Who's got the 2012 No. 1 Recruiting Class now?!?
UCLA rides huge start to surprise No. 6 Arizona (ESPN.com)
Shabazz Muhammad after UCLA tops Arizona (ESPN.com).
Shabazz Muhammad after UCLA tops Arizona (ESPN.com).
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| Tony Parker, in relief of Travis Wear, put the Bruins up 8 with his fade-away jumper. Parker played 7 minutes in the second half and scored 6 points for the Bruins. |
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UCLA Topples No. 6 Arizona, 84-73
from The Official UCLA Men's Basketball website
 |  Shabazz Muhammad |
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| 2012-13 UCLA Media GuideTUCSON, Ariz. (AP) - A once-huge lead down to a few points, Shabazz Muhammad popped in a 3-pointer on the wing, then turned a steal into a pair of free throws that gave UCLA a nice cushion.
The big stage and bright lights, that's right where the Bruins' talented freshman guard feels right at home.
Keying a huge early run and hitting big shots down the stretch, Muhammad scored 23 points and lifted UCLA to a signature road win, 84-73 over No. 6 Arizona on Thursday night.
"When the lights are on and the cameras are on, he really comes to life," UCLA coach Ben Howland said.
The rest of the Bruins weren't bad, either.
Coming off a disappointing loss to Oregon, UCLA (16-4, 6-1 Pac-12) tried to turn Arizona's whiteout into a blowout, racing to a 16-point lead in the game's first seven minutes.
Even when Arizona chipped away at the lead, bringing the all-in-white crowd at the McKale Center to life, the Bruins kept their composure in one of the toughest places to play in college basketball.
Larry Drew II played a steady game at the point, dishing out nine assists while turning it over twice. David Wear helped make up for the loss of his twin brother to a head injury in the second half, scoring 15 points with eight rebounds.
Kyle Anderson shook off the effects of a flu that caused him to miss a day of practice this week, grabbing 12 rebounds to go with eight points. Jordan Adams, another player who missed practice due to illness, scored 15 points after fighting through cramps against Arizona.
"It was hard, but we stayed with it," Adams said.
Arizona (16-2, 4-2) has had a knack for pulling out comeback victories this season.
Not this time.
After a miserable start at both ends against UCLA, the Wildcats never fully recovered, pulling no closer than four points after digging a huge opening hole.
Nick Johnson scored 23 points, Mark Lyons added 16 and Solomon Hill had 13 and 10 rebounds for the Wildcats, who went 5 for 24 from 3-point range and struggled to slow the Bruins.
"We got down early," Hill said. "When you get down like that, it's hard to fight back. UCLA is a great team and we couldn't contain them."
Heading in, this was one of the most anticipated games of the Pac-12 season, two of the conference's most talented teams that score in bunches and have some of the best freshmen anywhere.
Arizona's freshmen big men - Kaleb Tarczewski, Brandon Ashley and Grant Jerrett - have been solid in their first season in the desert, though they have been able to fall back on Arizona's veterans when things have gotten tight.
After opening with 14 straight wins, the Wildcats' luck in pulling out tight games ran out with a 70-66 road loss to Oregon on Jan. 10. They responded with a pair of impressive wins, beating Oregon State and Arizona State both by double digits.
UCLA had some rough patches early in the season, losing to Cal Poly and needing overtime to beat UC Irvine, along with Tyler Lamb and Joshua Smith transferring from the program.
The Bruins rounded back into form after losing to San Diego State on Dec. 1, winning 10 straight games before losing to No. 16 Oregon on Saturday.
UCLA's freshmen - Muhammad, Adams and Kyle Anderson - handled a big road test in a win over Colorado two weeks ago, but the McKale Center and all those rowdy fans wearing white T-shirts and screaming at them.
No problem for these Bruins, young and old.
Confident and crisp on offense, UCLA made eight of its first 12 shots, racing out to a 19-3 lead. Arizona helped out by clanging shot after shot, opening 1 for 13, with most of those around the rim.
The Wildcats were getting decent shots, though, and a few started to fall as they chipped away at the lead.
Arizona increased its shooting percentage up to 31 percent (11 for 25) by halftime, but had trouble stopping the Bruins, who went 19 for 34 from the floor for a 40-30 lead. Muhammad led the way with 11 points.
"From a defensive perspective, we had no answer for them," Arizona coach Sean Miller said.
Even without Wear, who had six points in the first half, UCLA maintained its composure.
Scoring on the break, inside and on tough drives to the basket, the Bruins kept dropping in shots, pushing the lead to 55-41 in the first seven minutes of the second half.
Arizona wasn't quite done.
Sparked by Johnson's three-point play, the Wildcats scored the next 10 points to get within four and crank up the volume in the McKale Center.
The Bruins made sure they didn't get any closer.
Tony Parker scored on a three-point play, Muhammad dropped in a 3-pointer and UCLA pushed the lead up to 70-60 with just over four minutes left.
Arizona kept clanging from the perimeter and the Bruins made the shots and free throws when they needed to, pulling out their biggest road win of the season.
"Our young guys aren't true freshmen anymore," Howland said. "They have 20 games under their belts and are playing like veterans."
