When: Saturday, 6 p.m. PT
Where: Pauley Pavilion
TV: ESPN
Radio: AM 570
Scouting the Bruins: After a short slump, UCLA is beginning to round back into form with three consecutive victories and five in its past six games. The three-game win streak is the first for the Bruins since their 10-game win streak ended Jan. 19, and the Bruins are averaging 80.7 points during their current three-game run. They dominated USC on Sunday and are coming off a hard-fought overtime victory over Arizona State on Wednesday, when freshmen Jordan Adams, Kyle Anderson and Shabazz Muhammad combined for 64 points and 28 rebounds. Adams has been scorching hot of late, averaging a team-high 19.3 points and shooting 56.3 percent over the past four games. Anderson is averaging 14 points and 11 rebounds over the past four games. Muhammad leads the team with 18.3 points per game for the season, and he's leading the Pac-12 in 3-point shooting percentage (44.9 percent). He made 3-of-4 from beyond the arc Wednesday against Arizona State, but also rolled his ankle during the first half and needed treatment on it after the game. He had 15 points on 6-of-9 shooting in the first half of that game, but only six points on 2-of-5 shooting in the second half and overtime. Still, he said he would be fine for Saturday's game. Forward Travis Wear is still day-to-day because of a sprained foot and will be a game-time decision. Wear is averaging 11.6 points and 5.1 rebounds for the season.Scouting the Wildcats: Arizona is clinging to its Pac-12 title hopes after losing at USC on Wednesday to fall to 3-3 in its past six games. The Wildcats had won five of six before the current slide and have some of the best nonconference wins of any team in the Pac-12 (Florida, Miami), and have been ranked No. 12 or higher all season. Mark Lyons (15.2 points) Solomon Hill (13.9 points, 5.3 rebounds) and Nick Johnson (11.4 points) are the main threats, but the Wildcats have plenty of weapons and have four players averaging five rebounds or more for the season. Johnson had a season-high 23 points when Arizona and UCLA met last month in Tucson, but has averaged only 8.1 points per game since. Senior Kevin Parrom comes in as the hottest shooter on the team having averaged 17.5 points on 12-of-16 shooting over the past two games, including 8-of-12 from 3-point range. The Wildcats average 73.6 points, second only to UCLA in the Pac-12, and are second in theconference in rebounding margin at +6.1. Arizona also leads the conference in 3-pointers made with 211. Lyons (53) and Hill (47) lead the way from beyond the arc, with the 6-7 Hill presenting a difficult matchup because of his size and shooting range combination.
The series: UCLA leads the series, 50-37, and won the last meeting, 84-73, Jan. 24 in Tucson. The Bruins are 30-13 against Arizona at Pauley Pavilion, including a 71-49 rout the last time the teams played there in 2011. Last year's UCLA home game was at the Honda Center in Anaheim, won by the Bruins, 65-58.
Fast Fact: This is a pivotal game in the Pac-12 title race with the league's two most storied programs both still in the thick of the hunt for the championship. Fittingly, ESPN's College GameDay will be on hand for the showdown. The GameDay telecast will begin at 7 a.m. PT on ESPNU and will continue at 8 a.m. PT on ESPN. A one-hour GameDay show will air on ESPN at 5 p.m PT leading into the game.
Quick quote: "It's big time that GameDay is here and it just gives us another time to show ourselves on national television," Muhammad said. "We're really excited. They're going to give us 110 percent coming off that loss to USC. We're going to get ready for that. I'm going to relax myself and get ready for this war that we're about to be in."
Updated: March 1, 2013, 11:17 PM ET
By Peter Yoon | ESPNLosAngeles.com
LOS ANGELES -- UCLA forward Travis Wear is "probable" to play Saturday against No. 11 Arizona, and freshman Shabazz Muhammad will definitely play, coach Ben Howland said Friday.
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UCLA's vaunted freshmen will get their first taste of meaningful March basketball when the Bruins face Arizona on Saturday, writes Peter Yoon. Blog
Wear, the team's third-leading scorer, has missed the last two games because of a sprained foot suffered last Saturday duringpractice. He went through UCLA's walk-through on Friday, and Howland said he would start against the Wildcats barring any setbacks.
"Travis is probable for giving it a go tomorrow," Howland said of his 6-foot-10 post player, who is averaging 11.6 points and shooting 51.5 percent from the field.
Muhammad, UCLA's leading scorer and second in the Pac-12 with 18.3 points per game, sprained his ankle in the first half Wednesday against Arizona State. He played 18 minutes in the second half and all five minutes of the overtime period, but after scoring 15 points in the first half he had only six points on 2-of-5 shooting after halftime. Howland said the star freshman definitely would play Saturday.
"The sprain swelled up more than we anticipated," Howland said. "He was out there gingerly [in practice] but he will play."
