Bruins still searching after Bay Area losses

Bruins still searching after Bay Area losses

By Peter Yoon
ESPNLA.com, UCLA Report
December, 31, 2011 8:07 PM PT


BERKELEY, Calif. -- And so the search continues for the UCLA basketball team.

A team looking for consistency found little of it during a Bay Area trip that featured losses to Stanford and California. A team that opened conference play hoping to find an identity returns home still without one.

A disheartening 85-69 loss to California Saturday at Haas Pavilion completed a Bay Area lost weekend for UCLA, and the two-game trip showcased the many unanswered questions the Bruins still have. This was a litmus test of a trip for UCLA, and the Bruins proved only that they are perfectly neutral.

The Bruins (7-7, 0-2) head home at exactly .500 and without a victory over a team of any major significance. A valiant effort in a 60-59 loss to Stanford followed by a dismal defensive performance Saturday against California showed just how close the Bruins are to turning the proverbial corner while at the same time displaying just how far they have to go before they can call themselves a legitimate conference title contender.

"This is just the beginning of the Pac-12 so we can’t get down," guard Lazeric Jones said. "We still have a lot more games to go. We can’t get down about two games, we just have to bounce back with some wins. Eventually it’ll come around."

History is on UCLA's side -- sort of. The last time the Bruins started 0-2 in conference was 1987-88. They started 0-3 that season, but rallied to finish 12-6 and tied for second place. They also started conference 0-3 in 1981-82 and finished second at 14-4.

But neither of those teams made it to the NCAA tournament, which is always goal number one at UCLA. Walt Hazzard was fired for the offense after the 1987-88 season. Larry Farmer was fired after the 1983-84 season, when UCLA missed the tournament for the second time in three seasons.

It's unlikely that coach Ben Howland would meet that fate, but you have to imagine the credit he built up from three consecutive Final Four appearances will be running low if the Bruins don't get things turned around in a hurry. If UCLA doesn't make the NCAA tournament it would be the second time in three years that has happened.

"It’s tough," Howland said of the 0-2 start.

This is a team that had huge expectations entering this season, starting off ranked No. 17 in the nation and getting picked to win the Pac-12 title, but so far the Bruins have looked little like a team deserving of those accolades.

Their front court was lauded as among the most formidable in the nation with 6-10 twins David and Travis Wear boasting a front line that included a rising star at center in Joshua Smith and an all-conference forward in Reeves Nelson.

The Wear twins have proven wildly inconsistent on the offensive end and are a defensive liability. Smith has failed to live up to expectations because of conditioning issues and an inability to handle double teams in the post. Nelson was kicked off the team because of continuing behavioral issues.

So with the front court failing to live up to expectations, the backcourt has picked up some of the slack. Jones and Tyler Lamb have been the two most reliable payers, but both have been up and down as they try to do too much at times and the team has no true go-to clutch player.

And defensively, the Bruins have been brilliant at times while at others they have been downright dismal. Both of those teams showed up this weekend. Stanford shot only 34.5 percent against UCLA -- the fifth consecutive opponent that had been below 40 percent against UCLA.

But California ended that streak in emphatic fashion by shooting 65.4 against the Bruins, exploiting slow-footed UCLA's inability to stay in front of offensive players, close out on shooters and stay with players cutting toward the basket.

"Time after time after time, they scored too easily," Howland said. "Whether it was man or zone, they were scoring too easily. We were slow."

They are also insecure in who they want to be defensively. Howland prefers the tough man-to-man style that brought him so much success at UCLA, but the current team lacks the speed and athleticism to play that style on a consistent basis. It's much better suited to a zone, but Howland has alternated zone and man defenses, creating even more confusion around UCLA's identity.

"We just want to use whatever is going to work," Jones said. "Coach definitely has the right answers defensively. Sometimes we just have mental lapses. We just have to be tougher mentally."

The good news for UCLA is that there is still plenty of time to bounce back and contend for the conference race. And the other good news is that the Bruins are well-versed in the art of bouncing back. They began the season 1-4, but bounced back to 7-5 before running into Stanford and Cal.

They are down about getting swept in their conference openers, but no one has given up hope.

"I think we’ll be able to bounce back," Lamb said. "We started the season very slow and we bounced back a bit, but I mean with this team I just think it has a lot to do with how we respond. Nobody is happy in there at all so I know we’re going to go back and work on our weak spots."

The road doesn't get any easier. UCLA plays Arizona, a perennial conference title contender, Thursday at the Honda Center. Also looming is a trip to Oregon State and Oregon Jan. 19-21. The next three weeks have turned into playoff-like games for the Bruins, who will be treading on very thin ice if they lose many more games.