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| A Freshman guard/forward Shabazz Muhammad led all Bruin scorers with 23 points on Thursday night, shooting 8-for-16 from the field. UCLA is 8-0 in games in which Muhammad has scored 20 or more points (Alexa Smahl). |
Shabazz Muhammad plays key role in UCLA’s victory over Arizona
By Sam Strong
Daily Bruin
More stories in Men's Basketball, Sports
TUCSON, Ariz. — Shabazz Muhammad sat in the media room at Pauley Pavilion on Tuesday knowing what kind of challenge awaited him and his teammates: A trip to Arizona to play one of the best teams in the nation.
“We have to win this game,” the freshman guard said. “No questions asked.”
Two days later, Muhammad and the Bruins stood before 14,617 screaming, white-clad fans at Arizona’s McKale Center. UCLA’s first shot attempt, a 3-pointer from Muhammad, found the bottom of the net.
“If I would have missed that, it would have been hard to play here,” Muhammad said after the 84-73 win.
“After I made that shot, I felt comfortable. It was a great crowd to look at in all white. When I was hitting my shots, it felt good to quiet the crowd.”
Minutes after the Bruins’ first win in Tucson since 2008, Muhammad stood in the bowels of the arena when an unexpected visitor approached him.
It was Arizona coach Sean Miller, who had just spent the better part of 40 minutes screaming at his team to slow Muhammad down. Miller shook Muhammad’s hand.
“Shabazz, keep it going buddy,” Miller said. “That’s an old-school 20-point night right there.”
Muhammad led UCLA (16-4, 6-1 Pac-12) in scoring with 23 points and willed the Bruins to their third consecutive road victory, Arizona’s first regular season home loss since January 2012.
UCLA proved it is tougher than it looked last weekend in a home loss to Oregon by bolting to a 16-point lead to start the game, an advantage No. 6 Arizona (16-2, 4-2) had whittled to just 10 by halftime.
After a 10-0 Wildcats run midway through the second half, things looked bleak for the few specks of blue in the stands.
“We knew they had the crowd behind them,” said freshman Jordan Adams, who finished with 15 points. “You can’t keep that lead forever. We knew they would come back sooner or later.”
As Arizona started its charge, Adams (cramps) and redshirt junior forward Travis Wear (concussion-like symptoms) left the game. UCLA was down to six scholarship players and a five-point lead.
Enter Muhammad.
He quickly knocked down his second 3-pointer of the night before stealing the ball from Arizona guard Mark Lyons. Lyons fouled Muhammad hard, a slap that could have been heard from the 10th row, “because he didn’t want me to dunk it,” according to Muhammad.
After a few flicks of the wrist to take the sting out, Muhammad calmly sank two free throws. The Bruins once again led by double digits.
“The one thing I notice about Shabazz that you see in very few players is when the lights are on and the cameras are on, his level raises,” coach Ben Howland said of Muhammad’s nationally televised performance.
“I’m happy for him because he’s a hell of a competitor, and he wants to help his team win.”
Muhammad said he could feel fatigue set in as UCLA continued to play short-handed down the stretch.
“We were getting tired but you have to suck it up and play, and we did,” he said.
UCLA will look to remain undefeated on the road on Saturday when it travels to Arizona State (15-4, 4-2). Tipoff is set for noon.
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| Freshman Tony Parker, in relief of Travis Wear, put the Bruins up eight with his fadeaway jumper. Parker played seven minutes in the second half (Alexa Smahl / Daily Bruin). |
Court Visions: Basketball manages win over Arizona in impressive fashion
Daily Bruin
TUCSON, Ariz. — No practice drill can ready a team for what the Bruins went through the last few days, and there is no way to measure how much adversity UCLA was dealt before beating Arizona on its home floor.
Bruins coach Ben Howland put it thusly on Thursday night: “Until you get drilled, you don’t learn.”
Like the mountains that dot the desert beside the Interstate 10 on the drive to this isolated city, adversity comes and goes, and you never know how steep the climb will be when you hit it.
It struck the Bruins early in the year, after they lost three out of five games to drop to a 5-3 record. It disappeared when UCLA ran off 10 straight wins. It came back on Saturday in Pauley Pavilion after Oregon handed UCLA its first loss in weeks. It could have stopped then, but didn’t.
With every blow the Bruins were dealt this week before upsetting the No. 6 Wildcats, 84-73, they dodged disaster, either by luck or with savvy.
Like with the flu bug that bit this team during the few days of preparation leading up to this game. When Jordan Adams and Kyle Anderson were hunched over trash cans vomiting instead of practicing on Tuesday, they didn’t know how long it would take to overcome. Luckily for them, it took just 24 hours of rest.
Midgame, the Bruins were handed even worse news with consequences that reached even farther: Travis Wear, the team’s best post presence, had concussion-symptoms after playing just 11 minutes and wouldn’t return.
Wear averages 30 minutes per game, so the Bruins needed to pick up about one-half’s worth of minutes among the remaining seven.
It just so happened that Tony Parker, who usually steps on the floor less than Howland during games, seized his moment.
The biggest but least-used Bruin played seven minutes in the second half, more than he had in any game over the last month. His numbers in that stretch: six points and a defensive rebound, including a fadeaway basket plus a free throw that put UCLA up eight.
