a foul. Sometimes it goes that way.”

Feeding off that intensity, the Ducks proceeded to use pressure defense, eventually resulting in 12 UCLA turnovers.

“I thought we played really well in the first half, and it’s just really disappointing the way we came out at the start of the second half,” UCLA coach Ben Howland said. “We’ve got to be mentally tougher.”

“We were getting whatever we wanted on offense in the first half,” Travis Wear added. “If we just settled down and carried that over, we would have fared a lot better.”

UCLA (10-9, 3-4) would counter with a 13-3 run of its own to hang on to a narrowing lead but the tide had already turned.

“We knew they were going to come out with a lot more intensity in the second half,” Travis Wear said. “We knew what they were going to do but we hurried a little bit on offense and gave them second-chance opportunities.”

Oregon forward E.J. Singler finished with a career-high 26 points, highlighted by an impressive display of free throw shooting that saw him shoot 16-for-17 at the stripe.
While Oregon shot 87.5 percent from the line, only missing four free throws all game, UCLA was 10-for-21, a statistic that Howland pointed to as a potential reason for the loss.

“The foul shooting really hurt us today,” Howland said. “It’s really unexpected. We had opportunities to be up by more. We were just a little rushed.”
UCLA improved defensive effort in the first half was all for naught as it reverted back to sloppy defensive habits that allowed Oregon State to hurt it two nights prior.

Offensively, the Bruins were led by Travis Wear, who finished with 17 points and Jones who had 14. Sophomore center Joshua Smith continued to struggle on both ends of the floor, finishing with just six points, four turnovers and four fouls in 12 minutes of action.

Injury report
Redshirt sophomore forward David Wear left the second half of Saturday’s game with a hyper-extended left knee. He was walking after the game and said he doesn’t anticipate missing major minutes because of it.

_________________

UCLA squanders double-digit lead, loses at Oregon, 75-68

Bruins blow a 13-point advantage after the first half as E.J. Singler sparks Ducks' rally with 23 points in the second half to finish with a game-high 26.

By Chris Foster
The Los Angeles Times
7:09 PM PST, January 21, 2012

Reporting from Eugene, Ore.

There was a running theme to Coach Ben Howland's assessment after UCLA's 75-68 loss to Oregon on Saturday.

"I thought we played really, really well in the first half … "

"The first half, we played great … "

"We obviously won the first half … "

Howland's postmortem to the Bruins was a bit different, and louder, as it wafted into the hallway. This was no time for coddling a team that was picked to win the Pac-12 Conference. UCLA (10-9 overall, 3-4 in conference play) slipped further in the standings after blowing a 13-point halftime lead at Knight Arena.

Howland pointed out seven times how well the Bruins played in the first half. As for the entire game, he said, "we need to be mentally tougher."

The Ducks (15-5, 6-3) made only seven of 31 shots in the first half, but scored 51 points in the second half. E.J. Singler scored a career-high 26 points, 23 in the second half.

It made for a bookend to a trip that began with a loss to Oregon State on Thursday. It was only the sixth time that UCLA has been 0-for-Oregon in the last 48 seasons and the first since 2003-04, Howland's first season.

The bright side? Howland is in good company. He and John Wooden are the only UCLA coaches to be swept in Oregon twice. The brighter side? UCLA doesn't have to travel to Oregon next season.

The Bruins had seen enough of the state after Saturday.

"It's devastating to lose after having a 13-point lead," guard Jerime Anderson said. "We were spotted 13 points in 20 minutes."

Still, Anderson said, "There is nothing going through our heads mentally telling us 'we don't want to win' or anything like that."

Besides, guard Lazeric Jones said, "the goals are the same. We want to win the Pac-12."

The difference between wanting and getting was heard after the game.

"I can't say anything was lacking," Jones said. "They came out in the second half, got momentum, and took the lead."

The voice from the other locker room was Singler's: "We have a passion for the game and eagerness to win."

The Bruins led, 37-24, at halftime and then learned what it takes to be a contender. The Ducks spent 20 minutes showing them.

Poise …

The Ducks were embarrassed in the first half, shrugged and scored the first 11 points after halftime, four when Garrett Sim made a three-point basket and was fouled. Sim made another three-pointer on the next possession to cut UCLA's lead to 37-33.

Tenacity …

The Ducks forced key turnovers with their press and had 10 offensive rebounds in the second half. Singler's rebound and layup gave the Ducks their first lead, 52-50, with 7 minutes 47 seconds left. They never trailed again.

Free-throw shooting …

Oregon made 28 of 32 free throws. Singler made 16 of 17 and was eight for eight in the final minute. UCLA was 10 for 21 from the line.

"We had opportunities to be up more in the first half, but the foul shooting hurt us," Howland said. "We were one for eight … one for eight … that is just brutal."

Which left Howland shaking his head.

"We had a great opportunity," he said. "We were up 13 at the half."

David Wear is injured

UCLA forward David Wear hyperextended his left knee in the game and will be reevaluated when the team returns to Los Angeles.

_________________

OREGON 75, UCLA 68: Bruins come up empty after giving half the effort

By Jon Gold Staff Writer

The Los Angeles Daily News

Posted: 01/21/2012 10:24:18 PM PST

Updated: 01/21/2012 10:47:14 PM PST

EUGENE, Ore. - The UCLA men's basketball team has had more false starts this season than a football team starting five freshmen on the offensive line.

Case in point: The Bruins' woeful opening in their three-point loss at Oregon State on Thursday, when the Beavers scored the first seven points of the game.

On Saturday, UCLA led Oregon by nine points less than five minutes in and by 13 at halftime.

The only problem?

In college basketball there are two starts, and the Bruins could not recharge.

The Ducks went on a 15-2 run to open the second half and pulled away from UCLA with some clutch free-throw shooting to ruin the Bruins' trip to the Beaver State with a 75-68 win in front of 10,830 at Matthew Knight Arena.

"It's pretty devastating right now to lose after you have a 13-point lead going into the second half," senior guard Jerime Anderson said.

"That's where we need to become a better team and grow as a team and be able to come out on top and get this win. We were spotted 13 points in 20 minutes and we weren't able to come out with it."

Anderson's foul of Oregon guard Garrett Sim during a 3-point attempt spurred the Ducks (15-5, 6-2 Pac-12) early in the half and had the crowd building on a frenzy caused during a halftime ceremony celebrating the school's Rose Bowl-winning football team. Sim made the free throw to make it a seven-point game, then followed less than a minute later with another 3-pointer.

By the time UCLA (10-9, 3-4) could breathe, the Ducks had tied the score at 39. Oregon took its first lead with 7:47 left and led the rest of the way.

"When they had their roll going, the crowd definitely ... I don't know if it factored in for us, but for them their intensity level definitely went up," said sophomore forward Travis Wear, who led the Bruins with 17 points. "We could sense it. Unfortunately we couldn't stop it right away.

"They got a couple buckets and kept rolling."

What UCLA did so right in the first half it did so wrong in the second.

After forcing the Ducks into 22.6 percent shooting for the first 20 minutes with improved energy and sound defense, the Bruins wilted in the second half under the face of Oregon's pressure. The Ducks shot 50 percent in the second half, including 5 of 9 from 3-point range, as E.J. Singler took control.

Singler, who had a career-high 24 points in the teams' previous matchup in last season's Pac-10 Tournament - a 17-point Oregon win - had 26 points Saturday and capitalized on frequent trips to the free-throw line.

Singler nade 16 of 17 attempts and the Ducks converted 28 of 32 as a team. UCLA, on the other hand, was just 10 of 21.

"They really got it to Singler in some of his sweet spots on the floor," Anderson said. "He was able to work them very well. He shot 17 free throws today and we just didn't have an answer for him in the second half."

Anderson added, "Obviously this was a huge setback. We're 3-4 (in Pac-12 play) now. I'll let those numbers speak for themselves."

Rapid Reaction: Oregon 75, UCLA 68

2012-01-21T19:06:00.000-08:00

Rapid Reaction: Oregon 75, UCLA 68

By Peter Yoon

ESPN Los Angeles, UCLA Report

January, 21, 2012 4:37 PM PT

EUGENE, Ore. -- UCLA blew a 13-point halftime lead and lost, 75-68, to Oregon on Saturday at Matthew Knight Arena, a devastating loss for a Bruins team that appeared as if it would be able to salvage a split on the Oregon trip but remains without a victory over a Division I team away from Southern California.

The Bruins (10-9, 3-4 Pac-12) return to the Sports Arena this week to face Utah and Colorado.

Overview: UCLA dominated the early going, building a lead as big as 15 points and taking a 37-24 lead at halftime by playing sound defense. Oregon shot only 22.6 percent from the field in the first half and went the last 9:56 of the half with only one made field goal.

Things were much different in the second half for the Bruins, who gave up 51 points and allowed Oregon to shoot 50 percent from the field. Oregon forward E.J. Singler was a one-man wrecking crew as he scored a career-high 26 points with seven rebounds. He made 16 of 17 free throws.

The Bruins had four players score in double figures. Travis Wear led the way with 17 and Lazeric Jones added 14. Jerime Anderson added 10 and David Wear also had 10 points before hyper-extending his left knee late in the game. He will have an MRI exam when the team returns home.

Turning point: Oregon began the second half with a 15-2 run to tie the score at 39-39 and rattled UCLA. The Bruins fought back to take a 50-42 lead, but Oregon never let up, taking a 52-50 lead on a put back by Singler with 7:49 to play and the Ducks (15-5, 5-2) never again lost the lead.

UCLA star of the game: Anthony Stover's final stat line won't stand out much as he had only two points and four rebounds, but his defensive presence changed the game every time he was on the floor.

He finished with four blocked shots in only 11 minutes and altered many others. His defensive energy sparked the Bruins for key stretches and Oregon seemed to have trouble scoring whenever Stover was in the game.

Travis Wear had a solid statistical game with 17 points and seven rebounds while David Wear added 10 points and nine rebounds.

Stat of the game: UCLA was abysmal from the free-throw line, making only 10 of 21 attempts (47.6 percent). It didn't seem to matter much in the first half, when the Bruins made only 1 of 8 free throws and still had a 13-point lead, but imagine the mountain Oregon would have had to climb had that lead been 20 points instead. And 11 missed free throws in a seven-point loss really hurts.

Perhaps most surprising is that the Wear twins, among the best free-throw shooters on the team, combined to make 4 of 9. Travis Wear missed his first two attempts, ending a string of 20 consecutive made free throws.

What it means: The Bruins were picked to win the Pac-12 conference, but are now fighting to keep the season afloat. They fell below .500 in conference play and to 1-4 in conference road games.

The Bruins play five of the next seven at home and have a chance to get things headed in the right direction, but the idea of UCLA winning the conference title now seems pretty far-fetched and a berth in the NCAA tournament will certainly be available only if UCLA wins the Pac-12 tournament as UCLA's RPI will drop. UCLA's only win outside of Southern California is a victory over Division II Chaminade at the Maui Invitational in November.

UCLA going for a split in Oregon

2012-01-21T07:39:00.000-08:00

UCLA At Oregon For Saturday Afternoon Battle

The Bruins lead the all-time series with Oregon 83-28 and won last year's meeting at Matthew Knight Arena.

Official UCLA Men's Basketball website

Jan. 20, 2012

EUGENE, Ore. -

UCLA Game Notes | 2011-12 Media Guide
Gametracker | Live Audio

GAMEDAY CENTRAL
DATE: Jan. 31, 2012
SITE: Matthew Knight Arena (12,364)
TIP-OFF: 1:07 p.m. (PT)
TV: Fox Sports Net and Fox Sports West
TALENT: Barry Tompkins (play-by-play) and Marques Johnson (analyst)
RADIO (UCLA Sports Network from IMG College): AM 570
SIRIUS SATELLITE RADIO (Oregon's): Channel 92
SIRIUS XM SATELLITE RADIO (Oregon's): 194
TALENT: Chris Roberts (play-by-play) and Don MacLean (analyst)
SERIES RECORD: UCLA leads 83-28
SERIES AT OREGON: UCLA leads 33-20
SERIES STREAK: Oregon +1

SERIES VS. OREGON
This is the 112th meeting between UCLA and Oregon with the Bruins leading the series 83-28 (.748). UCLA is 33-20 (.623) all-time in Eugene, Ore., including winning last year's meeting, 67-59. The Bruins have won 11 of the last 15 games overall and five of the last seven in Eugene. The last eight games in Eugene have been decided by nine points or less. The Bruins became the first team to beat Oregon (in just the second game contested) in the new Matthew Knight Arena on Jan. 15, 2011. Malcolm Lee led four Bruins in double figures with a game-high 18 points. Jerime Anderson drained three from beyond the arc to finish with 15 points. Joshua Smith also had 15 points and nine boards while Lazeric Jones added 12 points. E.J. Singler scored 15 points and Jeremy Jacob added 12 for the Ducks, who were without leading scorer and rebounder Joevan Catron. UCLA Head Coach Ben Howland is 12-5 all-time against the Ducks and 5-3 at Oregon.

CHARTING COACH HOWLAND
Ben Howland earned his 300th victory of his career with the 72-54 win over DePaul in the 15th Annual John R. Wooden Classic (Dec. 13, 2008). He is currently 367-189 (.660), which ranks 35th on the winningest active coaches list by percentage and 50th on the active list by victories. Howland's first career victory was his first game at Northern Arizona in 1994, a 71-69 victory over New Mexico Highlands. His 100th career victory came in his second season at Pittsburgh in the 77-65 win at home over Seton Hall (Jan. 13, 2001). His 200th win came in his third season at UCLA with the 56-37 home win over Delaware State (Nov. 19, 2005). Howland is 19-9 (.679) in the NCAA Tournament (15-6 (.714) at UCLA).

COACH HOWLAND APPROACHING MILESTONE RECORD
UCLA Head Coach Ben Howland is approaching 200 career victories at UCLA and currently sits at 199-91 (.686) at UCLA in his ninth season at the helm of the Bruins. With the win over Eastern Washington (Dec. 14), Howland passed Jim Harrick for second place on the all-time UCLA career victories list. Harrick posted a 192-62 record in his eight seasons (1988-89 to 1995-96) as the Bruins' mentor. Coach John R. Wooden is the all-time leader at 620-147 (.808) in his 27 seasons (1948-49 to 1974-75).

BRUINS' INJURY REPORT
Junior guard De'End Parker has missed the last 16 games with patellar tendinitis and is out for the rest of the season, Head Coach Ben Howland announced this week at his weekly press conference (Jan. 17, 2012). He will petition the NCAA at the end of the year for a medical hardship and will look to transfer at the end of the season to play somewhere closer to home.

JONES LEADING UCLA
Senior point guard Lazeric Jones had his career-best eight straight games in double figures snapped in the loss at Cal (Dec. 31). He has scored in double figures in 11 of the last 13 games. The Bruins are 9-4 in the last 13 contests after starting the season 1-4. In the last 13 games, Jones has averaged 15.2 points, 4.8 assists, 3.4 rebounds and 1.9 steals while shooting 50.0 percent (69-for-138) from the field and 45.8 percent (22-for-48) from three-point range.

TWIN PEAKS
The Wear twins (David and Travis) have scored in double figures in the same game six times this season and they have done so in four of the last seven contests. Additionally, they posted career-highs in scoring in back-to-back outings as David scored a career-best 17 points in the loss at California (Dec. 31) while Travis had a career-high 20 points in the win over Arizona (Jan. 5). In the last five games, David is averaging 13.6 points while Travis has averaged 15.8 points per game. David has shot 66.7 percent from the floor (28-for-42) while making his only three-point shot and draining 10-of-12 from the free-throw line. Travis has shot 66.0 percent (31-for-47) from the field while sinking all 17 of his free throw attemtps. Combined, they are 59-for-89 (.663) from the field and 27-for-29 (.931) from the charity stripe.

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The Bruins get burned when defense rests

2012-01-21T07:30:00.000-08:00

The Bruins get burned when defense rests

Coach Ben Howland's 'fireside chat' with media, an annual tradition when Bruins are in Oregon, is canceled. It could be related to their giving up 87 points a night earlier in loss to Oregon State.

By Chris Foster
The Los Angeles Times
6:00 PM PST, January 20, 2012

Reporting from Eugene, Ore. -- UCLA Coach Ben Howland's fireside chat with the media, an annual event during the trip in Oregon, was canceled Friday.

The light and easy conversation — often more about society than basketball — by the fire in the lounge at the team's hotel was replaced by a conference call.

In an indication that nothing is light or easy for the Bruins these days, the round-table forum was replaced by roundball concerns.

Asked why the sit-down was canceled, a UCLA spokesman replied in an e-mail, "No reason in particular. Just three media members didn't want to have to drive for 15 minutes of access."

Three of the five media members on the trip were planning to attend the session, which lasted nearly an hour the previous two years.

Still, the spokesman's explanation was a better defense than the one the Bruins put up in Thursday's 87-84 loss at Oregon State.

UCLA (10-8 overall and 3-3 in the Pac-12) needs a victory over Oregon (14-5, 5-2) to keep from sinking further in the standings. The Ducks are one of five teams with two conference losses. California leads the Pac-12 with a 6-1 record.

Howland was clear about the root cause of UCLA's latest loss.

"We scored enough to win," Howland said. "We did not get enough [defensive stops]."

That tough to acknowledge for a coach who preaches defense first, second and always; the Bruins ranked no lower than 16th nationally in points allowed during three consecutive Final Four runs (2006-'08) under Howland.

While Howland indicated that the defensive problems were team-wide against Oregon State, he also said that center Joshua Smith "has got to help more defensively. He has zero blocked shots in conference. He has to be a presence on the defensive end."

Fitness, Howland said, was the big issue with Smith, 6 feet 10 and listed at 305 pounds. Smith played 19 minutes against Oregon State.

Guard Jerime Anderson said after the game that coming back from the Oregon State loss "is going to be really tough for the team. We did the things that put us in the position to win the game, but we had too many turnovers and too many defensive breakdowns."

The Bruins went into the game limiting opponents to 42.5% on field goals. Oregon State shot 58%.

The 87 points were the most UCLA has allowed since Nov. 26, 2010, in an 89-85 loss to Virginia Commonwealth. The Bruins have allowed 87 or more points only seven times in Howland's 290 games as coach.

Howland said that players watched film for an hour Friday. "Hopefully they learned from that," he said.

What they saw, Howland said, was "they did not do a good job of staying in our stances. They saw our intensity level has to be ratcheted up. We need to control the tempo."

The Bruins had improved defensively during the three-game winning streak before playing Oregon State, holding Arizona, Arizona State and USC below 60 points.

"The last three games we have done a good job defensively," Howland said. "So to turn around and not have the defensive tone we had last two weeks was disappointing. Hopefully we will rectify that. The main thing is we have to give the all-out effort."

Defensive woes still haunt Howland

2012-01-21T07:25:00.000-08:00

UCLA basketball notes: Defensive woes still haunt Howland

By Peter Yoon

January, 20, 2012 5:24 PM PT

EUGENE, Ore. -- A day after UCLA's defensive debacle at Oregon State, Bruins coach Ben Howland was still shaking his head.

The Bruins allowed the Beavers to shoot 58 percent from the field and gave up a season-high in points in an 87-84 loss at Corvallis and it's something Howland said his team would have to rectify to have any chance to win Saturday at Oregon.

"Our defense was really, really poor," Howland said. "It’s just disappointing because when you watch it on film, it’s really our stance off the ball, our help, our sense of urgency and our intensity wasn’t where it needs to be. The main thing is to give all out great effort that we need to give."

Bruins players were getting beat off the dribble on the perimeter and the Oregon State post players were able to get around UCLA's defense with ease for easy baskets underneath. For a defense-minded coach like Howland, it's enough to drive him batty.

"We were just not aggressive enough the way we need to be," Howland said. "To win on the road is very difficult and you have to do by playing great defense and taking care of the basketball and playing smart. I think we’ll play better defense. When we watched the tape with the players, they saw that our intensity level has got to be ratcheted up."