UCLA (21-7, 11-4) plays Arizona (23-5, 11-5) in a pivotal game for both team's chances atwinning the conference title. The 6 p.m. PT game at Pauley Pavilion will be televised by ESPN, and the "College GameDay" crew will be on hand.
Bruins kick off March with Arizona showdown
March, 1, 2013
MAR 1
6:50
PM PT
By Peter Yoon | ESPNLosAngeles.com
LOS ANGELES -- It's March, so let the madness begin.
UCLA's vaunted freshmen will get their first taste of meaningful March basketball when the Bruins (21-7, 11-4 Pac-12) face No. 11 Arizona (23-5, 11-5) on Saturday at 6 p.m. PT at Pauley Pavilion in a game with Pac-12 title and NCAA tournament seeding implications.
There will be no shortage of hype, either, as ESPN's "College GameDay" crew will be on hand for the game, raising the electricity to another level in a rivalry game between the Pac-12's two most storied teams and preseason conference title favorites.
UCLA is half a game behind Oregon (23-6, 12-4) for first place in the conference and can claim at least a share of the regular-season title by winning its last three games. Arizona sits a game behind the Ducks, and will need to win out and hope Oregon stumbles during a road trip next week to Colorado and Utah.
UCLA is projected as a No. 7 seed in Joe Lunardi's most recent Bracketology and Arizona is a No. 4 seed, so both teams have room to go up or down. This nationally televised game between traditional powerhouses will go a long way in determining which way they go, so there is no doubt March is coming in like a lion.
"Every game is do or die for us from here on out," UCLA guard Larry Drew II said. "We're approaching every game like it is a must-win, and that starts with this game against Arizona."
Drew is one of the few UCLA players with experience in important games in March. The senior North Carolina transfer was a freshman on the Tar Heels' 2009 national championship team. Travis Wear and David Wear were freshmen at North Carolina when the Tar Heels played in the NIT. Sophomore Norman Powell did not play in the postseason last year, and freshmen Shabazz Muhammad, Kyle Anderson, Jordan Adams and Tony Parker are about to embark on the first March of their college careers.
"It's special, there's no question," UCLA coach Ben Howland said. "This is why kids come to UCLA, to have 'College GameDay' on campus against Arizona. It doesn't get any better than that."
Especially if the Bruins can repeat the performance they put on in an 84-73 victory over the Wildcats on Jan. 24 in Tucson. In that game, Muhammad had 23 points, Adams had 15 points and five rebounds, Anderson had 12 rebounds, and Parker had six points and three rebounds in 10 minutes.
Certainly that game was big -- as it is any time UCLA and Arizona meet on the hardwood -- but Saturday's game has implications that are magnified simply because of the time of year. The freshmen showed Wednesday they are up to the challenge of playing well late in the season when they combined for 66 points and 29 rebounds in a 79-74 victory over Arizona State, but that was February and the Sun Devils. Playing the Wildcats in March is a whole different ballgame.
"I think it's kind of self-explanatory," Howland said. "They know where we are. They understand. All these kids are from very successful high school programs and have been in big games before so they get it."
Arizona will be coming into the game hungry. The Wildcats lost to USC on Wednesday and figure to be playing with a heightened sense of urgency as they try to cling to their Pac-12 title hopes. A loss would drop them two games back in the loss column with only one game to play. Adams, second on the Bruins in scoring with 15.4 points per game, said the Bruins had better be ready.
"They're coming off a loss and they don't want to lose twice in L.A.," Adams said. "So they're going to come out fighting, and we have to match their intensity."
It's the kind of mental edge Howland said his team took into Tucson earlier this season when the Bruins were coming off a loss to Oregon -- their first conference loss of the season and a loss that ended a 10-game win streak.
"Any time a good team is coming off a loss, it kind of gives you that edge of 'I don't want to feel this pain again,'" Howland said. "That's kind of how they are coming in to this game after losing to USC. That's how we went into their game losing against Oregon. We have to understand that and know that going in to this."
The result in Tucson and Arizona's loss to USC on Wednesday notwithstanding, Arizona is not a team to be taken lightly. The Wildcats have been ranked in the top 12 all season and have a top-15 RPI. They have wins over No. 5 Miami and No. 8 Florida this season, showing they are capable of beating some of the best teams in the country.
"They are very, very good, and you know they are going to bring their A-game," Howland said. "You speak to the fact that 'College GameDay' is here and it's a big game nationally, they know that, too. They're going to bring their A-game, as are we, so it's going to be a very competitive, tough game."
As games in March should be.
UCLA's vaunted freshmen will get their first taste of meaningful March basketball when the Bruins (21-7, 11-4 Pac-12) face No. 11 Arizona (23-5, 11-5) on Saturday at 6 p.m. PT at Pauley Pavilion in a game with Pac-12 title and NCAA tournament seeding implications.