That had nothing to do with luck, just preparation from the only freshman who hadn’t had his chance to shine yet.
The Bruins were down to seven players, then six when Adams, already ill earlier in the week, cramped up.
Easiest fix yet.
“I drank like four Gatorades,” Adams said of his trip to the locker room. “I almost threw it back up.”
Plenty of teams had come to McKale Center, looked good, then collapsed against the strength of Arizona and its loud crowd. The Wildcats and their fans donned white in unison for the game against UCLA, a rivalry locals take very seriously. The Bruins could have been next.
On Thursday, there was no amount of whiteout that could have covered up the mistakes Arizona was forced into by UCLA.
That led to the Bruins getting out and running with the basketball like they want to. They were as frantic as a team trailing and needing to put up points. Only, they jumped out to a 21-5 lead, kept it, and never let the game get too close.
“We played so well as a team,” said Shabazz Muhammad, deflecting sole credit after his 23-point performance. “Everybody played well and we all contributed bits and pieces of our game.”
The Bruins got contributions from every scholarship player on the roster for the first time all season. They were all smiling as they boarded the bus to Tempe, hardly an indication of what they went through before the biggest win in UCLA’s recent history.
As UCLA has done all season, it responded to a loss with a win and didn’t let a losing slide start. What happened in between only made it more impressive.
Email Menezes at rmenezes@media.ucla.edu
Muhammad delivers as Bruins upset No. 6 Wildcats
TUCSON, Ariz. – Shabazz Muhammad earned his high school fame in the spotlight — ascending to No. 1 in the country by performing under the brightest of lights and carrying the heaviest of his team's burden. Pressure has always been his greatest companion.
And there he stood Thursday night, at a potential crossroads in UCLA's season with the ball in his hands behind Arizona's 3-point line, the Wildcats having stolen away all the game's momentum.
The freshman insisted earlier in the week he would take this game into his own hands, if need be, after he and the Bruins fell apart down the stretch against Oregon. And with less than six minutes remaining and UCLA's lead cut to five, he followed through on his promise.
Muhammad hit the open 3-pointer directly in front of a rabid Arizona crowd, sprinted back to the other end of the court, and stole the ball back again — a turnover that led to two free throws and a crucial five-point swing — sucking all the air out of an inflating McKale Center.
In a game of rally after rally, the Bruins — and more specifically, their best player — finally held on in the final five minutes for an 84-73 victory over No. 6 Arizona. After a tough loss to Oregon, the Bruins responded with their first true road victory over a ranked team in almost half a decade (Washington State, 2008), and the first loss for Arizona at home since January of last season.
And for Muhammad, who finished with 23 points on 50 percent shooting, the lights and his team's future had never been brighter.
"When the lights are on, when the cameras are on, his level always raises," UCLA coach Ben Howland said. "It always raises. It always gets better. ... He's a hell of a competitor."
The Bruins seemed to follow his suit, as they were, at one point, whittled to just a six-man rotation with junior forward Travis Wear (concussion-like symptoms) missing the second half and freshman guard Jordan Adams (cramps) missing 10 minutes. Still, UCLA continued to run and maintain its fast tempo with players on both sides gasping for air between plays.
The Bruins soldiered on as the Wildcats pushed and pushed all game long, trying their best to erase the 16-point hole they had dug in the opening minutes. With 11 minutes remaining, they had cut the lead to four. But that's the closest they got.
A 21-5 start was crucial for UCLA, but it was the consistent rally that came with each successive Arizona run that truly showed how resilient this Bruins team can potentially be, proving they're tougher than they looked against the Ducks just a week ago.
"We took (the Oregon loss) very hard," said Adams, who ended a brief slump with 15 crucial points. "We practiced so hard, probably the hardest we've practiced. ... We haven't lost twice in a row this year. We wanted to prove a point."
As the "White Out" at the McKale Center began to dissipate in the final minutes, it seemed the Bruins had done just that.
They hit the glass much harder — outrebounding the Wildcats, 45-44, despite Arizona ranking fifth in the nation in rebounding margin. They played better defense, holding their opponent under 40 percent from the field for the fourth time since the Pac-12 season began. And for the first time since upsetting Missouri at Pauley Pavilion, the Bruins, led by Muhammad, seemed to regain the sense of swagger that so many had expected from them, and they'd done it under the brightest of lights.
"We let some wins go early on in the season," point guard Larry Drew II said. "I do believe that people are starting to recognize us for the type of team that we are and the type of team that we could be. I don't think we've peaked yet."
Contact the writer: rkartje@ocregister.com
By Chris Foster
The Los Angeles Times
January 24, 2013
11:10 PM PST
TUCSON — This was a game the young UCLA Bruins seemingly had no business winning.
Yet at the end, there was Kyle Anderson trying to give high fives to Arizona students, and finding no takers.
There was Jordan Adams, weary from two days of illness, bouncing toward the locker room, grinning at the silence.
There was Shabazz Muhammad having the last laugh, as the student section at McKale Center left behind the placards personally addressed to him — some funny, some not.
Freshmen having fun.