QUICK TURNAROUND: The Bruins don't have much time to shore up those defensive issues as they play Oregon at 1 p.m. Saturday, making for only 38 hours between the end of the Oregon State game and the beginning of the Oregon game.

Howland said the team wouldn't hold a full practice Friday so the players could get enough rest between games.

"I'd like to do a practice, but I think we had a number of guys that played major minutes," Howland said. "These second games that start in the afternoon on a Saturday are tough because you don’t have a lot of rest time or preparation time."

NEW-LOOK DUCKS: Oregon (14-5, 5-2) is a very different team from the one that defeated UCLA in the Pac-10 tournament last year and went on to win the CBI tournament because of the addition of a few transfers.

Devoe Joseph, a senior guard, is leading the team in scoring with 15 points per game in his first season with Oregon after playing three seasons at Minnesota. Senior Olu Asholu, a senior forward, is second on the team in rebounding after transferring from Louisiana Tech and Tony Woods, the 6-foot-11 junior starting center, is a transfer from Wake Forest.

"They’ve added some really good players that have experience," Howland said. "Two are fifth-year seniors and one is a fourth-year junior. "They’re a much improved team."

Senior guard Garret Sim (12.4 points per game) and junior forward E.J. Singler (12.2) are also playing well and give the Ducks plenty of experienced players across the board.

"I've been really impressed with them," Howland said. "They’re a very good offensive team. They execute very well. They’re an outstanding offensive rebounding team and they’re a team that plays very hard defensively."

CALIFORNIA DREAMING: UCLA is still looking for its first victory over a Division I opponent outside of Southern California.

The road-weary Bruins defeated Division II Chaminade in the first round of the Maui Invitational, but have wins only in Los Angeles and Anaheim since then.

Ending that streak Saturday won't be easy against a good Oregon team that is 10-2 at home this season, especially considering that Oregon State was supposed to be the easier of the two games in Oregon and the Bruins have less time to prepare for the Ducks.

UCLA faced a similar situation last month when they dropped a close game at Stanford then got hammered at California in a Saturday afternoon game. They hope to have learned from that experience.

"It’s something we have to do," Lazeric Jones said. "For us to call ourselves athletes we have to be mentally prepared for this situation. Myself, I’m definitely going to make sure that I’m more ready. I don’t want to take a game off. The Cal game I felt like I took the game off a little bit and I feel I need to come out there and put pressure on the defense."

Forward David Wear said the Bruins can not afford to dwell on the Oregon State loss if they are to have success against Oregon.

"I think that's the biggest thing we learned from the Bay Area trip," Wear said. "Let this one go. Learn from it, but think about our next opponent. We’ve got to focus on beating Oregon. We’ve got to learn from our mistakes, build off of it and get better."

NO FIRESIDE CHAT: Howland called off the fireside chat he has traditionally held with reporters at the team hotel in between games on the Oregon trip, presumably because he couldn't afford to spend the time away from game preparations.

Howland normally meets with the media in a casual setting in front of a fireplace at the hotel bar and last year discussed everything from basketball to politics to bed bugs both on the record and off during a 40-minute session.

He said would have liked to do it again, but it just didn't work out this year and held a 10-minute, nuts-and-bolts conference call instead.

"I prefer it in there," Howland said. "That's always nice."

Josh sits

2012-01-21T07:14:00.000-08:00

Poor defense puts Joshua Smith on bench

By Peter Yoon

ESPN Los Angeles, UCLA Report

January, 20, 2012 4:25 PM PT

EUGENE, Ore. -- Joshua Smith's on-again, off-again relationship with the starting lineup is currently off, and this time it has nothing to do with foul trouble.

Smith, averaging 9.7 points per game and a significant presence on the offensive end, has come off the bench the last three games after starting the previous six and coach Ben Howland said it's because Smith's defense is lagging.

"Right now, Josh has got to help us more than he’s doing right now defensively," Howland said. "He’s got to be more of a presence for us in there on the defensive end of the floor. We know when he’s in there and we’re trying to get him the ball offensively, but we need him to step up and play better defense for us."

Howland pointed out that Smith, a 6-foot-10, 305-pound center, has no blocked shots in five conference games. In comparison, backup Anthony Stover has seven blocks in Pac-12 games despite playing less than half the minutes as Smith. Travis Wear, starting in place of Smith the last four games, has six blocked shots in conference games.

Howland said Smith's ongoing conditioning issues were "a big part" of his defensive deficiencies. Thursday against Oregon State, the Beavers' starting post players combined to score 33 points on 14-for-21 shooting and Howland called out his post defense after the game.

"We got hurt today at the post," he said. "I thought Stover was the one guy who gave us good post presence defensively. He was the one guy."

Howland brought Smith off the bench most of last season after Smith showed a tendency to pick up early fouls and began the season doing the same. Things changed in mid-December and Smith started six consecutive games, including the first two Pac-12 games.

He sat out against Arizona because of a concussion, and has come off the bench ever since. Howland wouldn't say if the move was permanent, saying only he needed to see defensive improvement by Smith.

"It's just focusing on it, getting his knees bent and playing in his stance," Howland said.

Howland also said he was toying with the idea of playing Stover more minutes. Stover, who brings the defensive energy Howland likes but is limited as an offensive player, is averaging only 8.3 minutes a game.

"Stove did a good job when he was in there," Howland said. "He’s played minutes in each of our last few games. He gave us a defensive presence when he was in the game so it’s definitely something to continue to look at."

The defense rests, UCLA loses at Corvallis, 87-84

2012-01-21T07:03:00.000-08:00

Senior guard Lazeric Jones drives past Oregon State senior guard Ahmad Starks during Thursday’s game against OSU in Corvallis, Ore. Jones led UCLA in scoring with 17; five Bruins finished with double-figure points...ALL for freakin naught. Photo Daily Bruin Blaine Ohigashi

UCLA takes major misstep in loss to Oregon State

Published: Jan. 19, 2012 Updated: Jan. 20, 2012 2:14 p.m.

By SCOTT M. REID / THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

CORVALLIS, Ore. – UCLA coach Ben Howland looked down at postgame stat sheet that had just been handed to him and shook his head.

The Bruins had five players who scored in double figures against Oregon State at Gill Coliseum on Thursday night. UCLA's two-headed starting point guard - Jerime Anderson and Lazeric Jones - combined to dish out 17 assists. The Bruins shot 57.6 percent from the field and 58.3 from behind the 3-point arc.

Still UCLA lost to the Beavers, 87-84.

"We shot 57 percent and lost," an incredulous Howland said. "That doesn't happen very often."

UCLA (10-8, 3-3 Pac-12) wasted a solid offensive performance against the conference's worst defensive team and suffered a major setback to its NCAA Tournament and Pac-12 regular-season title hopes.

The Bruins face another tough game at Oregon on Saturday afternoon before returning to Los Angeles for games with Utah and Colorado next week.

"I think this one could have really helped us," Anderson said.

Instead, the Beavers helped themselves to a series of importune Bruins turnovers and the basket on the UCLA end pretty much at will.

Jones scored 17 points in addition to his eight assists, Anderson pumped in 11 points on top of his nine assists. Travis and David Wear each added 16 points with Joshua Smith contributing 10 points in 19 minutes off the bench.

But it was not enough to overcome the turnovers and a porous defense.

"This loss is on us," Anderson said. "We did the things to put ourselves in a position to win and then we made too many turnovers, had too many (defensive) breakdowns."

It wasn't the number of turnovers (13) so much as the timing of them.

"We made some key steals," Beavers guard Jared Cunningham said, "and everybody played big."

Oregon State (12-7, 2-5) took control with an 11-3 run midway through the second half as the Beavers outscored UCLA, 20-5, on points off turnovers in the game.

"On three possessions we made bad decisions," Howland said.

After Smith tied the score at 51, Cunningham jump-started the run by hitting a 3-point shot. The Bruins responded by turning the ball over on their next three possessions. By the time Cunningham scored on a layup with 11:36 remaining, the Beavers were up, 62-54, leaving UCLA to try and play catch up the rest of the night.

The Bruins couldn't in large part because of defensive breakdowns. Oregon State shot 58 percent from the field.

"Our problem tonight was defense," Howland said. "That really hurt us."

Cunningham finished with a game-high 21 points in addition to his four steals. Devon Collier added 20 points and repeatedly burned Bruins defenders in the paint.

"We got hurt today in the paint with out defense," Howland said.

"They just kept giving it to me," Collier said, "and I just kept going to work."

_______________________

UCLA falls to Oregon State

By SAM STRONG

Daily Bruin, Men's Basketball Sports

Published January 20, 2012, 1:53 am in

CORVALLIS, Ore. — Oregon State came into Thursday’s game at Gill Coliseum having lost to UCLA 13 straight times. From the outset of Thursday’s game, it was clear the Beavers could play with the once-powerful Bruins.

Over the span of that 13-game win streak, UCLA went to three straight Final Fours, produced multiple first-round NBA draft picks and dominated the conference. Oregon State didn’t even sniff the NCAA Tournament.

Thursday, it was Oregon State who came into the game with the conference’s leading scorer, not to mention a strong home-court advantage. UCLA hung around for all of the first half and much of the second, trading the lead back and forth, but a decisive second-half run helped Oregon State beat UCLA for the first time since 2005, 87-84.

The Beavers (12-7, 2-5 Pac-12) opened the game on an 8-0 run which UCLA was able to quickly erase. As for the 14-4 run Oregon State mounted in the second half, that was the nail in the coffin.
Oregon State guard Jared Cunningham, the leading scorer in the conference, was held in check during the first half, scoring just five points, but it was his 3-pointer combined with a few nice defensive plays and an emphatic driving layup that helped put the Bruins (10-8, 3-3) away. He finished with 21 points, 10 of them coming off free throws.

“There were about three possessions there where we made bad decisions, got sped up and turned it over and it led to easy baskets for them,” UCLA coach Ben Howland said. “We made mistakes because we were going faster than we’re used to doing and that’s what that defense does. We let the pressure get to us.”

The Beavers’ defense kept UCLA confused for most of the evening. So much so that at one point during the second half, Howland called back-to-back timeouts because the Bruins were unable to inbound the ball on the sideline.

“They were mixing up their defenses a lot and that’s something we have to adjust to,” said senior guard Lazeric Jones. “I feel like we did a better job at that in the second half than we did in the first half.”

UCLA turned the ball over 13 times, leading to 20 Oregon State points while Howland continued to burn timeouts. With 11:36 left to play, he was fresh out. The loss also cost Howland a chance at win No. 200 as the Bruins’ coach.

Oregon State was also able to keep sophomore center Joshua Smith off balance for the majority of the game. The Beavers threw a bevy of defenders at Smith to limit him to 10 points on the offensive end. Smith was a step slow on defense as well, choosing to hip check Oregon State forward Eric Moreland and send him to the line to extend the Beavers’ lead in the midst of their second-half run.
“Josh had a hard matchup defensively because he had to rotate to the perimeter,” Howland said. “He scored his 10 points and did a decent job there but I thought (redshirt sophomore center Anthony Stover) was the one guy that played good post defense.”

That the Beavers have long been the doormat of the Pac-12 was clear in the waning moments on Thursday.

Despite the final two minutes of play being nothing more than fouls and free throws, albeit a stretch in which UCLA was able to close Oregon State’s lead, Oregon State’s fans stayed till the end, exploding with cheers when the clock finally hit zero.

“This win could have really helped us and given us some momentum going into Saturday but this loss is on us,” senior guard Jerime Anderson said. “We had too many turnovers and too many defensive breakdowns. When you allow a team to get confident and get going, you saw what happened.”

_______________________

UCLA can't keep up with Oregon State in 87-84 loss

Oregon State ends a 13-game losing streak against the Bruins, beating them for the first time since 2005.

By Chris Foster

Los Angeles Times

11:07 PM PST, January 19, 2012

Reporting from Corvallis, Ore. — This was the type of streak that UCLA fans were comfortable with, even expected, when the Bruins dominated college basketball.

This was the type of loss UCLA fans have grown accustomed to this season.

The misstep that was the Bruins' 87-84 loss to Oregon State at Gill Coliseum once would have prompted Beavers fans to rush deliriously from the stands onto the court, but Thursday night it merely sent them into a rainy night mildly happy.

The defeat ended UCLA's 13-game winning streak against Oregon State, which dated to 2005, and left the Bruins a step behind teams trying to distinguish themselves from the crowd in the Pac-12 Conference race.

There are five teams with two conference losses chasing first-place California. UCLA (10-8, 3-3 in the Pac-12) missed out on a chance to join that group.

"After three consecutive wins, this is disappointing," Coach Ben Howland said.

The Bruins have won only one game outside of Southern California this season and now have the tough game on this trip, facing Oregon (14-5, 5-2) Saturday.

"This is a tough one," said guard Jerime Anderson, who had 11 points and nine assists for the Bruins. "We thought we'd come in here and win."

The Bruins had done so for years, beating the Beavers (12-7, 2-5) the last six times in Corvallis. They hadn't lost to Oregon State since the 2005 conference tournament.

All that ended when the Beavers started a 19-8 run with 15 minutes left. Jared Cunningham started it with a three-pointer that broke a 51-51 tie.

He scored nine points during the run, which left the Beavers ahead 70-59 with nine minutes left.

The problem was simple to Howland, whose team shot 57% from the field.

"We couldn't make any defensive stops," Howland said. "You shoot 57% and lose? That doesn't happen very often."

The Bruins helped out, committing three turnovers during that stretch.

"There were about three possession where we made bad decisions and it led to easy baskets," Howland said.

Still, Anderson said, "You have to credit them."

Oregon State shot 58% from the field. Cunningham had 21 points and Devon Collier 20.

"Everyone played big," said Cunningham, who scored 16 of his points in the second half. "When we needed it, some one came up with a big play."

When the Bruins needed that, the opposite occurred. UCLA had a chance to cut the Beavers' lead to four with five minutes left, but Tyler Lamb's lob to David Wear sailed out of bounds.

Oregon State scored the first eight points of the first half and it got the last three on Angus Brandt's three-pointer with six seconds left for a 39-38 lead at halftime.

The Bruins froze at the start, going without a field goal for the first 31/2 minutes before Travis Wear scored on a layup.

Lazeric Jones kicked some life into the Bruins, scoring nine points in the last eight minutes of the first half.

With Oregon State leading 26-21, Jones had a three-pointer and layup to cut the gap. Jones, who is 6 feet 1 and 187 pounds, wrestled Joe Barton, Oregon State's 6-7, 280 forward, to a draw, giving the ball back to the Bruins.

"This loss is on us," Anderson said.

_______________________

OREGON STATE 87, UCLA 84: Bruins can't keep up with Beavers' tempo

By Jon Gold Staff Writer

Los Angeles Daily News
Posted: 01/19/2012 10:13:41 PM PST
Updated: 01/19/2012 11:29:01 PM PST

CORVALLIS, Ore. - Jared Cunningham's resounding slam dunk less than three minutes into UCLA's matchup with Oregon State on Thursday night gave the Beavers an eight-point lead and got the Gill Coliseum crowd off its feet.

But the play that immediately preceded the Cunningham dunk?

It was more indicative of how the game went for the Bruins.

Senior point guard Jerime Anderson, facing a frantic pressure defense by the Beavers, hurled the ball six feet over 6-foot-10 David Wear's head.

Pretty much sums it up.

Oregon State (12-7, 2-5 Pac-12) capitalized on UCLA miscues and benefited from some hot shooting performances to win 87-84 and halt the Bruins' three-game win streak.

Much of UCLA's effort was a study in offensive mismanagement, the Bruins doomed both early and late.

There were errant passes that seemed to be destined for nobody - at least nobody in blue - and steamrolls disguised as drives to the basket that resulted in offensive fouls as Oregon State scored 20 points off 13 UCLA turnovers.

"That's their game; you can tell they're a run-and-gun team, and they did what they're supposed to do," Bruins senior guard Lazeric Jones said. "When people turn it over, that's what you're supposed to do. You're supposed to capitalize on it."

With a zone defense that frequently caused the Bruins fits, the Beavers got off and running.
UCLA (10-8, 3-3) forced 12 turnovers itself, but was unable to get into the fastbreak, finishing with just five points off Oregon State mistakes.

Never was the mismatch in tempo more evident than a short stretch midway through the second half, with the game still undecided.

After Bruins center Joshua Smith tied the score at 51, Oregon State went on a 7-0 run to regain control as UCLA committed three straight turnovers.

"They hurt us by speeding us up," UCLA head coach Ben Howland said. "We got sped up; one time we had a 3-on-2 and instead of attacking the basket, we're pulling up for a 3 and Jerime (Anderson) threw it away to (Tyler) Lamb. We made some mistakes like that when we were going faster than we were used to going. We let the pressure get to us."

Added Anderson: "That was definitely the turning point in the game. It gave them a little momentum and they carried it until the end of the game. We were never able to get all the way back, close to even tying."

Oregon State's spurt was eerily similar to its run last season, as it came back from a 17-point deficit to take a late lead, only to watch UCLA put the finishing touches on a 62-57 win.

On Thursday, however, things would continue to get worse for the Bruins, who simply looked lost after the Beavers' big run, when they stretched their lead to 12.

Oregon State shot 58 percent from the field and converted 25 of 33 free throws - UCLA only made it to the line 12 times, making nine - and maintained a large buffer for much of the stretch run.

"They got a lot of baskets right under the rim," Jones said. "Their guards made a lot of good shots, some tough shots, but a lot of their baskets came right under the rum. They had a lot of hook shots, layups, things that defensively we have to stop."

The Beavers were paced as usual by the Pac-12's leading scorer Cunningham, who had 15 of his game-high 21 points in the second half while particularly dangerous from the free-throw line, where he made 9 of 10 in the second half.

More surprising, though, was the contribution of forward Devon Collier, who added 20 points, and center Angus Brandt, who added 13 along with guard Ahmad Starks.

Jones led UCLA with 17 points and David and Travis Wear each had 16 for the Bruins, who finished with five players in double-figures and had 21 assists in their first loss to the Beavers since 2005.

"This loss is on us," Anderson said. "We did the things to put us in the position to win the game but we had too many turnovers and too many defensive breakdowns. ... You don't lose too many games when you shoot 57 percent, but you allow a team to get confident and get going, and you see what happened tonight."

_______________________

Five Observations: Oregon St. 87, UCLA 84

By Peter Yoon

ESPN Los Angeles, UCLA Report

January, 19, 2012 11:45 PM PT

AP Photo/Rick BowmerJerime Anderson, who scored 11 points Thursday, said the Bruins had too many defensive breakdowns.

CORVALLIS, Ore. -- On a day when UCLA could have gained some ground in the Pac-12 Conference race, the Bruins instead fell flat on the defensive end in an 87-84 loss to Oregon State on Thursday night at Gill Coliseum.

UCLA (10-8, 3-3) gave up 80 points for only the third time this season and failed to capitalize on losses earlier Thursday by Stanford (15-4, 5-2) and Washington (11-7, 4-2), two of the four teams that were ahead of UCLA in the conference race at the start of the day.

Instead the Bruins dropped from a tie for fifth place into seventh place in the conference race and their title hopes are fading fast after they had gotten a glimpse of hope with a three-game win streak before Thursday.

Oregon State (11-7, 2-5) ended a three-game losing streak and improved to 9-2 at home while UCLA dropped to 1-3 in road games.

"It makes it hurt a little more," guard Jerime Anderson said. "I think this really could have helped us and given us a little momentum but this loss is on us. We did the things that put us in the position to win the game, but we had too many turnovers and too many defensive breakdowns."
Five observations from the game:

1UCLA's defense was not up to par

The Bruins allowed Oregon State to shoot 58 percent for the game, with the Beavers' guards continually getting penetration and the post players getting easy, point-blank layups.

"Our whole problem tonight was defensively we couldn’t get stops," coach Ben Howland said. "We just didn’t do the job on the defensive end of the floor and after having three good defensive efforts in a row, it’s disappointing and we have to bounce back."

UCLA had struggled defensively early this season, but appeared to have turned a corner by holding its past three opponents to 36, 48 and 36 percent.

