UCLA BASKETBALL NOTEBOOK: Bruins caught between Boulder and a hard place
Los Angeles Daily News
Posted: 01/11/2013 09:53:56 PM PST
Updated: 01/11/2013 11:28:36 PM
PST
Helped by a few missed shots, UCLA escaped Utah on Thursday night with its
first true road win of the season. This morning, the Bruins will be in for an
even tougher test in Boulder, Colo.
Colorado has lost just two home games since February 2011. On average, it
draws more than 10,000 fans - ones that figure to pack the stands again for the
11 a.m. PST tipoff.
"This will be more intense," UCLA head coach Ben Howland said. "I was talking to someone today, who said Colorado might have the best home-court advantage in the league. The ceiling's low and they're right on top of you.
"That'll be a great atmosphere tomorrow."
The Buffaloes (11-4, 1-2) won the Pac-12 Tournament last season, punching their first March Madness ticket since 2003. They then upset UNLV in the first round as an 11th seed.
This year, they returned a core that includes 6-foot-7 forward Andre Roberson, who ranks third in the country with 12.1 rebounds per game.
Colorado does allow over 40 percent of opposing field-goal attempts to come from beyond the arc, the highest number of any Pac-12 team.
That could bode well for freshman Shabazz Muhammad, who had the worst performance of his young career in Salt Lake City.
The UCLA star scored just six points against the Utes, less than half his previous season low. He shot 3 of 13 from the field, and even airballed one of his four missed 3-point attempts for the Bruins (13-3, 3-0).
"Some guys are going to have off nights," said point guard Larry Drew II, who scored a game-clinching layup at Utah with nine seconds left. "The rest of us have to pick each other up and hold each other accountable."
Lamb picks LBSU
Seven weeks after leaving the Bruins, guard Tyler Lamb picked a transfer destination Friday afternoon. The junior announced on Twitter that he will join Long Beach State, a team UCLA defeated 89-70 in mid-December.
The 49ers beat out San Diego State for the services of the 6-foot-5 guard, who averaged 9.0 points, 3.6 rebounds and 2.8 assists as a sophomore. He also visited UNLV before settling on Long Beach State and San Diego State as his top two choices.
Lamb left UCLA due to concerns about playing time. After undergoing arthroscopic knee surgery in October, the former starter only played in the season opener against Indiana State before the joint swelled up. Meanwhile, the arrival of freshmen Muhammad and Jordan Adams - now the team's two leading scorers - threatened to push Lamb out of a major role.
"I believe that it is in my best interest to find a new destination where I can continue to grow, both as a person and as a basketball player," Lamb said in a statement Nov. 25.
The move reunites him with former Mater Dei teammate Keala King, who became a 49er after Arizona State head coach Herb Sendek dismissed him last January.
Center Josh Smith, who transferred out of UCLA three days after Lamb did, decided on Georgetown last week.
Best of luck, Tyler and Joshua!
"This will be more intense," UCLA head coach Ben Howland said. "I was talking to someone today, who said Colorado might have the best home-court advantage in the league. The ceiling's low and they're right on top of you.
"That'll be a great atmosphere tomorrow."
The Buffaloes (11-4, 1-2) won the Pac-12 Tournament last season, punching their first March Madness ticket since 2003. They then upset UNLV in the first round as an 11th seed.
This year, they returned a core that includes 6-foot-7 forward Andre Roberson, who ranks third in the country with 12.1 rebounds per game.
Colorado does allow over 40 percent of opposing field-goal attempts to come from beyond the arc, the highest number of any Pac-12 team.
That could bode well for freshman Shabazz Muhammad, who had the worst performance of his young career in Salt Lake City.
The UCLA star scored just six points against the Utes, less than half his previous season low. He shot 3 of 13 from the field, and even airballed one of his four missed 3-point attempts for the Bruins (13-3, 3-0).
"Some guys are going to have off nights," said point guard Larry Drew II, who scored a game-clinching layup at Utah with nine seconds left. "The rest of us have to pick each other up and hold each other accountable."
Lamb picks LBSU
Seven weeks after leaving the Bruins, guard Tyler Lamb picked a transfer destination Friday afternoon. The junior announced on Twitter that he will join Long Beach State, a team UCLA defeated 89-70 in mid-December.
The 49ers beat out San Diego State for the services of the 6-foot-5 guard, who averaged 9.0 points, 3.6 rebounds and 2.8 assists as a sophomore. He also visited UNLV before settling on Long Beach State and San Diego State as his top two choices.
Lamb left UCLA due to concerns about playing time. After undergoing arthroscopic knee surgery in October, the former starter only played in the season opener against Indiana State before the joint swelled up. Meanwhile, the arrival of freshmen Muhammad and Jordan Adams - now the team's two leading scorers - threatened to push Lamb out of a major role.
"I believe that it is in my best interest to find a new destination where I can continue to grow, both as a person and as a basketball player," Lamb said in a statement Nov. 25.
The move reunites him with former Mater Dei teammate Keala King, who became a 49er after Arizona State head coach Herb Sendek dismissed him last January.
Center Josh Smith, who transferred out of UCLA three days after Lamb did, decided on Georgetown last week.
Best of luck, Tyler and Joshua!
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