The 84-73 victory over sixth-ranked Arizona on Thursday probably won't sink in for a bit, at least with UCLA's freshmen. But this was big, especially coming off a home loss to Oregon. It kept the Bruins a game behind the Ducks in the Pac-12 standings.
The Bruins left Tucson with a victory for the first time since 2008, the last time they won the conference title, by beating a team that had a 44-2 home record the last two-plus seasons.
"It's probably tough for the freshmen to get it," UCLA forward David Wear said. "They don't realize how much we've struggled playing here the past couple years. This place is packed. The student section is crazy. There are not a lot of teams that can come out of here with a victory."
The Bruins (16-4, 6-1) did, even after losing Travis Wear, their second-leading scorer, to a concussion in the first half. They also had to do without Adams, who went to the locker room in the second half because of cramps.
"It was 10 real minutes and I thought it was 15," Coach Ben Howland said. "That's the way it seemed."
Time did drag for the Bruins, especially after they bolted to a 21-5 lead after eight minutes.
But …
"I knew in my head, 'They're going to make runs at us,'" guard Larry Drew II said.
The Wildcats (16-2, 4-2) did, getting as close as 55-51 with 11 minutes left. Drew ran the offense, finishing with nine assists, keeping Arizona at arm's length.
"It's going to be hard to forget this one," said Muhammad, who had a team-high 23 points. "This is the sixth-ranked team. We're probably going to see ourselves on ESPN and all that stuff, and everyone is hyping us up."
But, he said, "You're only as good as your last game."
Then the Bruins are pretty good at the moment.
UCLA can point to defense as the tipping point. Arizona shot 38%. And the rebounding — the root cause of the Oregon loss — was better. The Bruins had a 45-44 edge.
But it was the grit that mattered.
Anderson missed practice with flu Tuesday. Adams was also sick, and had to leave practice a couple of times. Things got worse when Travis Wear took an elbow to the head in the first half. He said after the game that he was hoping to play against Arizona State.
"I have to pass a couple of concussion tests," he said.
The Bruins have only eight scholarship players. They were down to six when Adams went to the locker room to hydrate.
"I had four Gatorades," Adams said. "I was so full, I thought they were all going to come back up."
UCLA looked to others.
David Wear had added minutes with his brother out. He finished with 15 points and eight rebounds.
Freshman Tony Parker played 10 minutes, the most in a month. He had six points, two on a spin move and fall-away jumper where he was fouled and made the free throw for a 63-55 lead with six minutes left.
"I thought he was more aggressive tonight," Howland said.
So was Muhammad.
The freshman guard had talked this week about "taking it upon myself to win this game." Howland said he "didn't win it by himself." He did, though, come close.
Muhammad made eight of 16 shots, and was blistering from the start.
Said Howland: "The one thing you notice about Shabazz, that you see in very few players, when the lights are on and the cameras are on, his game raises. It always gets better."
chris.foster@latimes.com
twitter.com/cfosterlatimes
TUCSON, Ariz. - A once-huge lead down to a few points, Shabazz Muhammad popped in a 3-pointer on the wing, then turned a steal into a pair of free throws that gave UCLA a nice cushion.
The big stage and bright lights, that's right where the Bruins' talented freshman guard feels right at home.
Keying a huge early run and hitting big shots down the stretch, Muhammad scored 23 points and lifted UCLA to a signature road win, 84-73 over No. 6 Arizona on Thursday night.
"When the lights are on and the cameras are on, he really comes to life," UCLA coach Ben Howland said.
The rest of the Bruins weren't bad, either.
Coming off a disappointing loss to Oregon, UCLA (16-4, 6-1 Pac-12) tried to turn Arizona's whiteout into a blowout, racing to a 16-point lead in the game's first seven minutes.
Even when Arizona chipped away at the lead, bringing the all-in-white crowd at the McKale Center to life, the Bruins kept their composure in one of the toughest places to play in college basketball.
Larry Drew II played a steady game at the point, dishing out nine assists while turning it over twice. David Wear helped make up for the loss of his twin brother to a head injury in the second half, scoring 15 points with eight rebounds.
Kyle Anderson shook off the effects of a flu that caused him to miss a day of practice this week, grabbing 12 rebounds to go with eight points. Jordan Adams, another player who missed practice due to illness, scored 15 points after fighting through cramps against Arizona.
"It was hard, but we stayed with it," Adams said.
Arizona (16-2, 4-2) has had a knack for pulling out comeback victories this season.
Not this time.
After a miserable start at both ends against UCLA, the Wildcats never fully recovered, pulling no closer than four points after digging a huge opening hole.
Nick Johnson scored 23 points for the Wildcats, who went 5 for 24 from 3-point range and struggled to slow the Bruins.
"We got down early," Hill said. "When you get down like that, it's hard to fight back. UCLA is a great team and we couldn't contain them."
Heading in, this was one of the most anticipated games of the Pac-12 season, two of the conference's most talented teams that score in bunches and have some of the best freshmen anywhere.
Arizona's freshmen big men - Kaleb Tarczewski, Brandon Ashley and Grant Jerrett - have been solid in their first season in the desert, though they have been able to fall back on Arizona's veterans when things have gotten tight.