The Bruins played man-to-man for most of Thursday, but switching to zone didn't help much. Howland called for the zone four times and Oregon State scored on three of those possessions, twice on 3-pointers.

"When we went to the zone, they scored three of the four times so we went away from it," Lazeric Jones said.

2UCLA really got hurt in the post

Oregon State is a guard-dominant team with Jared Cunningham and Ahmad Starks the two leading scorers this season, but power forward Devon Collier and center Angus Brandt combined for 33 points on 14-for-21 shooting.

They were getting dunks, layups, making short jump shots and tough shots from all around the basket and were a big reason why Oregon State was able to shoot such a high percentage.

"They got a lot of baskets right around the rim," Jones said. "Their guards made a lot of good shots. They made some tough shots, but a lot came right under the rim. Hook shots, layups, stuff defensively we have to stop."

Forward David Wear said the defensive game plan was centered on stopping Cunningham and Starks and the Oregon State post surprised the Bruins off guard a little bit.

"We got caught off guard because we were focusing mainly on Cunningham and their guards," Wear said. "The posts were kind of sneaking under us and establishing deep position and getting us in trouble that way. We gave up way too many easy buckets."

3The tempo threw UCLA off rhythm

Oregon State plays a high-pressure defense and tries to speed up the game ,and while the Bruins dealt with it well for the most part, they lost their cool for a key stretch that changed the game.

With the score tied at 51-51 and 13:15 remaining, the Bruins let themselves get caught up in a run-and-gun, street ball type of game and had turnovers on three consecutive possessions. The Beavers turned it into a 17-5 run and led, 66-55, with 10:04 to play. UCLA never regained the lead.

"They hurt us by speeding us up," Howland said. "We got sped up. Instead of attacking the basket, we’re pulling up for a three. We made some mistakes like that when we were going faster than we were used to playing. That’s what that defense does, that pressure. We let the pressure get to us a little bit."

4The Bruins failed to take advantage of Oregon State mistakes

Statistically the game was pretty even across the board with the exception of points off of turnovers. Oregon State had 20 points off of 13 UCLA turnovers, the Bruins had five points off of 12 Oregon State turnovers.

"They did what they were supposed to do," Jones said. "When people turn the ball over you have to capitalize on it."

Anderson credited the Oregon State defense with creating the easy baskets because with the half-court pressure, players are in position to transition when they force turnovers.

"Usually when you're in a zone and you create turnovers, it creates good opportunities on the break and that's what they had tonight," Anderson said.

5The UCLA offense looked good

It's not often UCLA scores 80 points and it's even more rare when the Bruins score 80 points and lose. It happened only one time last season in a loss to Virginia Commonwealth in the Preseason NIT.

Jones had 17 points, Travis and David Wear had 16 points each, Jerime Anderson had 11 points and Joshua Smith had 10 and the Bruins shot 57.6 percent from the field with 21 assists.

"We shot 57 percent for the game and lost," Howland said. "That doesn’t happen very often when you shoot that high a percentage and lose. Shooting 57 percent, you expect to have a good chance to win."

UCLA at Oregon State

2012-01-19T18:20:00.000-08:00

UCLA At Oregon State On Thursday Night

The Bruins lead the all-time series with Oregon State 89-33 and have won 13 straight over the Beavers.

UCLA Men's Basketball website
Jan. 18, 2012

LOS ANGELES -

UCLA Game Notes | OSU Game Notes | 2011-12 Media Guide
Howland's Press Conference Video | Gametracker | Live Audio

GAMEDAY CENTRAL
DATE: Jan. 19, 2012
SITE: Gill Coliseum (10,400)
TIP-OFF: 7:36 p.m. (PT)
TV: Fox Sports Net and Prime Ticket
TALENT: Barry Tompkins (play-by-play), Marques Johnson (analyst) and Rebecca Haarlow (sideline)
RADIO (UCLA Sports Network from IMG College): AM 570
SIRIUS SATELLITE RADIO (OSU's): Channel 113
SIRIUS XM SATELLITE RADIO (OSU's): 191
TALENT: Chris Roberts (play-by-play) and Don MacLean (analyst)
SERIES RECORD: UCLA leads 89-33
SERIES AT OSU: UCLA leads 38-24
SERIES STREAK: UCLA +13

SERIES VS. OREGON STATE
This is the 123rd meeting between UCLA and Oregon State with the Bruins leading the series 89-33 (.730). UCLA is 38-24 (.613) all-time in Corvallis, Ore., and has won the last six meetings in Gill Coliseum. The Bruins have won the last 13 meetings overall (longest active UCLA streak over a Pac-12 opponent) against the Beavers, including a 62-57 win at OSU last year (Jan. 13, 2011). The Bruins blew a 17-point second-half lead, then scored the game's final seven points to defeat Oregon State. Lazeric Jones and Reeves Nelson had 13 points each for the Bruins, which led 47-30 after Nelson's basket with 15:57 remaining. Roberto Nelson had 13 points off the bench for the Beavers. Joshua Smith tied the score with two free throws, and Jones hit the go-ahead basket for UCLA with 39 seconds left. UCLA Head Coach Ben Howland is 15-3 all-time against the Beavers and 6-2 at Oregon State.

CHARTING COACH HOWLAND
Ben Howland earned his 300th victory of his career with the 72-54 win over DePaul in the 15th Annual John R. Wooden Classic (Dec. 13, 2008). He is currently 367-188 (.661), which ranks 35th on the winningest active coaches list by percentage and 50th on the active list by victories. Howland's first career victory was his first game at Northern Arizona in 1994, a 71-69 victory over New Mexico Highlands. His 100th career victory came in his second season at Pittsburgh in the 77-65 win at home over Seton Hall (Jan. 13, 2001). His 200th win came in his third season at UCLA with the 56-37 home win over Delaware State (Nov. 19, 2005). Howland is 19-9 (.679) in the NCAA Tournament (15-6 (.714) at UCLA).

COACH HOWLAND APPROACHING MILESTONE RECORD
UCLA Head Coach Ben Howland is approaching 200 career victories at UCLA and currently sits at 199-90 (.689) at UCLA in his ninth season at the helm of the Bruins. With the win over Eastern Washington (Dec. 14), Howland passed Jim Harrick for second place on the all-time UCLA career victories list. Harrick posted a 192-62 record in his eight seasons (1988-89 to 1995-96) as the Bruins' mentor. Coach John R. Wooden is the all-time leader at 620-147 (.808) in his 27 seasons (1948-49 to 1974-75).

BRUINS' INJURY REPORT
Junior guard De'End Parker has missed the last 15 games with patellar tendinitis and is out for the rest of the season, Head Coach Ben Howland announced this week at his weekly press conference (Jan. 17, 2012). He will petition the NCAA at the end of the year for a medical hardship and will look to transfer at the end of the season to play somewhere closer to home.

JONES LEADING UCLA
Senior point guard Lazeric Jones had his career-best eight straight games in double figures snapped in the loss at Cal (Dec. 31). He has scored in double figures in 10 of the last 12 games. The Bruins are 9-3 in the last 12 contests after starting the season 1-4. In the last 12 games, Jones has averaged 15.1 points, 4.6 assists, 3.5 rebounds and 1.9 steals while shooting 52.1 percent (63-for-121) from the field and 45.5 percent (20-for-44) from three-point range.

TWIN PEAKS
The Wear twins (David and Travis) have scored in double figures in the same game five times this season and they have done so in three of the last six contests. Additionally, they posted career-highs in scoring in back-to-back outings as David scored a career-best 17 points in the loss at California (Dec. 31) while Travis had a career-high 20 points in the win over Arizona (Jan. 5). In the last four games, David is averaging 13.0 points while Travis has averaged 15.8 points per game. David has shot 62.5 percent from the floor (20-for-32) while making his only three-point shot and draining 10-of-12 from the free-throw line. Travis has shot 65.7 percent (23-for-35) from the field while sinking all 17 of his free throw attemtps. Combined, they are 43-for-67 (.642) from the field and 27-for-29 (.931) from the charity stripe.

De'End Parker expected to transfer

2012-01-17T21:02:00.000-08:00

Thanks to lbcbruin for breaking this news on BZ. Thanks for giving UCLA a shot, De'End. Get well soon. Best of luck. Our prayers are with your Mom.

De'End Parker expected to transfer

By Jon Gold

LA Daily News, Inside UCLA

January 17, 2012 1:50 PM

UCLA head coach Ben Howland said that he expects De'End Parker to transfer closer to home to help care for his mother, who is battling health issues.

Parker, who has been sidelined for much of the year with a knee injury, returned to San Francisco during Christmas break and stayed for an extended period. He returned to UCLA to take classes in order to ensure a smooth transition.

"De'End went home from Christmas and I think we're going to try to help him try to petition to try to transfer to get closer to his home, to his mom," Howland said. "She's more comfortable with him around. I'm hoping we can get that worked out. He's in school, he's attending classes, and he's trying to make that move. The NCAA has been pretty good about helping kids who have extenuating circumstances like that."

_________________

De'End Parker looking into transfer

By Peter Yoon

ESPNLA.com, UCLA Report

January, 17, 2012 2:57 PM PT

LOS ANGELES -- UCLA forward De'End Parker is exploring the option of transferring to a school closer to his ailing mother in San Francisco, Bruins coach Ben Howland said Tuesday.

Parker, a 6-foot-6 junior transfer from City College of San Francisco, played in the first two games this season for UCLA, but has not played since because of a knee injury. His mother had heart surgery last year and needs assistance in daily living.

"I think that’s something that’s weighed heavily on his heart so I’m in full support of that," Howland said. "She needs someone to help take care of her so I’m hoping we can get that worked out."

Parker is still enrolled in classes at UCLA, Howland said, but has not been with the team for the last three games. He stayed at home over the Christmas break to be with his mother and because he played only two games, he is hoping to petition the NCAA for a redshirt year so he can play two more years after transferring.

Parker had eight points and two rebounds in his two games with the Bruins. Last season, he helped lead City College of San Francisco to the state title.

From UCLA to NBA, former Bruins appreciate Ben Howland's help

2012-01-17T20:52:00.000-08:00

Thanks to bruintennis for posting this on BZ.

From UCLA to NBA, former Bruins appreciate Ben Howland's help

While Howland's current UCLA team has struggled, 11 of his former players began this season in the NBA. And some say the discipline, defense and fundamentals they learned in Westwood helped them get there.

By Diane Pucin
The Los Angeles Times
7:43 PM PST, January 17, 2012

Indiana Pacers point guard Darren Collison used a food analogy to describe his graceful jump from playing under UCLA Coach Ben Howland to his quick success in the pros.

"You need the vegetables from Coach Howland," Collison said. "[Then] dessert in the NBA is kind of your reward."

It has been a disappointing basketball season so far for the Bruins, who are in a three-way tie for fifth place in the Pac-12 after being picked to win the conference. And there is some restlessness among the UCLA fan base.

This season, Howland's ninth as UCLA coach, has been marked largely by a simmering feud between Howland and junior forward Reeves Nelson that led to Nelson's dismissal from the team in December.

After the Bruins made the Final Four three years in a row (2006-08) under Howland, UCLA missed the NCAA tournament two years ago. And with a 10-7 record, it seems likely that only winning the conference tournament and earning an automatic bid will get UCLA into the tournament this season.

Yet there were 15 Bruins on NBA rosters at the start of this season, and 11 of them spent at least a year playing for Howland.

And from NBA scouts, to some of Howland's former stars, there is a shared appreciation for how he tutored his players.

Arron Afflalo is one of Howland's great success stories.

After playing under Howland at UCLA, Afflalo was taken by Detroit with the 27th pick in the first round of the 2007 draft. After two seasons with the Pistons, Afflalo was acquired by the Denver Nuggets and became their starting shooting guard. Last December, after Nuggets Coach George Karl called Afflalo one of his favorite players ever, the Los Angeles native signed a five-year contract extension reportedly worth $43 million.

"I think most of the guys who play for Ben, for however long, come to the NBA understanding what it takes in terms of preparation and with a willingness to do whatever it takes to win," Afflalo said last week before his team beat Miami.

"It's just the discipline of the game, discipline and fundamentals. Most guys in the NBA are naturally talented, so then it becomes being able to do some of the fundamentals, and most Howland guys, we learned the fundamentals."

Forward Luc Mbah a Moute, who was a second-round pick of the Milwaukee Bucks in the 2008 draft when he left UCLA after his junior season (as Afflalo had done), signed a contract extension last month, reportedly for four years and $18.7 million.

"What I think I learned under Coach Howland that pays off at this level is just how to get yourself on the floor," Mbah a Moute said. "I think most Howland guys can play defense and we learn how to be tough guys. If you're tough, you can deal with coaches yelling.

"And one other thing, when I first got to college I thought, 'Gosh, we have so many plays.' We were expected to know every small detail of every play or we wouldn't play. When I got to the NBA, I couldn't believe how many guys can't remember the plays."

Phil Jabour, a former Houston Rockets scout, is now an independent scout for several professional leagues. He said Howland-coached players are notable for their total understanding of man-to-man defensive principles, and being fundamentally sound enough to earn floor minutes even as rookies.

"Often rookies, no matter how good, aren't asked to play a big offensive role," Jabour said. "UCLA guys come in and always seem to have the ability to set physical screens, hustle for loose balls and play defense. . . . You see it in guys like Afflalo and Mbah a Moute and Collison who spent three or four years with Ben or even with a guy like Jrue Holiday who only spent a year."

Holiday, taken by Philadelphia with the 17th pick in the 2009 draft, is starting at point guard for the 76ers, who are off to their best start in 12 seasons.

Kevin Love, who is in his fourth season with the Minnesota Timberwolves, spent one sometimes uncomfortable season at UCLA.

Love, a 2008 lottery pick (No. 5 overall) who was an NBA All-Star last season and is fifth in the league in scoring this season, never hid his desire to have the ball more often on offense at UCLA, and sometimes clashed with Howland's insistence to have his multitalented center pay attention all over the court. But Love said he now understands the lasting benefits of Howland's coaching.

"He drilled us so much," Love said. "Preparation first. Highlight the defensive end. Know the sets, just know them all. Your attention had to be very high or you would be left in the dust. That gets you ready for what's to come."

An assistant general manager of an NBA Western Conference team, who was not authorized to speak publicly, said he has scouted close to a dozen Howland-coached UCLA players and there is a commonality.

"There is a consistent mental discipline, a mental toughness, that you don't always find in other players," he said. "Players who come from UCLA have pretty well ironed out the problems and have acquired a type of toughness and an ability to pay attention to detail that is necessary to be a pro. Trust me. That is not always the case with kids who have spent one year or four years in college at other programs. . . . UCLA kids get groomed in a culture of discipline. Do they all like it? Probably not. Did it help them? Yes."

From the distance of four years in the NBA in Minnesota, Love was able to acknowledge his year at UCLA was not wasted.

"For me I think everybody knows I felt like I wanted to play differently offensively at UCLA, but you know, the grass isn't always greener. At the end of the day, I learned things from Coach Howland that I'll remember for the rest of my life."

UCLA owns LA, dismantles USC at Galen 66-47

2012-01-16T08:04:00.000-08:00

Senior guard Lazeric Jones drives to the basket past USC sophomore guard Maurice Jones. Jones finished the game with 15 points. Photo Blaine Ohigashi, Daily Bruin

UCLA avenges last year's loss to USC

By SCOTT M. REID / THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Published: Jan. 15, 2012 Updated: 10:39 p.m.

LOS ANGELES – All week, UCLA guard Lazeric Jones did a slow burn over the Bruins' last trip to Galen Center.

About how UCLA embarrassed itself in an 11-point loss. How the Trojans rubbed it in by basically doing a victory lap on the court through the game's final minute. How the Bruins embarrassed themselves further when center Joshua Smith gave verbally abusive Trojan fans the finger and then ripped the officiating crew.

All of it boiled over as Jones gathered his teammates around him in a pregame huddle Sunday.

Call it his Win One for the Flipper speech.

"Remember how it looked, remember how it felt," Jones later recalled saying. "It felt terrible to walk out of here and basically disgrace Westwood like that."

The Bruins (10-7 overall, 3-2 Pac-12) returned to Westwood on Sunday night 66-47 victors over USC at Galen Center. With a third consecutive victory, they are perhaps the hottest team in a Pac-12 race from which a favorite has yet to emerge.

UCLA shot 51 percent from the field while holding the Trojans (5-13, 0-5) to 36 percent and dominated USC on the boards, 44-19, en route to the biggest Bruins victory at USC since 1999.

UCLA forward Travis Wear finished with 19 points and eight rebounds, both game highs, while twin brother David added 13 points and seven boards. Jones followed his pregame speech with a statement game: 15 points, five assists and a steal.

"This is definitely a big confidence booster," David Wear said. "Our confidence is high right now. We feel like we're moving in the right direction and we're really starting to come together."

Sunday night the rallying point was last year's humiliating loss on the same floor.
"We got embarrassed out here last year," Smith said. We had a bad taste in our mouth."

The Bruins chewed up and then spit out Trojans with a 22-4 run over the course of 11:16 in the first half that broke the game open, 24-10, with 4:30 left to until halftime.

With a 21-7 advantage on the glass and the Bruins' man-to-man pressure creating a series of fast break opportunities, UCLA shot 64 percent from the field in the first half while limiting the Trojans to 29.2 percent shooting.

"We really stepped on the gas," Travis Wear said.

________________

Redshirt sophomore forward Travis Wear makes a slam dunk against the Trojans. Travis ended the game with a team high of 19 points. Photo Blaine Ohigashi, Daily Bruin

Jones, Bruins feel at home in USC country

By MARK WHICKER
COLUMNIST
THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

mwhicker@ocregister.com

Published: Jan. 15, 2012 Updated: 10:38 p.m.

LOS ANGELES – When the basketball schedule officially came out, with no home games in the 310, UCLA's Lazeric Jones had one thought.

"Now we'll have to go to USC twice," he said.

The Sports Arena game is Feb. 15, with UCLA wearing the home whites. The Galen Center game was Sunday night, on USC's court amid 8,474 witnesses.

It was as replenishing as Desert Hot Springs, without the mud pack.

The Bruins pillaged the village with a 66-47 victory, leaving USC at 0-5 in the Pac-12 and boosting themselves to 3-2. As Coach Ben Howland observed, it was UCLA's first true road victory, in front of true antagonists.

"The fans were saying they hated No. 11," Jones said, laughing. "I don't know what I did to them. But I'm part of the rivalry now.

"They were really on my back for a minute. I came to the sidelines and got stressed a little bit. They were really dogging me over here in the corner."

Maybe the USC fans were sensing that they were watching one varsity team that wouldn't score 50 on UCLA.

The Trojans had 40 with 12:20 left and, in the first half, went 11 minutes without field goals.

And maybe that's why most fans stayed put at halftime, to see a real offensive player.

Harold Miner's No. 23 jersey was retired, along John Rudometkin's and Bill Sharman's. Miner also was greeted by most of his former teammates, and spoke eloquently of the days when he was the wintertime Main Event In L.A.

"I played from two standpoints," he said. "I wanted to win, and I wanted to make sure I gave the fans their money's worth each and every game."

Miner would have thrived even more at Galen Center, where the Trojans might well have sold out the entire Pac-10 schedule for 1991-92.

There are reasons why these Trojans are so dreadful. When Nikola Vucevic goes to the NBA (and is a factor, for Philadelphia), and when Alex Stepheson and Marcus Simmons move on, and then when Jio Fontan tears up a knee in Brazil, there are not enough blowout patches to keep things rolling.

But USC's morbid offense was matched by a no-show on the boards (UCLA with 44 rebounds, USC 19), and the Bruins shot 64 percent in the first half.

UCLA is 8-2 since Dec. 3, although nobody is preparing a documentary just yet.

So what has happened since 2-5?

"We like each other," Jones said. "We're a family, looking out for each other. You can tell when guys are playing for each other."