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Gary A. Vasquez/USA TODAY SportsFreshmen Jordan Adams, left, and Shabazz Muhammad will get their first taste of March college basketball when UCLA faces Arizona on Saturday.
Gary A. Vasquez/USA TODAY SportsFreshmen Jordan Adams, left, and Shabazz Muhammad will get their first taste of March college basketball when UCLA faces Arizona on Saturday.UCLA is half a game behind Oregon (23-6, 12-4) for first place in the conference and can claim at least a share of the regular-season title by winning its last three games. Arizona sits a game behind the Ducks, and will need to win out and hope Oregon stumbles during a road trip next week to Colorado and Utah.
UCLA is projected as a No. 7 seed in Joe Lunardi's most recent Bracketology and Arizona is a No. 4 seed, so both teams have room to go up or down. This nationally televised game between traditional powerhouses will go a long way in determining which way they go, so there is no doubt March is coming in like a lion.
"Every game is do or die for us from here on out," UCLA guard Larry Drew II said. "We're approaching every game like it is a must-win, and that starts with this game against Arizona."
Drew is one of the few UCLA players with experience in important games in March. The senior North Carolina transfer was a freshman on the Tar Heels' 2009 national championship team. Travis Wear and David Wear were freshmen at North Carolina when the Tar Heels played in the NIT. Sophomore Norman Powell did not play in the postseason last year, and freshmen Shabazz Muhammad, Kyle Anderson, Jordan Adams and Tony Parker are about to embark on the first March of their college careers.
"It's special, there's no question," UCLA coach Ben Howland said. "This is why kids come to UCLA, to have 'College GameDay' on campus against Arizona. It doesn't get any better than that."
Especially if the Bruins can repeat the performance they put on in an 84-73 victory over the Wildcats on Jan. 24 in Tucson. In that game, Muhammad had 23 points, Adams had 15 points and five rebounds, Anderson had 12 rebounds, and Parker had six points and three rebounds in 10 minutes.
Certainly that game was big -- as it is any time UCLA and Arizona meet on the hardwood -- but Saturday's game has implications that are magnified simply because of the time of year. The freshmen showed Wednesday they are up to the challenge of playing well late in the season when they combined for 66 points and 29 rebounds in a 79-74 victory over Arizona State, but that was February and the Sun Devils. Playing the Wildcats in March is a whole different ballgame.
"I think it's kind of self-explanatory," Howland said. "They know where we are. They understand. All these kids are from very successful high school programs and have been in big games before so they get it."
Arizona will be coming into the game hungry. The Wildcats lost to USC on Wednesday and figure to be playing with a heightened sense of urgency as they try to cling to their Pac-12 title hopes. A loss would drop them two games back in the loss column with only one game to play. Adams, second on the Bruins in scoring with 15.4 points per game, said the Bruins had better be ready.
"They're coming off a loss and they don't want to lose twice in L.A.," Adams said. "So they're going to come out fighting, and we have to match their intensity."
It's the kind of mental edge Howland said his team took into Tucson earlier this season when the Bruins were coming off a loss to Oregon -- their first conference loss of the season and a loss that ended a 10-game win streak.
"Any time a good team is coming off a loss, it kind of gives you that edge of 'I don't want to feel this pain again,'" Howland said. "That's kind of how they are coming in to this game after losing to USC. That's how we went into their game losing against Oregon. We have to understand that and know that going in to this."
The result in Tucson and Arizona's loss to USC on Wednesday notwithstanding, Arizona is not a team to be taken lightly. The Wildcats have been ranked in the top 12 all season and have a top-15 RPI. They have wins over No. 5 Miami and No. 8 Florida this season, showing they are capable of beating some of the best teams in the country.
"They are very, very good, and you know they are going to bring their A-game," Howland said. "You speak to the fact that 'College GameDay' is here and it's a big game nationally, they know that, too. They're going to bring their A-game, as are we, so it's going to be a very competitive, tough game."
As games in March should be.
UCLA-Arizona game in national spotlight
BY RYAN KARTJE / ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Published: March 1, 2013 Updated: 5:23 p.m.
LOS ANGELES – With Pac-12 title contention on the line and a chance to sweep what many consider to be the conference's best team, the bright lights of college basketball have descended upon Westwood and the UCLA Bruins.
And on Friday, just one day before UCLA's highly anticipated rematch with Arizona, the excitement in the air was undeniable. ESPN trucks flooded campus, preparing for Saturday morning's College Gameday broadcast. Tents weaved around Pauley Pavilion on Friday afternoon – a full-blown campout, complete with a swimming pool.
UCLA coach Ben Howland gestures during Wednesday's victory against Arizona State. The Bruins and Arizona play Saturday before an national audience.
REED SAXON, AP
"I think it creates more excitement," UCLA coach Ben Howland said on his Friday teleconference. "Any time you have College Gameday on your campus, it's a big deal. ... This is why kids come to UCLA: to have College Gameday on your campus against Arizona."