After opening with 14 straight wins, the Wildcats' luck in pulling out tight games ran out with a 70-66 road loss to Oregon on Jan. 10. They responded with a pair of impressive wins, beating Oregon State and Arizona State both by double digits.
UCLA had some rough patches early in the season, losing to Cal Poly and needing overtime to beat UC Irvine, along with Tyler Lamb and Joshua Smith transferring from the program.
And there he stood Thursday night, at a potential crossroads in UCLA's season with the ball in his hands behind Arizona's 3-point line, the Wildcats having stolen away all the game's momentum.
The freshman insisted earlier in the week he would take this game into his own hands, if need be, after he and the Bruins fell apart down the stretch against Oregon. And with less than six minutes remaining and UCLA's lead cut to five, he followed through on his promise.
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| UCLA's Shabazz Muhammad (15) finds an open lane to the basket between Arizona's Soloman Hill (left) and Grant Jerrett during the second half Thursday night (JOHN MILLER, AP). |
In a game of rally after rally, the Bruins — and more specifically, their best player — finally held on in the final five minutes for an 84-73 victory over No. 6 Arizona. After a tough loss to Oregon, the Bruins responded with their first true road victory over a ranked team in almost half a decade (Washington State, 2008), and the first loss for Arizona at home since January of last season.
And for Muhammad, who finished with 23 points on 50 percent shooting, the lights and his team's future had never been brighter.
"When the lights are on, when the cameras are on, his level always raises," UCLA coach Ben Howland said. "It always raises. It always gets better. ... He's a hell of a competitor."
The Bruins seemed to follow his suit, as they were, at one point, whittled to just a six-man rotation with junior forward Travis Wear (concussion-like symptoms) missing the second half and freshman guard Jordan Adams (cramps) missing 10 minutes. Still, UCLA continued to run and maintain its fast tempo with players on both sides gasping for air between plays.
The Bruins soldiered on as the Wildcats pushed and pushed all game long, trying their best to erase the 16-point hole they had dug in the opening minutes. With 11 minutes remaining, they had cut the lead to four. But that's the closest they got.
A 21-5 start was crucial for UCLA, but it was the consistent rally that came with each successive Arizona run that truly showed how resilient this Bruins team can potentially be, proving they're tougher than they looked against the Ducks just a week ago.
"We took (the Oregon loss) very hard," said Adams, who ended a brief slump with 15 crucial points. "We practiced so hard, probably the hardest we've practiced. ... We haven't lost twice in a row this year. We wanted to prove a point."
As the "White Out" at the McKale Center began to dissipate in the final minutes, it seemed the Bruins had done just that.
They hit the glass much harder — outrebounding the Wildcats, 45-44, despite Arizona ranking fifth in the nation in rebounding margin. They played better defense, holding their opponent under 40 percent from the field for the fourth time since the Pac-12 season began. And for the first time since upsetting Missouri at Pauley Pavilion, the Bruins, led by Muhammad, seemed to regain the sense of swagger that so many had expected from them, and they'd done it under the brightest of lights.
"We let some wins go early on in the season," point guard Larry Drew II said. "I do believe that people are starting to recognize us for the type of team that we are and the type of team that we could be. I don't think we've peaked yet."
Contact the writer: rkartje@ocregister.com
UCLA victory is not a mirage
Shabazz Muhammad has 23 points and the Bruins start fast to get a rare victory, 84-73, over the Wildcats in Arizona.
By Chris Foster
The Los Angeles Times
January 24, 2013
11:10 PM PST
TUCSON — This was a game the young UCLA Bruins seemingly had no business winning.
Yet at the end, there was Kyle Anderson trying to give high fives to Arizona students, and finding no takers.
There was Jordan Adams, weary from two days of illness, bouncing toward the locker room, grinning at the silence.
There was Shabazz Muhammad having the last laugh, as the student section at McKale Center left behind the placards personally addressed to him — some funny, some not.
Freshmen having fun.
The 84-73 victory over sixth-ranked Arizona on Thursday probably won't sink in for a bit, at least with UCLA's freshmen. But this was big, especially coming off a home loss to Oregon. It kept the Bruins a game behind the Ducks in the Pac-12 standings.
The Bruins left Tucson with a victory for the first time since 2008, the last time they won the conference title, by beating a team that had a 44-2 home record the last two-plus seasons.
"It's probably tough for the freshmen to get it," UCLA forward David Wear said. "They don't realize how much we've struggled playing here the past couple years. This place is packed. The student section is crazy. There are not a lot of teams that can come out of here with a victory."
The Bruins (16-4, 6-1) did, even after losing Travis Wear, their second-leading scorer, to a concussion in the first half. They also had to do without Adams, who went to the locker room in the second half because of cramps.
"It was 10 real minutes and I thought it was 15," Coach Ben Howland said. "That's the way it seemed."
Time did drag for the Bruins, especially after they bolted to a 21-5 lead after eight minutes.
But …
"I knew in my head, 'They're going to make runs at us,'" guard Larry Drew II said.
The Wildcats (16-2, 4-2) did, getting as close as 55-51 with 11 minutes left. Drew ran the offense, finishing with nine assists, keeping Arizona at arm's length.
"It's going to be hard to forget this one," said Muhammad, who had a team-high 23 points. "This is the sixth-ranked team. We're probably going to see ourselves on ESPN and all that stuff, and everyone is hyping us up."