If that sounds like a commentary on the departed Reeves Nelson, it probably is.
After Nelson was disinvited from the program, it came time to use the strengths that made UCLA one of the preseason Pac-12 favorites: the skill and size of the Wear twins, and the combined 131 games of experience that guards Jones and Jerime Anderson bring.

Except now they're playing together, with Anderson nominally the point guard.

On many possessions Jones is the one getting the Bruins into their offense, just like before, and Anderson is spotting up. Either way, Jones had 15 points, five assists and two turnovers Sunday. He leads the Bruins in scoring, free-throw attempts and assists and has been their most reliable 3-point shooter.

"The coaches wanted me to score more so they made the switch in the backcourt," Jones said. "I was cool with it.

"We know Jerime can handle the ball and he's good in tough situations. If either one of us get the ball, we can push it up, and we have guys on each side who are getting open."

Besides, Jones doesn't have a sense of entitlement.

He spent his sophomore and juniors years at Chicago's Simeon High watching and waiting for the point guard to graduate. That guy was Derrick Rose.

"Guarding him every day in practice, you learn a lot," Jones said. "I watched every move he made."

But when Jones got a chance to lead Simeon — and four other new starters — he took the club to the state finals. Then he wound up at John Logan JC for two years, getting the call from UCLA when it became clear that Jrue Holiday would become a one-and-done.

Not many Division I teams have senior leaders anymore. With so few college games left, Jones is intent on saving a season, although Howland has acknowledged that UCLA must win the Pac-12 Tournament to make the NCAAs.

"We're not even worrying about how many games we have to win," he said. "We're fighting. We're positive around each other, no matter what people might say about us. We're just trying to get as many wins as we can get."

That number is uncertain, but Jones still has one more trip downtown.

________________

Big man on D. USC junior center James Blasczyk shoots over UCLA sophomore center Joshua Smith during the first half. Smith finished with 6 points and 5 boards.
Bruins use stellar play to shut up USC fans

By SCOTT M. REID / THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Published: Jan. 15, 2012 10:54 p.m.

LOS ANGELES – At one point during UCLA's 66-47 romp over USC at Galen Center on Sunday night, Bruins guard Lazeric Jones was greeted with a chorus of barbs from the Trojans student section as he returned to the bench for a breather.

Jones didn't take the verbal abuse personally.

"We were winning, so it hurts (them)," Jones said with a shrug.

Galen Center eventually would be silenced by the most lopsided UCLA victory on a Trojans home court since 1999.

"It was quiet because we quieted them down," Bruins guard Jerime Anderson said.
The Bruins did so with a 22-4 run over the course of 11:16 in the first half that broke the game out of an ugly start.

"A grind-it-out affair," UCLA coach Ben Howland said. "Finally we got something going."

With USC leading, 6-4, Jones scored on a drive launching the Bruins on their game-deciding run.

By the time Travis Wear capped a 9-0 run a few minutes later, UCLA was up, 24-10. The Trojans had barely caught their breath when the Bruins roared back with an 11-0 run to go up, 37-16, with 26 seconds left in the opening half.

UCLA shot 64 percent from the field in the opening half, while limiting the Trojans to 29.2 percent shooting. The Bruins in particular dominated inside, outrebounding USC, 21-7, and outscoring the Trojans in the paint, 20-10, in an opening 20 minutes that might have been UCLA's best half of the season.

"It's close to as well as we've played and doing it to 'SC makes it just makes it that much better," Anderson said.

WAR REPORT

Anderson's nose was red and swollen as he walked out of the Galen locker room after the game.

"It's war out there," he said.

UCLA certainly has been a more aggressive team in its current three-game winning streak.

"We've been a lot more physical, especially in the paint, the Wear twins and Josh (Smith) have really been going after it down there," Jones said. "And (Anthony) Stover has really given us some really good moments off the bench."
The Brothers Wear, Travis and David combined for 92 points and 41 rebounds during the streak, Travis finishing with 19 points and eight boards Sunday night, both game highs. Stover had three blocked shots and altered several others in 12 minutes of play off the bench.

________________

Redshirt sophomore forward David Wear puts up a layup past Trojan freshman guard Byron Wesley. David had 13 points and 7 rebounds for the night.

UCLA commands the court against USC, 66-47

By RYAN MENEZES

The Daily Bruin

Published January 15, 2012, 11:20 pm in Men's Basketball Sports

The men’s basketball programs at both UCLA and USC have played home games in front of mostly empty arenas this season. But at the tip of Sunday’s rivalry showdown, there were few signs that either team was stuck in a proverbial down year.

The atmosphere was electric to start. UCLA quickly got to dialing some of the volume down.

By the end, loud chants of “UC-LA!” were drowning out the final buzzer as the Bruins left Galen Center with a 66-47 win, their first true road win of the season.

While the energy was sapped, there were still trademark signs of a rivalry game.

UCLA’s bench could hear the taunts from USC’s student section. Fouls were hard and bodies were hitting the floor harder. There was even time for some smack talk, which Lazeric Jones was happy to take part in.

“That’s how it’s always going to be,” said the senior guard, who had 15 points.
“I was watching previous games, and it was chippy back then. Who am I to break the rivalry?” he added with a smile.

Jones did his part in making sure the game was basically over by halftime. He capped off an 11-point first half by blowing a kiss to the vocal UCLA fans in the upper reaches of Galen Center after he hit a long two-pointer that stretched UCLA’s lead to 19.

The Bruins (10-7, 3-2 Pac-12) shot 64 percent from the field in the opening stanza, while the Trojans were held to 29 percent.

UCLA was all smiles, but USC (5-13, 0-5) was a little redder than usual.

“We embarrassed ourselves,” USC freshman guard Alexis Moore said. “We did a disservice in our effort. Give UCLA credit. They played a great game. We didn’t match their effort. With a rivalry game, you think we would come out and play much better.”

Another statistic that overwhelmingly favored the Bruins was the rebounding margin. Coach Ben Howland immediately pointed to UCLA’s 44-19 victory in the battle of the boards – the Bruins’ biggest rebounding margin since 2004 – as the key to the game.
At one point the Bruins looked like they were running a tip drill by themselves on the glass. Though USC had two players 7-feet or taller, the Trojans were helpless to grab a rebound.

“When you control boards, you control tempo,” sophomore center Joshua Smith said.
“It doesn’t matter how tall or big you are. We really don’t care. Just like they don’t care how big I am, or Stov (Anthony Stover), or the twins, you just go out there and play. Today we were just more physical.”

USC never had an answer for UCLA’s size. Smith played through foul trouble to score six points and grab five rebounds. His redshirt sophomore backup, Stover, had back-to-back emphatic blocks in one sequence in the first half. The twins – redshirt sophomore forwards David and Travis Wear – combined for 15 rebounds, eight of them on the offensive glass. Travis Wear’s 19 points led all scorers.

The win gives UCLA momentum in the form of a three-game winning streak with two more road games coming up next week. The Bruins will face the Oregon schools after finally showing they can win on the road, though in their eyes, they’ve never really felt at home on the “Bruin Road Show.”

“We’ve been on the road the whole year,” Howland said. “We’re used to it by now.”
________________

UCLA rules the city after outing USC, 66-47

Bruins limit Trojans to 36% shooting and out-rebound them by 25 to win their third in a row. USC has lost six in a row.

By Baxter Holmes
The Los Angeles Times
10:55 PM PST, January 15, 2012

The Clippers and Lakers played Saturday night at Staples Center in a matchup some dubbed "Battle: L.A."

Just down the street a day later, UCLA and USC engaged in their own city-limits kerfuffle, but with watered-down stakes and a desert-like drought of hype or outside interest.

With each team going nowhere slowly during seasons that probably will end without a postseason tournament appearance, only bragging rights could be won.

UCLA took those, winning, 66-47, in front of a season-high 8,474 at the Galen Center.

With Gus Johnson calling the game on television, it probably sounded exciting — at least early on.

But for those in attendance, the game was a bore until midway through the first half, when, said UCLA forward Travis Wear, "We really stepped on the gas."

The Bruins, with many defensive stops that became easy baskets, used a 22-4 run to take a 24-10 lead

4 minutes 30 seconds before halftime.

After that, USC all but rolled over in what became UCLA's largest margin of victory in a road game against its crosstown rival since winning by 18 in 1999.

"That was not the way we drew it up, obviously," USC Coach Kevin O'Neill said. "They took it to us."

Or, as Trojans guard Alexis Moore said: "We embarrassed ourselves."

UCLA, 10-7 overall and 3-2 in the Pac-12 Conference, won its third consecutive game, its eighth in 10 games and its first true road game this season.

"Our guys are excited about how they're playing," UCLA Coach Ben Howland said. "I can't emphasize it enough: They worked really hard for this game."

USC (5-13, 0-5) extended its losing streak to six games, its longest skid since it lost seven in a row during the 2002-03 season.

The Trojans, who have lost nine of 10, remain the only team without a Pac-12 win. They also lost their first five conference games during the 2004-05 season.

With their imposing front line, the Bruins dominated the Trojans, who kept missing, both on guarded shots (they were 18 for 50 from the field) and unguarded shots (12 for 21 on free throws).

UCLA didn't let USC recover many of those misfires, out-rebounding the Trojans by 25, which tied for the largest rebounding edge ever by a Howland-coached team.

"With a rivalry game, you think we would come out and play much better," Moore said.

The Bruins showed up for it and played well, making 26 of 51 shots.

"We're really starting to click, as a team," said Wear, who had a game-high 19 points and eight rebounds. "I think we're running fewer sets, but we're really executing them well."

David Wear scored 13 points, and the twins have each scored in double figures in three consecutive games.

Although UCLA had many highlights, the only memorable moment for USC, which was led by Maurice Jones' 13 points, came when the Trojans weren't on the court.

At halftime, Harold Miner, the school's all-time leading scorer (2,048 points in three seasons), had his No.23 jersey retired.

Had he suited up for old times' sake, the 40-year-old Miner, once known as "Baby Jordan," probably could have scored a basket or two for USC.

And the Trojans would have welcomed it, because they scored fewer than 50 points for the fifth time in six games.

"We struggle to score," O'Neill said.

Except when guard Byron Wesley's alley-oop pass with 1:25 left in the second half accidentally went in.

That might have been USC's most productive play all game.

________________

UCLA 66, USC 47: Bruins help Wear out Trojans, then seal blowout victory with a kiss

By Jon Gold Staff Writer

The Los Angeles Daily News

Posted: 01/15/2012 10:01:37 PM PST

Updated: 01/15/2012 10:52:05 PM PST

Lazeric Jones insisted he was just trying to show some love to his family.

He maintained the kiss he blew to the Galen Center crowd after his second consecutive basket late in the first half of the Bruins' 66-47 win over USC on Sunday night was all love.

No hate.

The glint in his eyes said something different, and the sneaky smile that crept onto his face confirmed it.

"I feel like I'm part of the rivalry now," said Jones, who finished with 15 points on 6-of-11 shooting. "Every time we scored I got really excited. That's how it's going to be. That's how it's always going to be.

"I was watching games a week ago, previous games (in the rivalry), and they were chippy then. Who am I to break the rivalry?"

If Jones provided the flash in the Bruins' blowout win, the Wear twins provided the dirt.

Sophomore forward Travis Wear had 19 points on 7-of-12 shooting and brother David Wear added 13 points and seven rebounds in 19 minutes while battling foul trouble.

Even with center Joshua Smith limited to just six points and five rebounds in 14 minutes, the Bruins had 30 points in the lane and 12 second-chance points and made up for 14 turnovers.

"It's our execution," UCLA head coach Ben Howland said. "We're getting better at getting the reads and the second and third options off of our sets. We're still not executing as well as we'd like, but we're moving definitely in the right direction.

"That's huge for us."

So was Anthony Stover.

The Bruins' backup center had three blocks and three rebounds but altered several shots and was an active presence in man-to-man defense, which the team has relied heavily on during its three-game winning streak that followed back-to-back losses to Stanford and Cal to open Pac-12 play.

"Stover's minutes in the first half, where he was changing shots, blocking shots - defensively was a huge boost," Howland said. "Stover has really played well for us. He played very well for us against Arizona and had key minutes for us against ASU."

A year after USC's interior duo of Nikola Vucevic and Alex Stephenson dominated UCLA with a combined 33 points and 20 rebounds in a 63-52 victory, their absence was striking as the Bruins out-rebounded the Trojans 44-19.

Last season's game ended with Smith making an obscene gesture to the crowd and criticizing the referees in his post-game interview, actions that led to a reprimand from the Pac-10.

This year ended a bit different.

"It felt great," Smith said. "Zeek and (senior guard Jerime Anderson) reminded the team before we went out about what happened last year. We have a lot of new guys on the team - the twins weren't playing with us last year, Norman Powell wasn't with us yet - and we came out and said, 'It's us against the world out here; they embarrassed us last year, now let's go put it on them.' "

Added USC guard Alexis Moore: "We embarrassed ourselves. We did a disservice in our effort.

"Give UCLA credit. They played a great game, we didn't match their effort."

The teams sputtered to a horrendous start and were tied 9-9 with less than 10 minutes left in the first half. UCLA, however, took off from there with a 14-1 run over the next six minutes. By the time Jones puckered up for the crowd, the Bruins were leading 35-16 and well on their way to their biggest win at USC since 1999.

"I was just giving my family a little love," Jones said. "My parents have been on me about showing love to them when I'm on TV, so that's all I was doing. It was all love."

________________

Five observations: UCLA 66, USC 47

By Peter Yoon

ESPNLA.com, UCLA Report

January, 15, 2012 11:03 PM PT

LOS ANGELES--Winning on the road is always difficult in college basketball and winning a rivalry game isn't much easier, so it's no surprise the UCLA basketball team was full of smiles after accomplishing both in a 66-47 Pac-12 victory over USC Sunday night at the Galen Center.

It was the first road win of the season for UCLA, which has elevated its level of play in recent weeks and has now won eight of its last 10 games, including three in a row. The Bruins (10-7, 3-2 Pac-12) also avenged a 63-52 loss at the Galen Center from a year ago.

"Before the game we were saying that we got embarrassed out here last year so we’ve got a bad taste in our mouth and we’ve got to go out and win so that's what we did," center Joshua Smith said. "It just feels good to get a win here."

It gives the Bruins some needed confidence as they prepare to go to Oregon State and Oregon this week for a tough road trip.

"It means a lot to get a road win," Tyler Lamb said. "We try not to let that be a factor, but it always is. So for us to come out here and get this, it boosts our confidence for our road trip next week."

Five observations from the game:

1It was a special win for UCLA

Forget that USC is in a rebuilding mode and is the lone Pac-12 team without a conference victory, anytime UCLA plays USC, it means something.

It appeared early on that the game would be a dogfight as they were tied, 9-9 midway through the first half, but UCLA took control with a 26-7 run that pretty much silenced the USC home crowd.

"We lost here last year and it was really embarrassing," guard Lazeric Jones said. "That stuck with me. That was all I thought about last night and this morning. To get the win with the crowd on your back, it felt really good."

Jones, a junior college transfer from Chicago, acknowledged that he didn't quite understand the scope of the rivalry last year, but it felt much different this year.

"After losing that game here, I really felt it," he said. "I feel like I’m part of the rivalry now. Every time we scored I was excited and every time they scored, I was really mad. So I feel it now."

2The Bruins dominated the glass

UCLA simply out muscled the Trojans down low, winning the rebounding battle by a staggering 44-19. The 25-rebound margin was the largest of the Ben Howland era at UCLA and the largest since the Bruins out-rebounded Northern Arizona by 30 in 2002.

Not only that, but UCLA actually won the battle of the boards on their own end of the floor, getting 13 offensive rebounds while USC had only 11 defensive rebounds.

"Obviously the board play was huge for us," coach Ben Howland said.

Travis Wear had eight rebounds, David Wear had seven, Norman Powell had six and Jerime Anderson and Joshua Smith each had five. Powell said the team mindset coming in to the game was to dominate the glass.

"Coach hounded in on us that this was going to be the battle of the boards so we had to crash the boards hard and that’s what we were trying to do," Powell said. "We came in looking to be aggressive."

3Travis Wear continued his solid play

Travis Wear led the team with 19 points and eight rebounds, marking the third consecutive game he has had 16 or more points and five or more rebounds. Wear made seven of 12 shot attempts and is shooting 19-of-28 (67.9 percent) over the last three games.

"I’m just trying to take my time now and be more patient and just letting the game come to me and it’s been helping me," said Wear, who was averaging 9.8 points and 4.5 rebounds before his current three-game tear.

"I think running fewer sets and this pin down action we’ve been doing, it’s been easy for me to get to the rim and get easy passes from our guards and easy put backs. I'm getting used to the game now and I’m really happy with the way I’ve been playing. I think now I’m just more comfortable."

Not to be outdone, brother David Wear is also playing at a high level. He had 13 points and seven rebounds Sunday and is averaging 13 points and seven rebounds over the last four games, and the two have provided an excellent compliment to Joshua Smith inside.

"We're all starting to click a little more." Smith said. "The Wears are playing well and that helps everyone play well."

4UCLA executed its offense well

The Bruins shot 51 percent from the field, including 64 percent in the first half, getting an array of open layups and easy shots inside because of good offensive execution against an excellent defensive team. Their 66 points equaled the most allowed by USC this season.

"We’ve spent a lot more time on it than we had early in the year," Howland said. "That’s been our main focus since the Cal and Stanford games is trying to get better at the offensive end."

One of the big offensive changes was moving Jerime Anderson to the point guard full time and letting Lazeric Jones focus more on getting open and it's helped open up things all over the court as the offensive sets have become more fluid.

"Jerime is really under control and running our offense," Howland said. "Zeek [Jones] is getting good opportunities, which is why we made that move and it’s really been good for us now. There are a lot of people stepping up and playing important roles for us."

5Norman Powell has emerged from his slump

Powell, UCLA's freshman guard, has been electrifying at times this season, made three of five shots, including a three-pointer and finished with seven points. It was the second consecutive solid game for Powell, who had nine points on four of nine shooting Jan. 7 against Arizona State.

Prior to that, Powell had gone through a rough four-game stretch in which he made only four of 22 shots (31.8 percent).

"It was just getting back in the gym and getting my repetition back," Powell said. "The ball was slipping and when I would miss shots, my confidence was down. Knowing that, I had to get back in the gym and keep working on my shot. I feel like since I’ve put overtime in the gym, it really showed."

Powell said that during the slump he was overthinking his shots instead of just letting them fly. Now that a few have fallen, he said, he's beginning to regain the confidence to just shoot.

"When I was open, I would force it," Powell said. "I’m a shooter, I know I can make open shots. I was just trying to get in the groove and not think about it."

UCLA at USC boxscore (courtesy of Yahoo.com)

Freshman Powell showing his potential

2012-01-15T14:45:00.000-08:00

UCLA BASKETBALL NOTEBOOK: Freshman Powell showing his potential

By Jon Gold, Staff Writer

The Los Angeles Daily News

Posted: 01/14/2012 09:59:29 PM PST

Updated: 01/14/2012 10:49:00 PM PST

UCLA coach Ben Howland has had a love-hate relationship with freshmen in the past.
Sometimes tantalized by their talent, often piqued by their potential, always frustrated by their frequent flubs, Howland has sometimes been reticent to rely on them in the past.

Norman Powell is no different.

Powell followed four straight off-nights with nine points in 21 minutes in the Bruins' 75-58 win over Arizona State last week at Honda Center in Anaheim.

Not exactly jaw-dropping numbers, but a massive leap from the combined 4-for-22 shooting that plagued him in the team's previous four games, in which he scored two points in every game.

"He's a freshman," Howland said, matter-of-factly. "He's learning and he's figuring things out. You get to conference, and it's a different level. The level is raised even higher because of intensity."

Every so often, UCLA fans get a glimpse of Powell's future, particularly on a breakaway dunk or alley-oop, when the team's highest flyer takes off.

"I don't care about that, but he is definitely our best dunker," Howland said. "He really is. He has a great body. One thing about being a freshman, he's learning a lot - but he also has this body that doesn't wear down. He has this live, active body."