The bright lights are certainly what brought the Bruins' talented freshmen class to California, and in their last game, the team's trio of Shabazz Muhammad, Kyle Anderson, and Jordan Adams certainly looked the part of Hollywood's finest. They combined to score 64 of UCLA's 79 points in a 79-74, overtime victory over Arizona State.
But Saturday's game offers a chance for an even larger stage. Aside from winning the Pac-12 Tournament – or at least reaching the final game – the Bruins and their talented freshmen won't have many other chances to notably improve their NCAA Tournament stock.
UCLA is widely considered to be somewhere between a sixth and an eighth seed at the moment, and with the Pac-12's lack of respect beyond its top four or five teams, a second nationally-televised victory over a team like Arizona – which boasts victories over top teams like Florida and Miami (Fla.) – could make a massive difference.
And according to Howland, his players have fully grasped that importance.
"We control our own destiny," Howland said. "Worst case scenario, if we won our last three games, we could have a part of the Pac-12 championship. We know we control what happens to us."
Motivation certainly wasn't a question mark when UCLA faced the Wildcats in Tucson, as the Bruins jumped out to a 16-point lead in the game's first eight minutes and held Arizona off from there in its biggest victory of the season.
This time, it's the Wildcats who definitely won't be short on motivation, especially after letting USC walk all over them for 89 points on Wednesday night.
"Any time a good team is coming off a loss it gives you an edge," Howland said of Arizona. "'I don't want to feel this pain again.' ... So we have to understand and know that going in."
That edge could very likely come from Arizona point guard Mark Lyons, who struggled the last time the two teams met. He shot 6 of 17 from the floor and turned the ball over five times – to no assists – in that matchup. Against USC in Arizona's last game, Lyons shot just 1 of 9 from the field. But in complimenting his competitiveness, Howland doesn't think Lyons will have another game like that against the Bruins this time.
"I do not expect that he's going to act like that again in a game for the rest of his career," Howland said. "I just thought that it was an aberration."
INJURY UPDATE
Forward Travis Wear, who missed Wednesday's game due to a sprained ligament in his foot, took part in the Bruins' walkthrough on Friday and is expected to play against the Wildcats. UCLA coach Ben Howland officially labeled Wear as "probable." ... Bruins star freshman Shabazz Muhammad also had been nursing an injury after twisting his ankle on Wednesday night. And despite walking gingerly on the ankle at UCLA's Friday practice, Muhammad is expected to play.
Wear, who left the Bruins' last game with Arizona due to a concussion, is averaging 11.6 points and 5.4 rebounds per game this season.
Contact the writer: rkartje@ocregister.com
UCLA expects Arizona's best effort
Posted: 03/01/2013 10:29:15 PM PST
Updated: 03/01/2013 11:34:56 PM PST
ESPN College Gameday is in town, prompting students to camp out in line Friday - donning swimsuits to enjoy an 80-degree afternoon.
Tickets are already sold out, with secondary sales starting at $80.
As for the team? UCLA is still in control of its own destiny, its 6 p.m. tipoff today against No. 11 Arizona signaling a chance to move back into the Pac-12 lead.
Beat the Wildcats, and the Bruins will tie Oregon for the conference's best in-league record.
The task won't be easy, even if Arizona has struggled lately, particularly on defense. Coach Sean Miller has tinkered with his lineup, moving backup Kevin Parrom into the starting lineup and using 6-foot-7 Solomon Hill at power forward more often.
"It's a harder matchup," UCLA coach Ben Howland said. "He's really a three (small forward), but he can guard a four. You can't really take advantage of him at the other end of the floor, but it's hard for bigger guys to stay in front of him."
Howland also stressed the Wildcats, coming off an 89-78 upset loss at USC, will be eager to prove themselves again. He said that sort of motivation had helped the Bruins (21-7, 11-4) in their own win at Arizona a month ago - one that followed a nine-point home loss to Oregon.
"We gotta get ready for that," freshman Shabazz Muhammad said. "We're going to take it a game at a time, playing Arizona. They lost to SC and they're going to give us 110 percent. We're really looking forward to it."
Reinforcements may help too. UCLA forward Travis Wear is probable to play against the Wildcats (23-5, 11-5) after missing the past two games with a sprained ligament in his right foot. The 6-foot-10 junior is the team's third-leading scorer (11.6 points) and second-leading rebounder (5.4), and had sustained a concussion in his last meeting with the Wildcats.
If Wear is ready to play, Howland said he will start the game. The coach doesn't want to risk Wear having his foot tighten up should he sit too long on the bench after warm-ups.
Muhammad sprained his ankle in the first half of Wednesday night's win over Arizona State, but participated in Friday's walkthrough and will play against the Wildcats.
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