But, he said, "You're only as good as your last game."
Then the Bruins are pretty good at the moment.
UCLA can point to defense as the tipping point. Arizona shot 38%. And the rebounding — the root cause of the Oregon loss — was better. The Bruins had a 45-44 edge.
But it was the grit that mattered.
Anderson missed practice with flu Tuesday. Adams was also sick, and had to leave practice a couple of times. Things got worse when Travis Wear took an elbow to the head in the first half. He said after the game that he was hoping to play against Arizona State.
"I have to pass a couple of concussion tests," he said.
The Bruins have only eight scholarship players. They were down to six when Adams went to the locker room to hydrate.
"I had four Gatorades," Adams said. "I was so full, I thought they were all going to come back up."
UCLA looked to others.
David Wear had added minutes with his brother out. He finished with 15 points and eight rebounds.
Freshman Tony Parker played 10 minutes, the most in a month. He had six points, two on a spin move and fall-away jumper where he was fouled and made the free throw for a 63-55 lead with six minutes left.
"I thought he was more aggressive tonight," Howland said.
So was Muhammad.
The freshman guard had talked this week about "taking it upon myself to win this game." Howland said he "didn't win it by himself." He did, though, come close.
Muhammad made eight of 16 shots, and was blistering from the start.
Said Howland: "The one thing you notice about Shabazz, that you see in very few players, when the lights are on and the cameras are on, his game raises. It always gets better."
chris.foster@latimes.com
twitter.com/cfosterlatimes
UCLA 84, ARIZONA 73: UCLA takes a frosh approach
Bruins' Shabazz Muhammad, Jordan
Adams and Kyle Anderson combine for 46 points, 20 rebounds in upset
victory
Posted: 01/24/2013 10:08:06 PM PST
Updated: 01/24/2013 11:37:45 PM
PST
TUCSON, Ariz. - A once-huge lead down to a few points, Shabazz Muhammad popped in a 3-pointer on the wing, then turned a steal into a pair of free throws that gave UCLA a nice cushion.
The big stage and bright lights, that's right where the Bruins' talented freshman guard feels right at home.
Keying a huge early run and hitting big shots down the stretch, Muhammad scored 23 points and lifted UCLA to a signature road win, 84-73 over No. 6 Arizona on Thursday night.
"When the lights are on and the cameras are on, he really comes to life," UCLA coach Ben Howland said.
The rest of the Bruins weren't bad, either.
Coming off a disappointing loss to Oregon, UCLA (16-4, 6-1 Pac-12) tried to turn Arizona's whiteout into a blowout, racing to a 16-point lead in the game's first seven minutes.
Even when Arizona chipped away at the lead, bringing the all-in-white crowd at the McKale Center to life, the Bruins kept their composure in one of the toughest places to play in college basketball.
Larry Drew II played a steady game at the point, dishing out nine assists while turning it over twice. David Wear helped make up for the loss of his twin brother to a head injury in the second half, scoring 15 points with eight rebounds.
Kyle Anderson shook off the effects of a flu that caused him to miss a day of practice this week, grabbing 12 rebounds to go with eight points. Jordan Adams, another player who missed practice due to illness, scored 15 points after fighting through cramps against Arizona.
"It was hard, but we stayed with it," Adams said.
Arizona (16-2, 4-2) has had a knack for pulling out comeback victories this season.
Not this time.
After a miserable start at both ends against UCLA, the Wildcats never fully recovered, pulling no closer than four points after digging a huge opening hole.
Nick Johnson scored 23 points for the Wildcats, who went 5 for 24 from 3-point range and struggled to slow the Bruins.
"We got down early," Hill said. "When you get down like that, it's hard to fight back. UCLA is a great team and we couldn't contain them."
Heading in, this was one of the most anticipated games of the Pac-12 season, two of the conference's most talented teams that score in bunches and have some of the best freshmen anywhere.
Arizona's freshmen big men - Kaleb Tarczewski, Brandon Ashley and Grant Jerrett - have been solid in their first season in the desert, though they have been able to fall back on Arizona's veterans when things have gotten tight.
After opening with 14 straight wins, the Wildcats' luck in pulling out tight games ran out with a 70-66 road loss to Oregon on Jan. 10. They responded with a pair of impressive wins, beating Oregon State and Arizona State both by double digits.
UCLA had some rough patches early in the season, losing to Cal Poly and needing overtime to beat UC Irvine, along with Tyler Lamb and Joshua Smith transferring from the program.
FINAL: UCLA 84, Arizona 73
McKale Center hosted a free-throw party in the final minutes, but UCLA held on at Arizona for a thrilling 84-73 win — easily the Bruins biggest of the season. The path to the Pac-12 title still requires an Oregon loss, but UCLA rebounded impressively from a humbling home loss to Oregon.
A telling quote from Travis Wear earlier this week: “We’ve done a good job going into games where we put a lot of pressure on ourselves — when we really know it’s going to be a big game. I think the last time we did that was Missouri. Going into that game, we viewed that as a ‘must-win’ and we did well.”