Wears up

Howland was pleased to see the increased production of the Wear twins in the Bruins two-game winning streak.

David and Travis Wear combined for 58 points and 26 rebounds in back-to-back wins over Arizona and Arizona State, and Howland credited the duo's aggressiveness against the smaller competition.

"Just more physical on both ends of the floor," Howland said. "Defensively, (they were) bumping bodies and blocking out aggressively. I thought the same thing about them posting up, they did a real good job of posting up and being really aggressive going to the basket."

Breakout party

The Bruins are anxiously awaiting sophomore center Joshua Smith's breakout, which got off to a good start with his 18-point performance against Arizona State.

"He's just breaking the surface really," David Wear said. "If he played with high intensity and as hard as he could every moment, he could be probably be one of the most dominant players in college basketball for sure."

2012-01-15T14:23:00.000-08:00

For USC and UCLA, records are down, but emotions are high

Trojans and Bruins programs are lacking star power and struggling mightily as they go into the first rivalry game of the season.

By Diane Pucin
D' Times of Los Angeles
4:47 PM PST, January 14, 2012

It seems a lifetime ago that Kevin Love and O.J. Mayo appeared together on the cover of Sports Illustrated.

Possibly the two best high school players in the country coming to Los Angeles, Love to UCLA and Mayo to USC and in the fall of 2007, there was SI, rating UCLA second in the nation, USC 15th and suggesting the two best freshmen in the country were here.

Hollywood was where it was at, yet now, with Love and Mayo into their fourth NBA seasons, UCLA and USC get set to play against each other Sunday at the Galen Center and the teams are so irrelevant nationally that there is no conversation, only commiseration.

At least UCLA has shown some recent sparks of life. The Bruins own a modest two-game winning streak. USC has lost five straight and hasn't won a Pac-12 Conference game yet.

But even UCLA players acknowledge that an NCAA bid will come only if the Bruins win the conference tournament. USC players don't even talk about that.

Gus Johnson, who will be calling the game for Fox Sports, said that sometimes when two rivals who are used to much greater success play in the down times, the fierceness factor on the court grows.

"It might add more drama," Johnson said Friday. "Guys don't want to be publicly embarrassed losing to their rival.

"At the beginning of a season teams always set goals. Win a signature out-of-conference game, play well in the conference, be above .500 in your conference, whatever it is. And beat the team you have the biggest rivalry against.

"Sometimes, when all those other goals are gone, coaches and players can still circle that particular game, that rivalry game and get the ultimate concentration and performance out of players."

In 2002-2003, UCLA and USC finished tied for sixth in the Pacific-10 and a year later UCLA finished tied for seventh with USC sixth.

The Bruins finished the 2003 season with a 10-19 record and that got Steve Lavin fired and Ben Howland hired. USC's Henry Bibby lasted until December of the 2004 season when athletic director Mike Garrett abruptly replaced him with an interim coach and then hired Tim Floyd.

Since 2004, UCLA has finished lower than third in the conference once (tied for fifth with USC in 2009-2010) and missed the NCAA tournament once (in 2010). USC was 10th in the league in Floyd's first season and then sixth, but since then the Trojans have been occasionally nationally ranked and in the NCAA tournament every year except for 2010.

And yet, emotions are still obvious with players this year.

Monday night UCLA senior guard Lazeric Jones, who as a junior college transfer has only briefly experienced the rivalry, sent a message on Twitter that he was watching the rebroadcast of a 2002 UCLA-USC game from the Sports Arena.

"It was nuts, it was crazy," he said. "It was really good." Jones noted how impressive it was to see eventual NBA players Earl Watson and Dan Gadzuric on the floor. And USC's Brian Scalabrine, who is still playing in the NBA. "I knew Brian was good," Jones said. "I did not know he was that good."

Jones said he realized how important the USC-UCLA rivalry was when he walked onto the Galen Center court last year, well before tipoff. "I was the only person, by myself, and I got booed. Everyone knew exactly who I was."

USC guard Jio Fontan, who has missed this season because of a knee injury, is eager to contribute to a frantic atmosphere Sunday.

"No matter what the records are," Fontan said, "we believe these are the two biggest teams in the state and it will be crazy. For the players on both sides, the intensity should never be higher."

Howland compared the intensity of UCLA-USC to what he experienced when he coached at Pittsburgh against West Virginia. "But those two teams weren't in the same city, so that makes this different."

For Howland, his most memorable USC-UCLA game was a loss to the Trojans in 2006, his third year.

"After that loss, we were so disappointed, we went out and won 12 in a row. We had beaten them by, like, 30 earlier, then they beat us and it was motivating." In fact, UCLA didn't lose another game after that 2006 loss until its national championship game defeat by Florida.

Fontan said that's how it should be. Even for his Trojans, who are in a downswing. "Momentum can be had," Fontan said. "One game like this. It matters."

2012-01-15T14:02:00.000-08:00

UCLA's Smith rounding into shape

By SCOTT M. REID / THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Published: Jan. 14, 2012 Updated: 7:52 p.m.

LOS ANGELES – Jerime Anderson has been keeping a tab.

Every time UCLA center Joshua Smith passes up an opportunity to dunk and fails to convert inside, Anderson, the Bruins point guard, adds it to the tab.

"I tell him all the time 'You owe me one' because sometimes in a game he goes up and he's right there at the basket and he'll lay it up, softly lay it up and I'll just say 'you owe me one,'" Anderson said. "And it was one and then two. And then it just kept growing.

"Now he's starting to make up for the lost time. Finally."

Anderson and the Bruins head into Sunday night's game with USC at the Galen Center convinced Smith is finally ready to establish himself as the Pac-12's dominant big man.

"I'm very optimistic about his direction," Coach Ben Howland said, "where he's headed right now."

Until last week it wasn't clear whether Smith, the 6-foot-10, 300-plus sophomore, or the Bruins were headed in the right direction.

Smith, overweight and out of shape through the first two months of the season, was unable to pick up from where he left off in a freshman season in which he led the Pac-10 in offensive rebounds. He was promoted by some rival coaches a year ago as the best NBA prospect in a conference that included Arizona All-America forward Derrick Williams, the No. 2 pick overall in the 2011 NBA draft.

"He has a very high ceiling but and you know going into this season based on the end of last season I thought his ceiling was going to be really high this year," Howland said.

Smith's slow start was a major factor in the Bruins' equally dismal beginning to the season. They dropped to 2-5 at one point and, according to Howland and many others, winning the Pac-12 tournament and the conference's automatic bid was their only path into the NCAA Tournament.

Smith finally announced his re-emergence early in the Jan. 7 victory against Arizona State by throwing down a resounding dunk.

"That gets us fired up, just to see a teammate do that to the other team, just exert his dominance on the other team, gives us confidence," Bruins forward Travis Wear said. "Definitely gets us revved up and it demoralizes the other team, too. We've been waiting for it for a while."

Smith finished the night against the Sun Devils with a season-high 18 points in a performance that suggested even bigger nights the rest of the season.

"The reality is that he is a mountain of a young man physically, and an outstanding player," Arizona State coach Herb Sendek said. "We can draw a defense on the chalkboard for Smith, but the reality is a much different situation.

"He's just too close to the basket and we can't even foul him hard to make him miss. It's like a fly landing on him. You might as well let us play with a two-by-four."

Smith was largely — no pun intended — a non-factor through the first eight weeks of the season, failing to score in double figures in four of the first seven games. He missed his only field goal attempt and finished with just one point and one rebound in a 72-56 loss to Kansas.

Even with a soft nonconference schedule that closed with a stretch of Penn, Eastern Washington, UC Davis, UC Irvine and Richmond — none likely to still be playing in mid-March — Smith entered Pac-12 play averaging just 9.6 points per game. The reason for the disastrous start was obvious.

"Conditioning," Howland said, "just not being in good shape coming into the season more than anything."

Just in case Smith didn't get the message there were plenty of fans, both opposing and from UCLA, willing to remind him. By late December the boos and jeers from Bruins fans were embarrassingly clear during games at a mostly empty Sports Arena.

"I was really disappointed," Smith said of his slow start. "This year in a lot of eyes this was supposed to be a breakout year for me, but it didn't start off that well.

"It doesn't bother me. I know what I have to do to become a better player, you know it's obvious, and it doesn't bother me when people ask."

Smith began doing extra conditioning workouts on a bike, prompting a series of double-takes from joggers at Drake Stadium as he ran a 5k on the track.
"People are definitely surprised to see me out there," Smith said.

But just as Howland and teammates started to notice an improvement in Smith's fitness he suffered a concussion in practice Jan. 4. He missed UCLA's game with Arizona the next night. Smith's dunk early against ASU left little doubt he was back and ready to start paying down his tab with Anderson.

"Now he's really starting to come on," Anderson said. "He's improving every day and obviously that's what we need."

2012-01-15T13:38:00.000-08:00

UCLA At USC For Sunday Night Clash

The Bruins lead the all-time series with the USC Trojans 129-104.

The Official UCLA Men's Basketball website
Jan. 14, 2012

LOS ANGELES -

GAMEDAY CENTRAL
DATE: Jan. 15, 2012
SITE: Galen Center (10,258)
TIP-OFF: 6:06 p.m. (PT)
TV: Fox Sports Net and Prime Ticket
TALENT: Gus Johnson (play-by-play) and Steve Kerr (analyst)
RADIO (UCLA Sports Network from IMG College): AM 570
SIRIUS SATELLITE RADIO (USC's): Channel 92
SIRIUS XM SATELLITE RADIO (USC's): 191
TALENT: Chris Roberts (play-by-play) and Don MacLean (analyst)
SERIES: UCLA leads 129-104
SERIES STREAK: UCLA +1

SERIES VS. USC
This is the 234th meeting between UCLA and the USC Trojans with the Bruins leading the series 129-104. The Bruins have won three of the five meetings in Galen Center, but have lost the last two trips (64-68 in 2010 and 52-63 in 2011) after winning the first three meetings. UCLA's victories were 64-60 in 2009, 56-46 in 2008 and 65-64 in 2007. In last year's meeting at USC, the Bruins led 30-28 at halftime, but dropped a 52-63 decision. Nikola Vucevic led all scorers with 20 points. Reeves Nelson led UCLA with 14 points and eight rebounds. Jerime Anderson added 11 points while Tyler Honeycutt chipped in 10 for UCLA. Alex Stepheson had a double-double of 13 points and 16 rebounds. In the last meeting, the Bruins beat the Trojans 64-50 in Pauley Pavilion on Feb. 2, 2011. Joshua Smith led UCLA with 15 points while Vucevic again led USC with 18 points. The Bruins closed out the final 11:42 of the game on an 18-5 run. Head Coach Ben Howland is 10-8 all-time against USC.

CHARTING COACH HOWLAND
Ben Howland earned his 300th victory of his career with the 72-54 win over DePaul in the 15th Annual John R. Wooden Classic (Dec. 13, 2008). He is currently 366-188 (.661), which ranks 35th on the winningest active coaches list by percentage and 50th on the active list by victories. Howland's first career victory was his first game at Northern Arizona in 1994, a 71-69 victory over New Mexico Highlands. His 100th career victory came in his second season at Pittsburgh in the 77-65 win at home over Seton Hall (Jan. 13, 2001). His 200th win came in his third season at UCLA with the 56-37 home win over Delaware State (Nov. 19, 2005). Howland is 19-9 (.679) in the NCAA Tournament (15-6 (.714) at UCLA).

COACH HOWLAND APPROACHING MILESTONE RECORD
UCLA Head Coach Ben Howland is approaching 200 career victories at UCLA and currently sits at 198-89 (.690) at UCLA in his ninth season at the helm of the Bruins. With the win over Eastern Washington (Dec. 14), Howland passed Jim Harrick for second place on the all-time UCLA career victories list. Harrick posted a 192-62 record in his eight seasons (1988-89 to 1995-96) as the Bruins' mentor. Coach John R. Wooden is the all-time leader at 620-147 (.808) in his 27 seasons (1948-49 to 1974-75).

BRUINS' INJURY REPORT
Junior guard De'End Parker has missed the last 14 games with patellar tendinitis and is out for the game against USC (Jan. 15). Sophomore center Joshua Smith sustained a concussion in practice on Jan. 4 and did not play in the win over Arizona (Jan. 5). He scored 18 points in 21 minutes in the win over Arizona State on Jan. 7 at Honda Center.

JONES LEADING UCLA
Senior point guard Lazeric Jones had his career-best eight straight games in double figures snapped in the loss at Cal last week. He has scored in double figures in nine of the last 11 games. The Bruins are 8-3 in the last 11 contests after starting the season 1-4. In the last 11 games, Jones has averaged 15.1 points, 4.6 assists, 3.6 rebounds and 2.0 steals while shooting 51.8 percent (57-for-110) from the field and 46.3 percent (19-for-41) from three-point range.

TWIN PEAKS
The Wear twins (David and Travis) have scored in double figures in the same game four times this season and they have done so in two of the last five contests. Additionally, they posted career-highs in scoring in back-to-back outings as David scored a career-best 17 points in the loss at California (Dec. 31) while Travis had a career-high 20 points in the win over Arizona (Jan. 5). In the last three games, David is averaging 13.0 points while Travis has averaged 14.7 points per game. David has shot 65.2 percent from the floor (15-for-23) while making his only three-point shot and draining 8-of-10 from the free-throw line. Travis has shot 69.6 percent (16-for-23) from the field while sinking all 12 of his free throw attemtps. Combined, they are 31-for-46 (.674) from the field and 20-for-22 (.909) from the charity stripe.

2012-01-14T11:07:00.000-08:00

UCLA BASKETBALL: Point guard Jerime Anderson is the last man standing from Bruins' heralded 2008 class

By Jon Gold Staff Writer

Los Angeles Daily News

Posted: 01/13/2012 10:44:07 PM PST
Updated: 01/13/2012 11:05:24 PM PST

There is a picture that pops up every so often on the Internet that is filled with such youthful promise, such exuberant joy, such untapped potential.

They are all smiling, all five UCLA recruits of the class of 2008. From left to right are Malcolm Lee, J'mison "BoBo" Morgan, Drew Gordon and Jrue Holliday.

The smiles are so bright, so genuine and quite literally straight out of a magazine.

The boys, they were.

And there, right in the middle, clutching the ball as if it carried some magic potion, the adidas logo proudly pointed out, his head cocked back, eyes shut, sun beating down, white-and-bronze watch shining and wearing the widest grin of them all, stood Jerime Anderson.

One by one, they were picked off, erased from the picture and out of the space-time continuum.

First was Holiday, who darted off to the NBA after just one season at UCLA.

Then Gordon, then Morgan.

After a solid run to the third round of the NCAA Tournament last year, Lee left the Bruins only to be taken in the second round of the NBA draft.

Anderson now stands alone.

Take that picture now, just more than three years later, and there is Anderson in front of a striking blue sky and some trees in the distance. The smile might not be so wide.

"I definitely wonder, `What if?' " Anderson said as the Bruins prepare to play USC on Sunday at the Galen Center . "What if we had the time to play a lot of minutes

together? I think those five guys could've done some things together. But I don't live in a fairy tale.

"The reality is I'm the last one left."

The ball is right back in his hands, and he aims to keep it there.

With fellow senior Lazeric Jones moving off the ball more frequently, Anderson is manning the point guard duties for UCLA and ranks second in the Pac-12 in assist-to-turnover ratio, sixth in steals and eighth in assists.

He now treasures the ball - "I think I just understand the game a lot better now than I used to," he said - in large part because for the briefest of times he did not know if he'd get it back.

Anderson was arrested July 26 on charges of theft after taking an unattended computer on campus and settled in court on misdemeanor appropriation of lost property and trespassing.

He was suspended for two games, given community service and had to stare down the eyes of people who wondered if he was a good kid gone wrong or a bad kid who got caught.

"It was a little surprising," UCLA sophomore forward David Wear said. "It's tough because he's not the type of kid to do something like that. He's always been a good teammate, a good guy, you can always talk to him.

"It was tough to see what he went through - he addressed the team, apologized for everything that happened - but to see where he's at now I think he's better for it."

Anderson processed the sideways glances the best way he could, by getting back on the court and living up to a promise he made to those closest to him. Even if UCLA's current group isn't exactly what Anderson envisioned when he chose to play for the Bruins as the third-rated point guard out of Anaheim Canyon High.

"All the people who count on me the most kept me in this," he said. "I had to do this for them. My family, my teammates. I felt like I owe these people.

"I owe them to give them my best effort to get through a tough situation I put myself in. I had to step up, admit I was wrong, continue and move on and try to be a better person. I think I've done that."

2012-01-14T10:57:00.000-08:00

UCLA men's basketball would benefit from Joshua Smith shaping up and slimming down

By RYAN ESHOFF

The Daily Bruin in Men's Basketball, Sports

Published January 12, 2012, 12:22 am

New Year’s is the most predictable holiday. It’s not like Christmas time, when you do all sorts of fun things in the weeks leading up to it and can spend time hunting down creative gifts.

It’s not like Valentine’s Day, where you can be super romantic and do something original.

This whole “New Year’s resolution” phenomenon is dominated by one overwhelmingly popular sentiment: getting in shape.

Now by no means am I critiquing the craze, even though I do have a Cheesecake Factory gift card in my wallet and something called Banana Bread Beer in my fridge.
But the hordes that swarm to Wooden Center the first few weeks of the winter quarter speak volumes.

The start of the new year is a good time for people to pledge to work out more.
Joshua Smith, are you paying attention?

Smith, the sophomore center for the UCLA basketball team, has had an up-and-down couple of seasons since his arrival in Westwood.

He’s shown flashes of brilliance, tenacity and utter dominance, but has also had moments of immaturity, laziness and complete ineffectiveness.

With Reeves Nelson having been permanently dismissed from the program in early December, the burden on Smith is bigger than ever.

The Wear twins are effective players when they’re going well, but neither has the ability to take over a game the way Smith did against Arizona State last Saturday.

Of course, the primary thing holding Smith back is his conditioning: his weight has seemingly fluctuated as much as production during his time in Westwood, but if ever there were a time to commit to getting in shape, it’s now.

UCLA needs a boost this season. A slimmer Smith could make the difference in the Bruins making a run at a conference tournament title.

A trimmer Smith could make the program more appealing for the recruits it’s currently chasing.

There’s more to the story than that though. I mean, most of the folks in the Wooden Center these first few weeks of the quarter aren’t hitting the ellipticals so that they can help a team be successful. They’re doing it for their own personal motivations.

Hopefully Smith will be willing to do the same. The longer he shows that he is unwilling to get in shape, the more money he’s costing himself when the NBA eventually comes calling.

At the Maui Invitational back in November, I ended up sitting next to Chicago Bulls general manager Gar Forman on press row during the UCLA-Michigan game.

He was keenly interested in Smith’s story, and we talked a lot about his lack of conditioning (we shared a bag of milk chocolate macadamia nuts while doing so).

Point is, people in the NBA have their eyes on Smith, and it’s sometimes easy to see why. His skills are off the charts for a guy his size, and they were on display on Saturday when he scored 18 points on eight-of-12 shooting in just 21 minutes.

“We need Josh to play as he did Saturday,” coach Ben Howland said earlier this week. “He was very inspired. He played really hard, with a little animation.”

Maybe a little animation is what it’s going to take to make the magic happen. Call it The Pixar Effect, and a healthy Smith could turn UCLA into Monsters, Inc. down the road.

My hope is that Smith takes all of these ideas to heart, and to midsection. There’s not a chance that he isn’t aware of all of this.

He needs to be reminded of how good he can be at his position, every morning when he looks at a box of Honey Bunches of Oats and sees the cereal maker: Post.

A Smith resolved to make 2012 his most productive year yet means there’s hope for a somewhat-floundering program. Without the leaner version of the big man, though, chances of success are slim.

2012-01-14T10:44:00.000-08:00

UCLA men's basketball team seeks energy, aggression against rival USC this weekend

By SAM STRONG

The Daily Bruin in Men's Basketball, Sports

Published January 12, 2012, 12:19 am

It’s a winter night in Westwood in 2008 and inside a sold-out Pauley Pavilion, the No. 4 UCLA Bruins have just suffered a shocking 72-63 defeat to unranked USC. The game featured six future NBA players: two Trojans and four Bruins.

The basketball version of the crosstown rivalry was arguably at its highest point. UCLA coach Ben Howland attributed the upset loss to too much hype and passion making its way onto the floor.

“We were way too emotional,” Howland said after the game. “We were so caught up and our emotions took over. We made some bad decisions. I can’t remember us ever being like that in the last few years.”

UCLA’s current players rave about watching the Trojans and Bruins do battle three times in 2008, with UCLA taking two of them.

“That was a battle and it was a really good game,” redshirt sophomore forward David Wear said of one meeting that year.

“I remember (former UCLA forward Josh Shipp) dunked and swung back and kind of kneed (former Trojan O.J. Mayo),” senior guard Jerime Anderson recalled. “(Shipp) and (Russell Westbrook) gave each other a five. It was just a really intense moment and an intense game. I will always remember that play.”

It seems Howland would kill for that sort of drive in anticipation of Sunday’s 234th meeting between the two rivals. Look no further than Saturday’s win over Arizona State for evidence. Howland was ecstatic when sophomore center Joshua Smith woke up from an early-season slumber and started playing aggressively on his way to scoring 18 points against the Sun Devils.

“Did you guys notice his energy level today?” Howland asked reporters after the win.

After being nationally ranked in the preseason, Howland’s Bruins have failed to live up to expectations, and being “too emotional” for a game has never been a problem. Regardless, Howland and his players maintain the game hasn’t lost its competitive edge despite the teams being a combined 14-19.

They insist Saturday’s contest will have all the fixings of a rivalry game similar to the one four years prior.

“It’s still a rivalry,” Smith said. “It doesn’t matter if we’re No. 1 and No. 2 or if we’re 0-12. It’s still USC v. UCLA.”

USC (5-12, 0-4 Pac-12) lost their best returning player when guard Jio Fontan tore the ACL in his left knee during a preseason trip to Brazil and they have dropped eight of their last nine games, including the first four to open Pac-12 conference play.

UCLA, (9-7, 2-2) meanwhile, looks to be playing its best basketball of the season despite the slow start. The resurgence of Smith combined with senior guard Lazeric Jones’ move to the off-guard position has paved the way for the Wears to start producing. The twins combined for 58 points and 26 rebounds last week.

“It’s not going to happen every night,” David Wear reminded fans. “There might be nights where one of us steps up more than the other but if we could all play that strong and that physical and try to contribute as much as we can, I think we’re going to be really good.”

Travis Wear thinks this new game is in the conversation as well.

“It’s a historic rivalry,” he said. “One of the greatest in college sports, so we definitely want to come out with 100 percent effort and give it all we’ve got. We don’t want to lose to those guys.”

Joshua Smith showing signs of a turnaround

2012-01-14T10:36:00.000-08:00

Joshua Smith showing signs of a turnaround

By Peter Yoon

ESPNLA.com, UCLA Report

January, 14, 2012 7:42 AM PT

LOS ANGELES -- When Joshua Smith dunks, it’s electrifying.

It also has been a bit too rare for those who want UCLA to succeed.

Smith’s two-handed power jams often send home crowds into a tizzy. At 6 feet 10, 300-something pounds, Smith has the type of rim-rattling dominance that pulses enough energy through his team to get walk-ons and assistant coaches to jump out of their chairs and spark game-changing rallies and runs.

But those types of dunks have been few and far between this season for UCLA’s sophomore center, who is slowly working his way back into game condition as the season progresses after showing up for the season sorely out of shape.

He showed his first flashes of sustained dominance last Saturday when he threw down three dunks in an 18-point performance against Arizona State and hopes to turn that into a trend as the Bruins face USC on Sunday night at the Galen Center.

He made 8-of-12 shots against the Sun Devils, displaying the type of interior dominance that had been expected of him since the season began and one he will have to repeat with consistency if the Bruins are going to make a run at the Pac-12 Conference title and an NCAA tournament berth.

“We need Josh to play how he did Saturday,” coach Ben Howland said. “He seemed very inspired. He played very well and played very hard and with a little animation, which was good.”

Smith’s lack of conditioning early in the season wasn’t so good. He and the team keep his actual weight a secret, but there was no hiding the fact that Smith was dragging trying to run up and down the court.

His lack of production early on -- averaging only 7.9 points, 5.1 rebounds and 16.4 minutes through seven games --was among the biggest disappointments of UCLA’s 2-5 start that dropped the Bruins from a No. 17 preseason ranking to off the national radar.

Even opposing coaches noticed, with USC coach Kevin O’Neill this week calling out Smith, but Smith said his increased production in recent games is a good sign.

“I know what I have to do to become a better player,” he said. “It’s obvious. It doesn’t bother me when people ask, it’s just kind of like, ‘I’m working on it.’”

His dunks Saturday were a sign that he is, in fact, getting into better condition.

Smith has 11 dunks in 16 games this season, a number that leads the Bruins but is surprisingly low number for a player with enormous size and strength -- especially considering he hardly ever takes a shot from outside of the three-foot circle.

His offensive repertoire has mostly consisted of an array of timid one-handed layups, soft bank shots and tip-ins, but rare has been the strong move attacking the basket with aggression. But Smith emerged from what his early-season slumber and routinely took the ball to the basket with authority.

“He was very aggressive and when he was going to score he was going to dunk it and not just lay it in,” Howland said. “He was aggressive and it was fun to watch.”

It was a far cry from the player who showed up for practice in October surprisingly out of shape and unable to perform as expected in early-season games. He played only 16 minutes and scored five points in the season-opening loss to Loyola Marymount. Against Kansas in the Maui Invitational, Smith had one point and one rebound in 13 minutes. Last year, Smith had 17 points and 13 rebounds against the Jayhawks.

“I was really disappointed,” Smith said of the way his season started. “When I sat down with the coaches after last season and looked at how I did, this year in our eyes was supposed to be a breakout year for me.”

His teammates thought the same thing, too. Smith was supposed to be the focal point of the offense this season, but they noticed early on that he wasn’t quite the same player who had 30 points in two NCAA tournament games to end last season and was named to the Pac-10 All-Freshman team.

“I think we all were a little bit surprised,” guard Tyler Lamb said about Smith’s conditioning early in the season. “But I haven’t given up on him. It’s not like he’s going out there and not trying. As long as he’s trying his best that’s all we can ask for.”

Smith has put in a lot of extra time getting his conditioning where it needs to be. He's doing extra running after practice and riding exercise bikes to help build his stamina and it’s beginning to pay off.

In the last nine games, as UCLA has gone 7-2, Smith is averaging 11.7 points in 20 minutes and nine of his 11 dunks have come in the past nine games.

“He’s just breaking the surface, really,” forward David Wear said. “If he played with high intensity and as hard as he could every single moment, he’d be one of the most dominant guys in college basketball for sure.

“I think he was having a little bit of trouble getting up and down and I think it’s a continuous effort on all of us to continue to push him to get in better shape and play longer minutes and be able to be a factor every time he’s on the court. That’s definitely something that everyone and the coaches have been talking about.”

Guard Jerime Anderson is one of the main catalysts in that effort. A senior point guard, Anderson makes sure Smith hears about it whenever Smith misses an inside shot because he layed it up instead of dunking it.

“I tell him all the time ‘You owe me one’ because sometimes in a game he goes up and he’s right there at the basket and he’ll lay it up softly,” Anderson said. “And I’ll just say ‘You owe me one.’ And it just kept growing to two, three, four. Now he’s starting to make up for lost time.”

The Bruins are 2-2 in Pac-12 play and right in the thick of the conference race. They will need Smith to continue to progress to stay in the race because he is not only effective, but he opens up things for other players as well.

He draws double teams because he’s nearly impossible to guard on-on-one when he’s on his game and he’s a good passer, so the inside-out game works better when he becomes a focus for the opponent.

Smith says it’s not too late to become the dominating player many expected him to be this season. He even has visions of competing for Pac-12 player of the year honors.

“I mean if you look at right now, who would you even say is the best player in our conference?” Smith said. “There’s a lot of good players, but there’s not really one great player so there is still a lot of room for anybody to break out.”

A few more performances like Saturday’s and Smith will be well on his way and that would be a welcome addition for the Bruins.

“We’ve been waiting for it for a while,” forward Travis Wear said of Smith breakout game against Arizona State. “But we expect him to build on that and carry it over to the next games we play.”

And that, of course, means more dunking.

Bruins hope to become road warriors

2012-01-14T10:31:00.000-08:00

Bruins hope to become road warriors

By Peter Yoon

ESPNLA.com, UCLA Report

January, 11, 2012 7:11PM PT

The UCLA basketball team has this week off, which should give the Bruins plenty of time to figure out the answer to a question that has eluded much of the Pac-12 this season: How do you win on the road?

Pac-12 road teams are 5-17 in conference games this season, and last week became roadkill Thursday as conference title leaders Washington, Stanford and California all lost road games at Colorado, Oregon State and Oregon, respectively.

It's never easy to win road games, but this year seems especially difficult as the .227 road winning percentage through the first two weeks of Pac-12 play is well below the .355 road winning percentage in conference games from last season.

And that isn't good news for UCLA, which has lost both of it's road games so far this season and will embark on its longest road trip of the season with games at USC, Oregon State and Oregon during a seven-day span from Jan. 15-21.

"At this point it feels like the Pac-12 is up for grabs so we need all these wins, especially the road games," guard Tyler Lamb said. "Those are going to be very important for us."

Last season, UCLA went 5-4 in conference road games en route to a second place finish. League champion Arizona also went 5-4. Bruins coach Ben Howland predicted the the conference champion would have four or five losses this season, so UCLA (9-7, 2-2) will need to pile up some road wins in order to reach that goal.

Judging by early league results, that won't be an easy task as there appears to be quite a bit of parity among the conference teams and home court advantage seems to have played a role in determining the outcomes of games and might very well decide the conference race.

"If we can take care of our home court and then go on the road and get some wins we can be a contender for that top spot," forward Travis Wear said. "It’s big to be able to go on the road and get a couple of W's in the conference. That could be a determining factor in the end."

The Bruins don't have much experience on the road this season. They played at Stanford and California on Dec. 29 and 31 and that's it. Their one-point loss at Stanford in their road opener really stings because it was a chance to get over the road hump early. UCLA played three neutral-court games in the Maui Invitational, but otherwise hasn't left the state of California.

"We’ll have a big test coming up soon," guard Lazeric Jones said. "We play SC there but it doesn’t feel too much like an away game because we’re still in L.A. It’s a bus ride. But when you have to take a plane, two planes to get places and stay on the road, that’s when it’s kind of different. We’ll have a big test when we go to Oregon with all the traveling and having to keep together mentally."

This whole season has been a test to keep it together for UCLA. The Bruins are playing all of their games off campus as Pauley Pavilion undergoes a yearlong renovation. Most of UCLA's home games are at the Sports Arena, but some were at the Honda Center in Anaheim. Because of the way the schedule worked out, UCLA is in the middle of a month-long stretch away from the Sports Arena adding an even more vagabond-like feel to the season.

But having played seven games at the Sports Arena will help the Bruins feel a bit more at ease as they head to the Galen Center Sunday for their game at USC. The Sports Arena is just a stone's throw from the Galen Center and the Bruins will be staying at the same hotel they have been staying at the night before Sports Arena games.

"That should help us a little," forward David Wear said. "It’s just right across the street from the Galen Center where we’ve been playing and it’s not going to be that difficult staying in the hotel the night before. Obviously the atmosphere of the crowd is going to be much different, but nothing that we haven’t seen this year."

UCLA's Josh Smith is playing his way into shape

2012-01-13T18:59:00.000-08:00

UCLA's Josh Smith is playing his way into shape

The sophomore center is 'unguardable' at times, according to a teammate. And he has been staying in games longer.

By Diane Pucin
D' Los Angeles Times
6:23 PM PST, January 12, 2012

Josh Smith is big. Six-feet-10 big. Somewhere over 300 pounds big.

But he is not as big as he was earlier this season, when Smith struggled with his conditioning, breathing hard after two or three trips up the court. In fact, he seems to be getting smaller, quicker and more energetic game by game.

After sitting out because of a concussion last week against Arizona, a game that turned into an energizing Pac-12 win for UCLA, Smith came back Saturday and took command of the basketball court as had been expected this sophomore season. He scored a season-high 18 points off the bench in the Bruins' 75-58 win over Arizona State.

Bruins forward David Wear is not a small man himself at 6-10 and 225 pounds. And he said that when Smith is playing at his best, waving his arms and calling for the ball, pushing himself into the space around the basket, it motivates the entire UCLA team and demoralizes the opponent.

"There are times when he's unguardable one on one," David Wear said. "I don't know if people know how strong he is. It's almost a helpless experience guarding him one on one."

Next up to face Smith and the Bruins (9-7, 2-2 Pac-12) is USC (5-12, 0-4) at 6 p.m. Sunday at the Galen Center.

Wherever he goes, eyes follow Smith. He wears sparkling earrings and a smile that softens his massive physical presence.

None of his teammates will say they wish Smith had come back for his second UCLA season in better shape.

Guard Jerime Anderson came closest Tuesday when he said, "Josh was a little bit behind, but now he's improving every game. He looks better at everything, he's a little bit more fluid, back to where he was at the end of last year."

He set a personal mark the last three games — at Stanford, at California and against Arizona State — by playing more than 20 minutes in each. The 12 shots he took against Arizona State (he made eight) were the most he has taken in a game this season.

A little step for a big man, but it is progress.

Anderson and Smith have an ongoing wager. Nothing concrete is on the line except that Anderson will yell at Smith that the big center owes the little guard one, of something, whenever Smith doesn't finish off a play when Anderson makes the pass.

"I tell him all the time he owes me one, he owes me two, three, four," Anderson said. Because when Smith accepts a pass from Anderson and doesn't dunk the ball or lay the basketball in the basket, Anderson doesn't get an assist.

"Lately," Anderson said, "Josh is starting to make up for lost time."

Smith always deflects questions about his weight, but he did say that he has been a little disappointed in his performance so far.

"This was supposed to be a breakout year for me," Smith said. "But when I look at our league right now, there are a lot of good players but not a great player. There's still time for everyone to break out. I know what I have to do to become a better player. I don't have to feel like an Army workout every day. I just do what I have to do, watch what I have to eat. I'm working on it."

Coach Ben Howland envisioned Smith's being one of his top two shot-takers this season. Right now he's sixth. Because he makes 56% from the field, there's no one on the UCLA team who doesn't want Smith taking more shots.

Last season, Smith suffered a concussion during a game against California on Jan. 20, sat out UCLA's game against Stanford two days later and returned with 13 points against Arizona and finished the season strong, including his career-high scoring game (19 points Feb. 5 against St. John's) and a 15-point, six-rebound effort in a Feb. 2 win over USC.

Smith said that after he sat out the Arizona game last week, Anderson reminded him of his aggressive approach to basketball the rest of last season.

For that memory boost, Smith needs to make sure he dunks the ball when Anderson gives him the pass. Or he'll owe Anderson something.

2012 prospect Zena Edosomwan 6-8 220 PF

2012-01-13T13:29:00.000-08:00

fofresh84/youtube

NextLevelConnect/youtube

Zena Edosomwan

6'8'', 220 lbs. | Class of 2012
Hometown: North Hollywood, CA
School: Harvard-Westlake School
Position: Power Forward
Status: Undeclared

Edosomwan fits well in the H-W legacy

By Sean Ceglinsky
ESPNLA.com
January, 10, 2012 5:29 PM PT

LOS ANGELES -- Since the day he set foot on campus at North Hollywood Harvard-Westlake, Zena Edosomwan has known there would be some rather sizable shoes to fill.

The San Fernando Valley powerhouse has been billed as one the Southland's hotbeds for talented post players. Succumbing to the seemingly constant pressure of living up to those lofty expectations lingered, but remarkably enough, never materialized.

Low and behold, four years later, Edosomwan has successfully followed in the footsteps of his many predecessors. Emerging as the go-to-guy in the middle for the Wolverines is one of those things that appeared to be in the cards for the highly-touted unsigned senior forward.

“I remember when we first got a good look at Zena, he had big hands, big feet and a big frame overall. We knew right then and there that he was a project worth putting some significant time into,'' Harvard-Westlake coach Greg Hilliard said. “We have been lucky to have a long line of quality big men here and he has done a good job of carrying the torch up to this point in time.''

At 6 feet 8, 220 pounds, Edosomwan is indeed heading in the right direction for the Wolverines (10-4 overall), who have a pair of particularly difficult Mission League games in the next couple of days. Visiting West Hills Chaminade is up first Wednesday and looming thereafter is a trip Friday to Loyola Los Angeles, No. 6 in the ESPNLosAngeles.com top 20 rankings.

His eyes are focused on the future, to be sure. Nevertheless, Edosomwan understands the importance of the history at Harvard-Westlake. The accomplishments of those came before him is well-documented. The reminders are constant, both on and off the court. One need not look any further than the multiple retired numbers on the wall of the Wolverines gym for proof.

Brothers Jarron and Jason Collins essentially put Harvard-Westlake on the map in the mid-1990s before college and life in the NBA. At the turn of the century, Alex Stepheson was the next big man to make a big name for himself with the Wolverines. Stints at the next level, with stops at North Carolina and USC along the way, followed suit. Erik Swoope and Damien Cain are the most recent individuals to prep at the school and both are playing college ball nowadays.

“There is a legacy of great players here at Harvard-Westlake and I would love to be able to carry the torch,'' Edosomwan said. “To have my name mentioned in the same sentence as some of those guys is a great honor. We are talking about some really great basketball players. It is no easy task, but I want to known as one of the best players to come through this school.''

So far, so good.

Keep this in mind though: Edosomwan had to bide his time on the bench as a freshman. Things took a turn for the better as a sophomore, glimpses of his potential were revealed. Accordingly, he delivered a breakout effort right around around this time a season ago.

Edosomwan averaged a double-double as junior with 17 points and 10 rebounds per game. He also had 20 or more points and 15 or more rebounds on three different occasions. Not surprisingly, interest from Division I college coaches and scouts picked up considerably.

“Zena is a tough matchup, he's tough to guard,'' said Russell White, who is the coach for Encino Crespi, ranked No. 5 in the ESPNLosAngeles.com poll and one of the Wolverines' biggest rivals. “He is as skilled as any big guy that they have had at Harvard-Westlake in the past. That program has had some good players too. He's up there with the best of them.''

ESPN Recruiting also thinks highly of Edosomwan and ranks him as the No. 5 prospect in the Southland. He compares favorably to La Verne Lutheran's Grant Jerrett, Orange Lutheran's Gabe York and a pair of players from Santa Ana Mater Dei, Katin Reinhardt and Xavier Johnson. On the national level, Edosomwan is the country's No. 94 recruit overall.

He has a handful of scholarship offers on the table, several from schools within the Pac-12 Conference. Cal, UCLA, USC and Washington are among the programs that have expressed varied levels of interest. Harvard and Texas are also on top of Edosomwan's wish list.

“Harvard-Westlake always seems to produce good big men and Zena falls into that category,'' said Joel Francisco, a recruiting analyst for ESPN. “His best basketball is ahead of him. He is a double-double waiting to happen right now and I think he projects to do the same kind of things at the next level. He'll be a four-year guy who can make an immediate impact somewhere.''

For now, college will have to wait a while. All signs point to Edosomwan taking his time in making a decision about his final destination, most likely sometime in April.

He has some unfinished business to take care of in the meantime. Edosomwan would like nothing more than to add his name to the list of premier post players to have hit the hardwood for Harvard-Westlake. And keeping the legacy alive and well appears to be an attainable goal.