The Bruins led by as much as 14 seven minutes into the second half, but they’ve allowed teams to come back (see: Utah, Colorado). This time, in the face of the loudest crowd they’ve seen yet, they withstood a 10-0 run that cut the lead to 55-51 at 11:12.
Shabazz Muhammad, who scored a game-high 23 points, was responsible for a key five point swing with under six minutes to go, following up a 3-pointer with a steal and two free throws. That stretched the UCLA lead to 68-58. The Bruins then scored 10 of their final 14 points at the charity stripe to seal the game.
A telling quote from Travis Wear earlier this week: “We’ve done a good job going into games where we put a lot of pressure on ourselves — when we really know it’s going to be a big game. I think the last time we did that was Missouri. Going into that game, we viewed that as a ‘must-win’ and we did well.”
The Bruins led by as much as 14 seven minutes into the second half, but they’ve allowed teams to come back (see: Utah, Colorado). This time, in the face of the loudest crowd they’ve seen yet, they withstood a 10-0 run that cut the lead to 55-51 at 11:12.
Shabazz Muhammad, who scored a game-high 23 points, was responsible for a key five point swing with under six minutes to go, following up a 3-pointer with a steal and two free throws. That stretched the UCLA lead to 68-58. The Bruins then scored 10 of their final 14 points at the charity stripe to seal the game.
Resilient Bruins once again rise to occasion
By Peter Yoon
ESPNLosAngeles.com
January, 24, 2013
11:07 PM PT
TUCSON, Ariz. -- Every time you get ready to write off UCLA's season, the Bruins do something like this.
UCLA shocked No. 6 Arizona, 84-73, Thursday night at the McKale Center, turning in a dominant effort against a Wildcats team that had not lost on its home court in nearly a year.
UCLA shocked No. 6 Arizona, 84-73, Thursday night at the McKale Center, turning in a dominant effort against a Wildcats team that had not lost on its home court in nearly a year.
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| Shabazz Muhammad scored 23 points to lead UCLA's huge road victory at No. 6 Arizona (Casey Sapio/USA TODAY Sports). |
But this was only the latest in a growing pile of evidence that this UCLA team has resolve, resiliency and tenacity to do just that. It's a team that is at its best when it's being doubted. These Bruins seem to have the fortitude to hear people say they can't do something, then prove them wrong.
This win at Arizona was just that kind of win. It was UCLA's first win in Tucson since 2008 and the first road win by the Bruins over a ranked team since 2007-08. It was a win over a respectable team that had defeated Miami, Florida and San Diego State this season and was among the top five in the RPI.
It came just five days after a home loss to the Ducks that seemingly exposed UCLA as a work in progress and cast doubt upon the ceiling of a team that was projected to do big things this season after signing the nation's No. 1 recruiting class.
"I just think this team has a lot of fire," said point guard Larry Drew II, who had nine assists against the Wildcats. "A lot of energy, a lot of young energy and a lot of guys who want to come out and prove something to everybody."
And that's when UCLA is at its best: when it has something to prove.
First, the Bruins were dismissed when star freshman Shabazz Muhammad was declared ineligible to start the season, but the Bruins went out and won their first three games without him.
A loss to Georgetown in Muhammad's debut raised questions about chemistry and Muhammad's fitness, and those were furthered by an embarrassing defeat to Cal Poly San Luis Obispo right after Thanksgiving.
This team wasn't getting better, according to the word on the street, and coach Ben Howland was about to be shown the door. Two weeks later, UCLA began a 10-game win streak. During that streak, the critics said UCLA needed to prove it on the road, so the Bruins went to Utah and Colorado in their first road swing of the season and swept the mountain trip.
This time, UCLA was supposed to crumble after the loss to Oregon, especially with the tough trip to Arizona coming up, but to see UCLA once again bounce back after being written off as also-rans should come as little surprise. That's the modus operandi of this team.
"We realize we've lost some tough games but at the same time we never give up," David Wear said. "When we lose a game, that makes us mad. We come back and have a great week of practice and it builds into the next game so it's huge for us."
The key now, is to maintain a high level of play from week to week. The Bruins showed Thursday they can play with some of the best in the country, but have yet to show they can do it on a consistent basis.
Some of it is youth and learning that any team can win any game at this level. It shouldn't take adversity to bring out the best in the Bruins if they want to do anything noteworthy in March, and they know it. The key to finding that consistency?
"Not get complacent," freshman Jordan Adams said. "We should play every team like they are a top-ranked opponent and have a high RPI and don't let up on anyone. It's hard to do because you play down to the level of competition, but yeah, we want to step it up."
The good news is that the team has the drive to do that. Muhammad is a prime example. He has been criticized at times this season for his defense and rebounding and has shown the tireless work ethic to shore up those areas. Getting over the inconsistency hump is a mere formality, he said.
"That just comes with effort," Muhammad said. "Coach Howland is always pushing us and especially pushing me. I say it's effort. We do seem to play better with our backs against the wall, but we're getting to where we can play at this level all the time."
It's probably best not to doubt him on that point. Or maybe, for UCLA's sake, it's best that we do.
The quick nitty-gritty on UCLA's impressive 84-73 win at No. 6 Arizona on Thursday night:
Overview: Arizona fans showed up in uniform, decked to the highest rafters in white shirts, ready to cheer their revived, No. 6-ranked Wildcats to an expected home win over the hated UCLA Bruins.