2014 Stanley Johnson Updates His Fans

2012-01-13T08:17:00.000-08:00

2014 Stanley Johnson Updates His Fans

bruinsball.com, Coast2CoastHoops.com
Published on 01-10-2012 07:59 PM

Stanley Johnson
6'5'', 200 lbs. | Class of 2014
Hometown: Fullerton, CA
School: Mater Dei High School
Position: Small ForwardStatus: Undeclared

One of the top players in the class of 2014, Stanley Johnson has always been ahead of the curve. Get to know more about Johnson, his game, and his recruitment in this interview with Coast2CoastHoops.com.

yayareasfinest.com/youtube.com

2012-01-12T21:10:00.000-08:00

Jones adjusts to outside spot

By SCOTT M. REID / THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Published: Jan. 10, 2012 Updated: 10:54 p.m.

UCLA guard Lazeric Jones scored a career-high 26 points in the Bruins' Pac-12 opening 60-59 loss at Stanford on Dec. 29, but it was a shot that Jones that didn't get off that stuck with him and UCLA coach Ben Howland.

While Jones beat himself up about taking an ill-advised and ultimately rejected jumper from the top of the key in the face of a double-team, the play illustrated to Howland UCLA's over-dependence on Jones on the offensive end.

"We were asking Zeke to do too much," Howland said referring to Jones by his nickname.

To lighten Jones' load and make the Bruins more efficient with the ball, Howland has moved Jones to the wing, rotating Jerime Anderson (Canyon High) to the point. The move, Howland believes, will help Jones find more open shots while still making use of his playmaking.

"With his point guard skills, he's still going to create a lot of offensive opportunities (for teammates)," Howland said.

Jones, a point guard his whole career, had had a hard time getting his head around the change.

"I'm just trying to feel my way at the wing," Jones said. "I've never played on the wing in my life."

Howland is amused by Jones' concern.

"I don't think Zeke has any problem taking shots," Howland said.

Victories against Arizona and Arizona State last weekend, however, indicate Jones is making the transition just fine.

Anderson turned in a solid performance on both ends in the Bruins' 75-58 triumph against ASU on Saturday night, finishing with seven points, four assists (and no turnovers) and four steals.

Jones had a rough night shooting, going 3 for 10 from the field, 1 for 5 from behind the 3-point arc, but still played a leading role in the offense, contributing a season-high 10 assists with one turnover.

UCLA's Ben Howland wants Wear twins at the line

2012-01-12T21:00:00.000-08:00

UCLA's Ben Howland wants Wear twins at the line

Travis Wear has made 21 free throws in a row and David Wear is a solid shooter, so UCLA coach wants them to be more aggressive.

By Diane Pucin
The Los Angeles Times
8:53 PM PST, January 10, 2012

This is what UCLA basketball Coach Ben Howland was talking about last week when he publicly commanded the Wear twins, David and Travis, to become more offensively aggressive, to find a path to the basket.

And if a few opponents are in the way, even better.

Howland wants the 6-foot-10 sophomore forwards to draw fouls and shoot free throws.

For good reason. They're good foul shooters.

Travis Wear, in UCLA's first two Pac-12 victories last week over Arizona and Arizona State, was 12 for 12 from the foul line.

He earned himself a mention in the weekly conference notes for that performance. He has now made 21 consecutive free throws, a longer streak than any Bruin over the last three years.

David Wear was a little less spectacular over the two games. He was four of six from the foul line. But David is a 79.3% free throw shooter for the season and Travis is 86.1%. This is on a team that is making only 66.8% of its free shots.

So sometimes the coach knows what he is talking about.

The rest of the team has plenty of time to practice. The Bruins (9-7 overall and 2-2 Pac-12) are off until Sunday's 6 p.m. matchup against USC (5-12, 0-4).

"That's good, from my standpoint," Howland said of the week off. "This will be the last time we'll be able to have four or five practices in a row before playing a game.

"Last week we worked hard on the execution of the offense and I thought we did better. These next two days we won't spend any time on USC. It will be all about us. Thursday, Friday, Saturday, we can focus on guarding USC for a couple of days."

Can't get tired

Lazeric Jones (32.3), Tyler Lamb (30.8) and Jerime Anderson (32.0) are all averaging over 30 minutes a game, a situation Howland said isn't ideal but is necessary. All three are guards and the only other scholarship guard who is uninjured and available is freshman Norman Powell, who averages 17.8 minutes a game.

It's another reason Howland appreciates the week off, so his backcourt players can get fresh legs.

De'End Parker, a junior college transfer, was also projected to help the backcourt depth, but he has played only 34 minutes in three games. Parker is on campus after being away from the team last week after his mother had surgery, but Howland said that knee tendinitis will continue to keep him sidelined.

Smith shuts up and puts up, leads Bruins over undermanned Devils 75-58

2012-01-08T08:21:00.000-08:00

Sun Devils' coach Herb Sendek suspended leading scorer Keala King along with Kyle Cain and Chris Colvin on Thursday for "unacceptable conduct," leaving the trio in Tempe.

UCLA center Joshua Smith (34) dunks after getting by Arizona State center Jordan Bachynski (13) as teammate center Ruslan Pateev (23), of Russia, looks on during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game, Saturday, Jan. 7, 2012, in Anaheim, Calif. Photo: AP

Smith helps Bruins silence Sun Devils

By SCOTT M. REID / THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Published: Jan. 7, 2012 Updated: 11:06 p.m.

Anaheim – Joshua Smith decided to give Arizona State the silent treatment.

After his verbal sparring with Sun Devils center Jordan Bachynski in the first half drew lectures from both the officiating crew and Bruins coach Ben Howland, the UCLA sophomore center took a vow of silence for the second half Saturday night.

"I just decided to keep my mouth shut," Smith said later.

Smith still made a resounding statement nonetheless.

Smith set the tone in a 75-58 rout of undermanned ASU in front of 9,076 at Honda Center with a performance that suggested he might finally be regaining the form that made him the dominant big man in the Pac-10 during the second half of last season.

Smith, cleared to play only hours earlier after missing UCLA's victory against Arizona on Thursday because of a concussion, finished with 18 points in 21 minutes. More important, his quickness, agility, fitness and aggressiveness reminded his teammates of the player USC coach Kevin O'Neill suggested was the conference's top NBA prospect last year.

"I thought Josh had his best game of the year," Howland said. "He was very aggressive to score and when he was going to score he was going to dunk it, not just lay it in."

It wasn't all Smith for the Bruins.

UCLA's man-to-man defense helped the Bruins come back from a 10-point first half deficit and then open the second half with a 36-13 run.

Forward Travis Wear added 16 points, the first 10 coming on second-chance shots. His twin brother David pulled down a game-high nine rebounds.

Jerime Anderson controlled the game on both ends in his new role as point guard, finishing with seven points, four assists, four steals and no turnovers. Lazeric Jones, moved to the wing, dished out 10 assists with but a single turnover.

"Some wonderful passes," Howland said.

But none of the above would disagree it was Smith who had the biggest impact Saturday.

"Josh is a force in there," Jones said.

Smith's rim rattling emergence in a 73-72 victory against the Sun Devils in Tempe, Ariz., last season set the tone for a six-game UCLA winning streak and eight victories in UCLA's final eight regular-season games.

"Jerime reminded me of that today," Smith said.

Smith had been a question mark until Saturday morning.

In the past week, extra conditioning was finally starting to show signs on the 6-foot-10, 300-something Smith.

"His weight is down to the best it's been in a year," Howland said.

But he suffered a concussion when he took a knee to the head in Wednesday's practice. He was cleared to play Saturday after passing a computerized test at UCLA.

Smith announced his arrival shortly after coming off the bench Saturday with a two-handed jam. A 3-point play by Smith with 2:32 remaining in the first half put the Bruins up for the first time and for good, 31-30.

"I'm very optimistic about his direction, where he's headed right now," Howland said.

_______________

Smith, Wear twins overpower the Sun Devils in UCLA's victory against Arizona State

By RYAN MENEZES
The Daily Bruin in Men's BasketballSports
Published January 8, 2012, 2:01 am

ANAHEIM — The squad Arizona State brought to Honda Center on Saturday didn’t have enough players for a soccer team. The Sun Devils could have played a game of baseball, but couldn’t have played a five-on-five game of basketball amongst themselves.

It stood to reason that ASU couldn’t hang with UCLA’s men’s basketball team, at least not for a full 40 minutes. The overmatched Sun Devils got off to a quick start but quickly lost momentum against the Bruins as UCLA ran away in the second half for a 75-58 win.

The Sun Devils could have used a few more bodies to throw at Joshua Smith. UCLA’s sophomore center became a surprising source of energy for the Bruins (9-7, 2-2 Pac-12) in his most dominant performance of the season.

The 6-foot-10-inch, 305-pound center, back after a one-game absence, came off the bench and quickly delivered a two-handed dunk. He finished with 18 points on shots of the highest percentage, totaling three backboard-shaking slams.

“Did you guys notice his energy level today?” a smiling Ben Howland asked reporters. “There was a lot of energy with Josh tonight.”

What made Smith’s performance even more surprising was what he had to go through before the game. Three days after suffering a concussion in practice that kept him out of UCLA’s win over Arizona on Thursday, Smith was driven from the team’s Orange County hotel up to UCLA Saturday morning to pass a test required by the team doctor’s concussion protocols.

Smith was whisked back down to Honda Center after passing the test and made it in time for the Bruins’ walkthrough. He entered the game as a reserve and played 21 minutes through foul trouble but still delivered what his coach called his best performance of the year.

“No matter how many fouls I have, I’m still going to be aggressive for our team,” Smith said. “I’ve got to be as aggressive as I can.”

Arizona State (5-10, 1-2) entered the game down to just six scholarship players and three walk-ons after a trio of Sun Devils were suspended prior to their trip to Los Angeles.

They were able to defeat USC on Thursday night and kept up their inspired play Saturday, jumping out to an 18-8 lead. That’s was when Smith entered the game and put down his first dunk. UCLA chipped away at the lead and was able to take a three-point lead into halftime.

“We did a good job showing composure,” Howland said. “When you’re down 10 to them, it’s like being down 20 because they play so patiently offensively.”

Shortly after intermission, UCLA went with a full-court press to kill any residual momentum the Sun Devils might have had.

Arizona State freshman walk-on Max Heller, forced into major minutes with the suspensions, immediately fell victim to the first use of the trap and turned the ball over before he could reach the halfcourt line. The 5-foot-9-inch Heller was forced to foul the 6-foot-10-inch Travis Wear to prevent an easy basket, a play that summed up the disparity between the two teams Saturday night.

The Bruins even their Pac-12 record with a steady dose of the Wear twins, who followed up dominant performances of their own against Arizona with a combined 24 points and 16 rebounds.

“We came out (of halftime), started playing more physical, attacking and forcing them into worse shots than they were taking at the beginning,” Travis Wear said.

The performances of Smith and the Wear twins were what Howland expected going into this year. It took more than half the season for their dominance to materialize, but Howland likes the direction his team is headed in.

“It was a positive step,” Howland said. “(The Wears) played with a lot of physicality this weekend, more so than earlier in the season, and it’s helping us.”

_______________

Josh Smith is UCLA's spark in 75-58 win over Arizona State

Returning to UCLA's roster after a concussion, Josh Smith makes a big impact in limited minutes. He scores 18 points in 21 minutes to lead the Bruins to a 75-58 win over Arizona State.

By Diane Pucin
The Los Angeles Times
10:15 PM PST, January 7, 2012

Josh Smith played as if he had taken a vacation at some spa, as if he somehow received magic rejuvenation treatment in the past two days.

Smith, UCLA's massive sophomore center, missed Thursday's game because of a concussion received in practice Wednesday.

Coming off the bench and playing restricted minutes Saturday, Smith was still the catalyst with spirited play that included big dunks and dainty tap-ins as UCLA won its second straight Pac-12 game, 75-58, over Arizona State on Saturday night at the Honda Center.

"I thought that Josh had the best game of the year," UCLA Coach Ben Howland said. "He was aggressive to score. When he was going to score, he was going to dunk it. He was aggressive, and it was really fun to see."

Arizona State, which made this Los Angeles road trip with only six scholarship players after coach Herb Sendek suspended three Sun Devils last week because of an unspecified rules violation, was worn down by Smith's strength and energy.

After the Sun Devils (5-10 overall, 1-2 in the conference) came within two points of UCLA with a Carrick Felix free throw to start the second half, the relentless move ahead by UCLA began a with a Smith layup.

The 6-foot-10, 305-pound sophomore center finished with 18 points (one below his career-high) and four rebounds in 21 minutes.

Besides Smith's powerful play, UCLA (9-7, 2-2) had a dominating 14-0 run in the second half, and as Smith continued to call for the ball and grab post position, his teammates seemed to feed off the energy.

Not all statistics matter, but here's one that seemed significant after the Bruins outscored Arizona State 19-6 over the last 9:48 of the first half and finished with a 9-0 run in the final 4:26 of the first 20 minutes to take a 33-30 halftime lead: UCLA had been 8-1 this season when it led or was tied at halftime but hadn't won a game in which it trailed at halftime.

The loudest roar from the crowd came with 28.4 seconds left. Smith maneuvered with emotion, created space commensurate with his height and weight and scored a layup that was punctuated with a little fist pump.

The Bruins had fallen behind on the Sun Devils' first offensive possession of the game, when Arizona State's 7-foot junior Ruslan Pateev made a layup 19 seconds in.

With 12:32 left in the half, junior guard Trent Lockett completed a three-point play by converting a layup and a free throw to give the Sun Devils an 18-8 lead.

It was Smith who also gave the Bruins their first lead of the game with 2:32 left when he also converted the traditional three-point play, drawing a foul from Pateev and making the free throw to put UCLA up 31-30.

After coming off the bench early in the game, Smith was quickly called for a foul and protested to the officials. Howland shouted at his center, "Shut up and play." And Smith did.

In the second half UCLA gradually wore down the undermanned Sun Devils.

Travis Wear put back a rebound after two Smith misses to give UCLA its first double-digit lead, 49-39, and Smith pounded down a slam dunk, then followed with a dainty finger roll on an alley-oop pass from Lazeric Jones that put UCLA ahead 53-41 with 12:08 left.

From that point, Arizona State seemed without enough energy to keep fighting Smith.

_______________

UCLA 75, ARIZONA STATE 58: Bruins' victory is brokered by return of middle man Joshua Smith

By Sam Strong Special to the City of Angels Daily News
Posted: 01/07/2012 10:25:10 PM PST
Updated: 01/07/2012 11:39:23 PM PST

ANAHEIM - UCLA center Joshua Smith's impact was felt Saturday night late in the first half.

After missing UCLA's win over Arizona with a concussion, the sophomore didn't start Saturday against Arizona State.

Upon entering, he picked up two quick fouls and had to sit for much of the first half.

He returned to the game with about three minutes to play in the half and the Bruins trailing by two.

Two powerful post moves and one three-point play later, Smith had UCLA heading into the halftime locker room leading by three, a lead they would not relinquish in a 75-58 win at Honda Center.

And it couldn't have been more timely for the Bruins, who haven't won a game all year when trailing at the half.

"No matter how many fouls I have, I'm still trying to be aggressive for my team," said Smith, who finished with 18 points - one short of his career high - and four rebounds.. "I have to be as aggressive as I can."

Smith had to return to Westwood on Saturday morning to pass concussion protocol in order to get cleared to play and UCLA coach Ben Howland was thankful.

"His energy level was up," Howland said. "I'm pleased for him because he played aggressive and he looked to score. That's what we're going to continue to expect out of Josh."

Short-handed Arizona State started hot, carrying over the momentum gained from a nine-point win over USC on Thursday despite missing two starters.

Sun Devils' coach Herb Sendek suspended leading scorer Keala King along with Kyle Cain and Chris Colvin on Thursday for "unacceptable conduct," leaving the trio in Tempe.

The suspension left Arizona State with only six scholarship players for the road trip and until early in Saturday's second half, it didn't show.

With less than 15 minutes to play in the second half, Howland decided to apply full-court pressure that helped UCLA's halftime lead to balloon to 10 on a two-hand dunk from Smith.

The idea to press in the second half came from senior guard Jerime Anderson who saw that both of Arizona State's standard point guards were missing.

"I thought our players seized the opportunity to make some plays," Howland said.

UCLA (9-7, 2-2 Pac-12) looked out of sorts offensively in the first half, complaining about foul calls and appearing frustrated by Arizona State's defensive schemes.

The second half had a different feel as things started to open up, including UCLA's lead. The foul calls started to come, too.

Sun Devils center Ruslan Pateev fouled out with 9:55 to play much to the delight of the Bruins student section who proceeded to give him their standard "left, right" treatment on his way to the already sparse visitors' bench.

Late in the game, the Bruins went on a 14-0 run in just more than four minutes to put things out of reach.

"We wanted to keep chipping away at their lead bit by bit," senior guard Lazeric Jones said. "We finally got the lead. We were going with what was working down in the post. We wanted to keep pounding it down."

The Sun Devils would counter with a late 9-0 run of their own led by 5-foot-9-inch walk-on point guard Max Heller, the first of many walk-ons for both teams who would see action in the waning moments.

Arizona State (5-10, 1-2) was led by forward Jonathan Gilling, who had a career-high 17 points on the night.

Saturday's victory gave UCLA a sweep of the Arizona schools in Orange County after dropping its first two games in the Bay Area last weekend.

With so much parity within the conference, the disappointing start against Stanford and California may not prove to be as costly as once thought.

It's foreseeable that a team could win the conference with as many as five losses, according to Howland.

"It wouldn't surprise me in the least," Howland said, adding that he thought the magic number would be closer to four.

UCLA has almost a week off before taking off on a three-game road trip, which starts with USC on Jan. 15 at the Galen Center.

Despite being on a two-game win streak, Howland is happy for the time off.

"We need this time," Howland said. "Our players won't have anything until Tuesday. This is probably the last time they'll get two whole days off in a row."

Click on boxscore to enlarge (thanks to Yahoo.com)

Five Observations: UCLA 75, Arizona State 58

2012-01-08T08:12:00.000-08:00

UCLA center Joshua Smith (34) dunks on Arizona State center Jordan Bachynski (13) during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game, Saturday, Jan. 7, 2012, in Anaheim, Calif. UCLA won 75-58. Photo: AP

Five Observations: UCLA 75, Arizona State 58

By Peter Yoon
ESPNLA.com, UCLA Report
January, 8, 2012 12:08 AM PT

ANAHEIM -- Apparently all it takes to wake up Joshua Smith is a game against Arizona State.

Smith broke out of an early-season slumber against the Sun Devils, scoring a season-high-tying 18 points with three powerful dunks and led the Bruins to a 75-58 victory Saturday night at the Honda Center.

Last year, Smith had a monstrous two-handed jam -- one of his most aggressive moves of the season to that point -- against Arizona State and it propelled him to a strong second half. Saturday, he displayed the same type of aggressiveness after playing passively for most of the season so far and finally displayed the type of skill that had him pegged as one of the top centers in the country going into this season.

"It was funny, Jerime [Anderson] and Coach [Ben Howland] reminded me in the walkthrough saying 'Josh, last year this was a turning point with the dunk at ASU,' " Smith said. "The guys were like 'You got to get at least one of them' and I was like, 'All right.' "

With the victory, UCLA (9-7, 2-2) evened its conference record and got back into the thick of what seems early on will be a wide-open Pac-12 race. It also improved UCLA's record to 4-0 at the Honda Center as the Bruins wrapped up the Orange County portion of their schedule, which included Thursday's Wooden Classic.

"It was great playing down here," Howland said. "We really loved playing down here. We loved the fan support, it’s a great venue. It was great to have it in Coach's name on Thursday."

Five observations from the game:

1) Joshua Smith looked like a different player

Smith took the ball to the basket aggressively, showed some signs of quickness and energy was able to finish around the basket -- something he has struggled to do most of this season. He was a dominant force inside, especially on the offensive end, and not just a big body clogging up space.

"Josh had his best game of the year," Howland said. "He was very aggressive and when he was going to score he was going to dunk it and not just lay it in. He was aggressive and it was fun to watch."