It would not be that easy.
That crowd was silenced early and emphatically; UCLA began the game hot, Arizona started 1-of-10, and by the time Sean Miller called at timeout at the 14-minute mark the Bruins led 17-3. UCLA couldn't have asked for a better start, but it kept up its torrid pace throughout, outrunning and outgunning an Arizona team that could never quite find its rhythm.
The Wildcats made a totally expected push in the second half, but they never got all the way back, never got things close enough to let that crowd put UCLA in a grinder. Instead, the Bruins -- so circumspect in November -- coolly killed the game. By the final two minutes, as UCLA freshman Kyle Anderson set up David Wear for a fast break dunk, the Bruins had what play-by-play genius Bill Walton called the Bruins' "first meaningful road win in five years."
Key player: Shabazz Muhammad. For as good as freshman Jordan Adams has played this season, and for as much as the Wears have improved, and as impressive as Larry Drew has been, the key figure driving this genuinely good UCLA offense is Muhammad. Muhammad has been scoring both at volume and with efficiency, using his unique blend of outside touch, ballhandling and explosion, and things were no different Thursday night. Muhammad helped set the tone early, and finished with 23 points on 16 shots and 5-of-8 from the free throw line. In early January, we made the argument that if he hadn't already, Muhammad could play himself onto Wooden Award watch list contention; he is worthy of that distinction by now.
Key stat: Arizona shot just 5-of-24 from 3, and 38.4 percent overall. Shooting poorly is one thing, but shooting poorly at home, on a night when you can't get stops against a talented offense -- that's not a winning formula.
Also, Mark Lyons, the Wildcats' ostensible point guard, finished his 33-minute performance with zero assists. Yep: zero.
And in general, Arizona entered Thursday night allowing the fifth-most points per possession in Pac-12 play (.98). They allowed well more than a point per trip to the Bruins. Simply put: To be a real national title contender, the Wildcats have to defend better.
And speaking of which: After playing horrible defense for much of the season, the Bruins are now playing some of the best defensive basketball in their conference. If they can be merely average, with Muhammad & Co. scoring at will? Look out.
What's next: The Bruins, who moved into sole possession of second place in the Pac-12 -- and perhaps more importantly, made it clear they can be more than the sum of their talented parts -- will finish the second half of their trip to Arizona with a game at better-than-you-think Arizona State on Saturday. The Wildcats, meanwhile, can lick their wounds at home against USC, which, while improving, should be a relatively easy out.
Overview: Arizona fans showed up in uniform, decked to the highest rafters in white shirts, ready to cheer their revived, No. 6-ranked Wildcats to an expected home win over the hated UCLA Bruins.
It would not be that easy.
That crowd was silenced early and emphatically; UCLA began the game hot, Arizona started 1-of-10, and by the time Sean Miller called at timeout at the 14-minute mark the Bruins led 17-3. UCLA couldn't have asked for a better start, but it kept up its torrid pace throughout, outrunning and outgunning an Arizona team that could never quite find its rhythm.The Wildcats made a totally expected push in the second half, but they never got all the way back, never got things close enough to let that crowd put UCLA in a grinder. Instead, the Bruins -- so circumspect in November -- coolly killed the game. By the final two minutes, as UCLA freshman Kyle Anderson set up David Wear for a fast break dunk, the Bruins had what play-by-play genius Bill Walton called the Bruins' "first meaningful road win in five years."
Key player: Shabazz Muhammad. For as good as freshman Jordan Adams has played this season, and for as much as the Wears have improved, and as impressive as Larry Drew has been, the key figure driving this genuinely good UCLA offense is Muhammad. Muhammad has been scoring both at volume and with efficiency, using his unique blend of outside touch, ballhandling and explosion, and things were no different Thursday night. Muhammad helped set the tone early, and finished with 23 points on 16 shots and 5-of-8 from the free throw line. In early January, we made the argument that if he hadn't already, Muhammad could play himself onto Wooden Award watch list contention; he is worthy of that distinction by now.
Key stat: Arizona shot just 5-of-24 from 3, and 38.4 percent overall. Shooting poorly is one thing, but shooting poorly at home, on a night when you can't get stops against a talented offense -- that's not a winning formula.
Also, Mark Lyons, the Wildcats' ostensible point guard, finished his 33-minute performance with zero assists. Yep: zero.
And in general, Arizona entered Thursday night allowing the fifth-most points per possession in Pac-12 play (.98). They allowed well more than a point per trip to the Bruins. Simply put: To be a real national title contender, the Wildcats have to defend better.
And speaking of which: After playing horrible defense for much of the season, the Bruins are now playing some of the best defensive basketball in their conference. If they can be merely average, with Muhammad & Co. scoring at will? Look out.
What's next: The Bruins, who moved into sole possession of second place in the Pac-12 -- and perhaps more importantly, made it clear they can be more than the sum of their talented parts -- will finish the second half of their trip to Arizona with a game at better-than-you-think Arizona State on Saturday. The Wildcats, meanwhile, can lick their wounds at home against USC, which, while improving, should be a relatively easy out.
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