Smith sat out Thursday against Arizona and was questionable to play Saturday because of a concussion, but was cleared to play Saturday morning after returning to UCLA to take a computerized test that is part of the UCLA concussion protocol. He did not start the game, but took over once he got in.

"I’m just trying to be aggressive," Smith said. "I really wanted to play that Arizona game, so I felt like I owed my team one."

2) The Bruins dominated the paint and the glass

Led by Smith, UCLA had 46 points in the paint and out-rebounded Arizona State, 31-23. David Wear had eight points and nine rebounds and Travis Wear had 16 points and seven rebounds. Travis Wear was especially efficient on the offensive glass, getting five offensive rebounds and scoring 10 second-chance points.

"I try to be consistent in my effort on the offensive glass because if you are there most of the game you’re going to have a couple of them bounce to you if you are in a good position and you can get a couple of easy buckets that way," Travis Wear said. "Especially against a zone, you can sneak in there sometimes and not get boxed out."

Howland said it was part of the strategy to crash the offensive glass against Arizona State, which was playing without three suspended players and had only six scholarship players suited up.

"We really made an effort to try to get second shots because being short-handed the way they were they weren’t looking to push the ball at all," Howland said. "So we felt like we could rebound real aggressively and not get hurt in transition defense."

3) UCLA's defense helped the Bruins climb out of an early hole

Ten minutes into the game, Arizona State held a 24-14 lead and UCLA's defense looked suspect as the Sun Devils made nine of their first 11 shots, but UCLA stuck with its man-to-man defense most of the game and tightened up.

Arizona State was 11 for 30 for the rest of the game and went through a stretch of 5 minutes 22 seconds without scoring a point in the second half.

"I thought our defense in the second half really keyed our ability to break the game open," Howland said.

The Bruins also tried to exploit Arizona State's short-handed squad by implementing a full-court press about five minutes into the second half. Senior guard Jerime Anderson suggested it and UCLA used it for two possessions, creating a steal just seconds after breaking out a full-court press that Howland teams rarely utilize.

Howland was particularly pleased that his team is showing improvement with the man-to-man defense, especially after the early lapse Saturday night.

"We’re still going to mix in some zone, but we have to be a team that relies on our man defense," Howland said. "I thought both games this weekend the key junctures of the game were because of our man defense."

4) Lazeric Jones played off guard, but looked like a point guard

Jones moved to shooting guard this week because his style of play seemed better suited to that position, but Saturday he looked more like the point guard he was supposed to be with a season-high 10 assists.

Because of Arizona State's zone defense, UCLA worked the ball around the perimeter and it often ended up in the hands of Jones when a post player got some space inside. He routinely fed Smith and the Wear twins and effectively picked apart the Arizona State zone defense.

"When it’s a zone, it’s not like you’re at the wing," Jones said. "A lot of my passes came from the top, so I was just trying to break it down."

Jones and Anderson, who is now playing the point, combined for 15 points, 14 assists and six steals with only one turnover, complimenting the solid front court play.

5) The Bruins didn't panic when they got down early

The Bruins were caught somewhat off guard by Arizona State's strong start, but stayed calm and slowly chipped away at the Sun Devils and turned a 24-14 deficit with 10 minutes left in the first half into a 33-30 lead by halftime.

They extended it to 69-43 with less than five minutes to play and cleared the bench with about two minutes left in the game.

"They had us down 10 and we did a good job showing composure because it’s not easy," Howland said. "When you’re down 10 to them, it’s like being down 20 because they play so patient offensively and they’re hard to score on. We did a much better job in the second half figuring out the zone."

Travis Wear said the team just needed to settle down and adjust to the zone.

"We came out and started playing more physical and attacking and forcing them into worse shots than they were taking in the beginning," he said.

Gene Bartow dies at 81; former UCLA basketball coach

2012-01-07T08:58:00.000-08:00

Photo from UABSports.com

Gene Bartow dies at 81; former UCLA basketball coach

Gene Bartow succeeded John Wooden as UCLA basketball coach in 1975, and two years later became the architect of a new athletics program at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

By Diane Pucin, Los Angeles Times
January 4, 2012

Gene Bartow, the successor to John Wooden as UCLA basketball coach who became the architect of a new and successful athletics program at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, died Tuesday evening. He was 81.

Bartow, who was diagnosed with stomach cancer two years ago, died at his Birmingham home, according to a university spokesman.

Despite starting the athletics program at Alabama Birmingham and establishing the basketball program as nationally competitive, Bartow probably will be most remembered in Los Angeles as the man who replaced arguably the best coach in college basketball history and unarguably the most beloved and respected coach in this city's sports history when in 1975 he took over UCLA's program after Wooden's retirement.

With the expectations that he would automatically take the Bruins to the same place Wooden had gone in 10 of his final 12 years — the national championship — Bartow lasted only two years as head coach despite a 52-9 record and a Final Four appearance in the NCAA Tournament.

In 1975-76, Bartow's first season as Wooden's successor, the Bruins went 28-4 and reached the Final Four. The next year the Bruins finished 24-5.

Marques Johnson, who played for both Wooden and Bartow, had a vivid memory of the pressure that Bartow faced.

"He was a sensitive person," Johnson said Tuesday. "He was used to being totally embraced as a coach and a person and he was just not ready for the kind of vitriol thrown at him when he took Coach Wooden's place. He never came to grips with it, and it bothered him more than anything.

"After two years, he was gaunt and pale and he refused to read the Los Angeles newspapers or listen to the radio because there was so much negativity.

"But he was a wonderful human being, a super nice guy and a great coach."

Johnson said he still has a vivid memory of the end of Bartow's UCLA career.

"He was under an enormous amount of pressure when my father and I and Coach Bartow were in New York City for a player-of-the-year award," Johnson said, recalling his honor as 1977 college basketball player of the year.

"Coach Bartow knocked on our door at the Plaza Hotel about midnight and said he had the opportunity to start a program at UAB. My dad told him his health and family were No. 1 and if this UCLA thing was too much grief, he should do it.

"He was 52-9 at UCLA, won two league championships and that looks pretty good right now. I had a chance to talk to him about three weeks ago when it was apparent he wasn't doing well and it still was apparent he never came to grips totally with what happened at UCLA and that bothered him. No one appreciated at the time the pressure he was under."

Johnson said Bartow probably made the correct decision in leaving UCLA after the 1977 season to start the athletic program at UAB. He finished with a 647-353 record over a 34-season coaching career and was inducted into the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame in 2009.

"Everyone in the Bruin family is saddened by the loss of Gene Bartow," UCLA Head Coach Ben Howland said in a statement. "We celebrate the life he lived, which he did so in exemplary fashion. He was a wonderful person and an outstanding coach and family man and will be dearly missed."

Before arriving at UCLA, Bartow also had great coaching success at Memphis State, where he took the 1973 team to the NCAA national championship game, a contest Memphis State lost to Wooden's UCLA team. Wooden died in 2010.

In a statement, Alabama Birmingham President Carol Garrison said, "To begin an athletic program from the ground up, UAB had to find a motivating force without parallel. Gene Bartow was certainly that person. He was a pioneer and passionate believer and leader in UAB athletics."

On Saturday, Alabama Birmingham will host a basketball game with Memphis that raises money for the Coach Gene Bartow Fund for Cancer research.

Bartow was born on Aug. 8, 1930, in Browning, Mo., and was a college basketball coach at Central Missouri State, Valparaiso, Memphis and Illinois before replacing Wooden at UCLA in 1975. After leaving UCLA at the end of the 1977 season, he coached at Alabama Birmingham until 1996 and then became athletic director before retiring in 2000.

He later became president of the parent company of the NBA's Memphis Grizzlies and their arena, FedEx Forum.

Bartow is survived by his wife of 59 years, Ruth; a daughter, Beth B. Long; two sons, Mark and Murry — the men's basketball coach at East Tennessee State; a brother, Russell; and eight grandchildren.

UCLA Concludes Honda Center Slate With Arizona State

2012-01-07T08:31:00.000-08:00

UCLA Concludes Honda Center Slate With Arizona State

The Bruins lead the all-time series with the Arizona State Sun Devils 59-17.

from The Legit UCLA Men's Basketball website
Jan. 6, 2012

LOS ANGELES -

GAMEDAY CENTRAL

DATE: Jan. 7, 2012
SITE: Honda Center (17,608)
TIP-OFF: 7:32 p.m. (PT)
TV: Fox Sports West
TALENT: Chris McGee (play-by-play), Don MacLean (analyst) and Courtney Jones (sideline)
RADIO (UCLA Sports Network from IMG College): AM 570
SIRIUS SATELLITE RADIO: Channel 94
SIRIUS XM SATELLITE RADIO: 196
TALENT: Chris Roberts (play-by-play) and Tracy Murray (analyst)
SERIES: UCLA leads 59-17
SERIES STREAK: UCLA +2

SERIES VS. ARIZONA STATE
This is the 77th meeting between UCLA and Arizona State with the Bruins leading the series 59-17 (.776). UCLA is 31-6 (.839) all-time against Arizona State at home. UCLA won last year's matchup in Pauley Pavilion 71-53 on Feb. 24, 2011. Reeves Nelson (12 points and 12 rebounds) and Lazeric Jones (10 points, 10 assists) both had double-doubles for UCLA. Malcolm Lee led all scorers with 16 points (12 in the first half) while Joshua Smith chipped in 12 points for the Bruins. Tyler Honeycutt was the fifth Bruin to reach double figures with 13 points, to go along with his six rebounds, three assists, two blocks and one steal. Arizona State was led by Chanse Creekmur's nine points. Head Coach Ben Howland is 13-7 all-time against Arizona State while Herb Sendek is 3-7 against UCLA.

UCLA IN HONDA CENTER CONTESTS
UCLA is 15-4 (.789) all-time in games in Honda Center. The Bruins are 11-4 (.733) in Honda Center in Wooden Classic games (1994-2012). UCLA is also 2-0 in Honda Center in NCAA Tournament games (2008). UCLA has won four-straight games in Honda Center, dating back to last year's 86-79 upset over No. 16 BYU on Dec. 18, 2011, and is 3-0 this season (beat Penn, UC Davis and Arizona).

IN THE POLLS
UCLA began the season ranked 17th in the AP Top 25 and 20th in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll, but has fallen out of both polls. Arizona State is unranked in both polls.

CHARTING COACH HOWLAND
Ben Howland earned his 300th victory of his career with the 72-54 win over DePaul in the 15th Annual John R. Wooden Classic (Dec. 13, 2008). He is currently 365-188 (.660), which ranks 35th on the winningest active coaches list by percentage and 50th on the active list by victories. Howland's first career victory was his first game at Northern Arizona in 1994, a 71-69 victory over New Mexico Highlands. His 100th career victory came in his second season at Pittsburgh in the 77-65 win at home over Seton Hall (Jan. 13, 2001). His 200th win came in his third season at UCLA with the 56-37 home win over Delaware State (Nov. 19, 2005). Howland is 19-9 (.679) in the NCAA Tournament (15-6 (.714) at UCLA).

COACH HOWLAND APPROACHING MILESTONE RECORD
UCLA Head Coach Ben Howland is approaching 200 career victories at UCLA and currently sits at 197-89 (.690) at UCLA in his ninth season at the helm of the Bruins. With the win over Eastern Washington (Dec. 14), Howland passed Jim Harrick for second place on the all-time UCLA career victories list. Harrick posted a 192-62 record in his eight seasons (1988-89 to 1995-96) as the Bruins' mentor. Coach John R. Wooden is the all-time leader at 620-147 (.808) in his 27 seasons (1948-49 to 1974-75).

BRUINS' INJURY REPORT
Junior guard De'End Parker has missed the last 13 games with patellar tendinitis and is out for the game against Arizona State (Jan. 7). Sophomore center Joshua Smith sustained a concussion in practice on Jan. 4 and did not play in the win over Arizona (Jan. 5). He did not practice on Friday and is listed as day-to-day. He will be a gametime decision when the Bruins host Arizona State in Honda Center on Jan. 7.

JONES LEADING UCLA

Senior point guard Lazeric Jones had his career-best eight straight games in double figures snapped in the loss at Cal last week. But he has now scored in double figures in nine of the last 10 games. The Bruins are 7-3 in the last 10 games after starting the season 1-4. In the last 10 games, Jones has averaged 15.8 points, 4.0 assists, 3.7 rebounds and 2.0 steals while shooting 54.0 percent (54-for-100) from the field and 50.0 percent (18-for-36) from three-point range.

TWIN PEAKS

The Wear twins (David and Travis) have scored in double figures in the same game four times this season and they have done so in two of the last four contests. Additionally, they have posted career-highs in scoring in back-to-back outings. David scored a career-best 17 points in the loss at California (Dec. 31) while Travis had a career-high 20 points in the win over Arizona (Jan. 5). In the last two games, David is averaging 15.5 points while Travis has averaged 14.0 points per game. David has shot 64.7 percent from the floor (11-for-17) while making his only three-point shot and draining all eight of his free throw attempts. Travis has shot 68.8 percent (11-for-16) from the field while sinking all six of his free throw attemtps. Combined, they are 22-for-33 (.667) from the field and 14-for-14 from the charity stripe.

A Wooden Classic that sure didn't resemble one

2012-01-07T08:14:00.000-08:00

A Wooden Classic that sure didn't resemble one

The annual tribute to the greatest basketball coach in history was held Thursday in a game between two struggling teams in a half-empty arena.

Bill Plaschke
D' Los Angeles Times
11:20 PM PST, January 5, 2012

Coach told us to make each day our masterpiece. But at times this felt like a finger painting.

Coach told us that failing to prepare is preparing to fail. But how many people could prepare for something they didn't even know was on the schedule?

The annual tribute to the greatest basketball coach in history was held Thursday night in a game between two struggling teams in a half-empty arena that bore little resemblance to the man who inspired it.

The 18th John R. Wooden Classic was barely about Wooden, and not quite a classic, and enough is enough.

As Wooden's 2010 death becomes more distant, the celebration of his life becomes increasingly important.

This event needs to be fixed, and now.

UCLA beat Arizona, 65-58, at Honda Center in a game that was won by the scrappy, short-handed Bruins and cheered by 35 members of Wooden's family. But as memorials go, it just didn't cut it.

A tournament that has always been held on a Saturday in December was moved to a holiday hangover week in January, resulting in few students and large swaths of empty seats, including an embarrassing stretch of vacant chairs at courtside.

A tournament that has always been two games was whittled to one game for the first time because, well, it's too difficult to schedule two games at one place in the first week in January.

An event that has always been a moving three-hour tribute to Wooden essentially celebrated the coach only in a program and with a midcourt logo and a brief video during a timeout.

Yes, there was a coach honored at halftime. But it was new Bruins football Coach Jim Mora, who answered questions at midcourt before cheerleaders taught him the eight-clap.

No offense to the great inspiration found on the UCLA gridiron, but where was the video of Wooden's memorial? Where was the video of Wooden's life? There were one clip during a timeout, but where was the extended remembrance of the most important name in the building?

Then, when the game ended, instead of remaining on the court to address the crowd with a Wooden tribute as he has done in the past, UCLA Coach Ben Howland disappeared into the locker room, his spot taken by dancing cheerleaders.

The Classic is in the middle of an ownership transition, and the ever-gracious Wooden family was thrilled simply to continue the event with one game against a competitive opponent. But c'mon, people.

The new owner, Honda Center, UCLA, the Pac-12 network and the family's IMG representatives need to get together to restore the event to its former glory before folks start forgetting the lessons and legacy of a man who coached not only his basketball team, but all of us.

"It's complicated," said Dan Guerrero, UCLA athletic director.

"This is different kind of year," said Greg Wooden, Coach's grandson and the family spokesman.

That is understandable, considering that this season the Bruins do not have a home gym and the Classic is between owners. With so much uncertainty, it was impossible to bring in two more teams for a Saturday doubleheader. And the one Saturday single game that made the most logical sense, on Dec. 10 against Pennsylvania, may not have made enough competitive sense.

"While we want a UCLA win, more than anything my grandfather would have wanted this to be the most competitive game possible," Greg Wooden said.

So organizers decided on the toughest home game possible, and kudos to the Wooden family for agreeing to this game instead of giving the Classic a year's vacation.

"We would rather have one game in the middle of the week than no game at all," Greg Wooden said. "It may not have been ideal, but we are very pleased with how it turned out, facing a tough challenge is what my grandfather would have wanted."

Except the challenge was so poorly advertised, even I didn't know it was the Wooden Classic until last week.

"This year was an anomaly," Guerrero said. "The most important thing is that we are moving forward. It is a priority for us to keep Coach's spirit alive."

In the beginning, when Wooden was alive, that Classic spirit rocked. In the tournament's debut season in 1994, UCLA was joined by Kansas, Massachusetts and Kentucky. Since then, Duke has been here, along with the likes of Louisville, Villanova and Maryland.

Yet in recent years, the tournament has scuffled, last season featuring St. Mary's, Long Beach State, Brigham Young and not even a midcourt logo or program.

This year, it felt like just another game. Moving forward, it is imperative that organizers never forget that Wooden was not just another coach.

If attracting great teams for the Classic means that UCLA has to agree to play at the homes of those great teams in the future, the Bruins need to do it. If attracting three great teams on a December weekend means throwing lots of that new Pac-12 TV money at those teams, the Bruins need to do it.

The mandate for organizers is as clear as it is insistent: Four good teams, two competitive matchups, on one Saturday in December, in honor of perhaps the greatest single athletic educator in college history.

Be quick, and, yeah, go ahead, hurry.

UCLA coach livens up after team's first Pac-12 win

2012-01-07T08:07:00.000-08:00

UCLA coach livens up after team's first Pac-12 win

UCLA beats Arizona to notch its first Pac-12 win, breathing a little life into Coach Ben Howland's post-loss monotone.

By Diane Pucin
The Los Angeles Times
7:10 PM PST, January 6, 2012

One win over Arizona, UCLA's best of the season, and Coach Ben Howland's voice was dual-toned Friday. Maybe even triple-toned.

Definitely not the monotone that had marked his lifeless summations and conversations after the Bruins lost their opening two Pac-12 Conference games — one a nail biter, the other a run away — last weekend.

A day after UCLA defeated Arizona, 65-58, for its first conference win, Howland punctuated his sentences with verbal high-fives.

On his team's offensive execution, especially in shooting 57.1% in the first half when the Bruins used a 17-4 run to build a seven-point lead, Howland said his big men, most notably David and Travis Wear, did a good job of posting up and shooting.

And the rest of the team, he said, "did a better job of executing and getting the ball where it was supposed to be."

On his decision to play senior Zeke Jones off the ball more and let others, mostly Jerime Anderson and occasionally Tyler Lamb, handle point guard duties, Howland said, "Zeke was setting a lot of really good screens to get the Wears open, and we executed better offensively. Zeke ended up getting 16 shots."

Jones made only five of those shots, though, and expressed after the game that he wasn't totally comfortable operating without the ball. "It's something I have to get used to," he said. But Howland said, "He'll be fine. I don't think Zeke has any problems taking shots."

Howland was also emphatic in saying that he didn't think the Wear twins, David and Travis, played well because 305-pound center Josh Smith sat out the game after suffering a concussion late in practice Wednesday.

"Josh had three really good practices," Howland said. "He was down on Monday to his lowest [weight] he's been in a year. He ran three miles on Sunday, ran extra Monday for 45 minutes, so it was disappointing we lost him for the game."

The upside for a coach who is sometimes reluctant to play a young bench much was that Howland gave sophomore Anthony Stover and junior Brendan Lane significant minutes. Lane, who had been averaging 6.5 minutes a game, played 24 against Arizona. Stover, who'd averaged 8.2 minutes, played 12.

Etc.

De'End Parker, a junior college transfer from San Francisco who played 34 minutes in two games before suffering knee tendinitis, was not with the team Thursday. Howland said Parker's mother was recovering from open-heart surgery and because Parker was not healthy and not playing, Howland said: "I told him to stay home and be with her. He's supposed to be back in a couple of days." UCLA has not been in session because of the holidays.