"I think every game from this point is a must-win game,' Lamb said. "It’s going to be very hard but it’s something that has to be done of we want to turn the season around. I’m pretty sure everybody in that locker room wants to turn the season around so we’re going to have to do whatever it takes."

They should start by finding some consistency. And an identity.

UCLA is no match for Cal in 85-69 loss

Sophomore guard Tyler Lamb led the Bruins in scoring with a career-high 26 points in UCLA’s 85-69 loss to California on Saturday. Photo: Evan Luxenberg via The Daily Bruin.


UCLA is no match for Cal in 85-69 loss


Bruins are 0-2 in conference play for the first time since 1987-88 season.

By Diane Pucin
The Los Angeles Times
5:05 PM PST, December 31, 2011


Reporting from Berkeley -- Josh Smith curled a perfect pass to David Wear, a planned play to start the second half of a Pac-12 Conference basketball game between UCLA and California on Saturday at Haas Pavilion.

Wear was unaware and ham-handed, though. A Cal guard poked at the ball and it fell out of bounds. Instead of a layup that would have given them the lead, the Bruins had a turnover and soon the Golden Bears were in the midst of a rout.

Cal beat UCLA, 85-69, and for the first time since the 1987-88 season — when Walt Hazzard was coaching his final season in Westwood — the Bruins (7-7) have started conference play with two losses.

Those Bruins lost three consecutive games to begin league play but recovered, finishing 12-6 and tied for second in the Pacific 10.

After Wear's fumble, Justin Cobbs, a sophomore guard from Los Angeles, made a three-point shot, the start of a 10-0 run that put Cal up, 50-39.

With 10 minutes left, California was up, 64-45, and for Bruins fans the only positive was Tyler Lamb scoring a career-high 26 points. Otherwise the Bruins were lifeless, on the court and on the bench.

"Cal just scored too easily," Coach Ben Howland said. "Whether it was against our man or our zone, they just scored so easily."

The Golden Bears shot 65.4% from the field and had 28 assists on 34 baskets, a sign that the Bruins couldn't disrupt Cal's rhythm. Six Golden Bears scored in double figures, led by Allen Crabbe's 20 points.

Coach Mike Montgomery said his team was comfortable all game.

"You don't have that all the time," he said. "It was fun to watch."

While Cal (12-3, 2-0 in Pac-12) was making its early second-half run, UCLA committed two turnovers, had a missed layup from Smith and a badly conceived three-point try from Lamb that resulted in a long Cal rebound and a Crabbe layup.

But it was mostly his team's defense that had Howland rubbing his tired eyes.

"They just continued to score time after time after time," he said. "We were just slow."

Lamb, among all the Bruins, seemed the most discouraged.

"Cal played good," the sophomore guard said, "but we've got to come out here and play way better than that. Way better."

As to why the Bruins defense was so bad, Lamb said he wished he knew.

"Then it would be easy to fix," he said.

To find the team already down in the conference, he said, was also hard to take.

"Coming back, it's going to be very hard but it has to be done," he said. "I'm pretty sure everybody in that locker room wants to turn the season around. From this point every game is a must-win game."

Wear, who had a career-high 17 points, said the bad defense is fixable.

"We had some breakdowns, overextended on stuff but it's like the start of the season. We just have to come together," he said.

The Bruins started the season 0-2 and were 2-5 before winning five games in a row. Now it's back to a losing streak.

"Nobody here is happy right now at all," Lamb said.

New Year's Eve plans for the Bruins?

"Everybody will be in his room asleep or watching film," Lamb said.

__________________


Men's basketball falls to Cal, 85-69

By RYAN MENEZES
The Daily Bruin in Men's Basketball Sports
Published December 31, 2011, 8:30 pm



BERKELEY — UCLA men’s basketball coach Ben Howland threw a man-to-man defense at California, a zone defense, a mix of the two and stopped just short of throwing the kitchen sink.

Nothing worked in the Golden Bears’ 85-69 blowout win Saturday at Haas Pavilion. The loss gave the preseason conference favorite Bruins (7-7, 0-2 Pac-12) their first two-loss start in conference play since the 1987-1988 season and put a damper on celebrating the new year.

“Everybody will be in their room asleep or watching film (tonight),” sophomore guard Tyler Lamb said.

UCLA was once again within one point at halftime, just as it was against Stanford two days earlier. That in itself was a small victory, as Cal (12-3, 2-0) had shot a scorching 68 percent from the field.

It was no surprise that the Bears continued their hot shooting in the second half. Five quick points forced a Howland timeout less than two minutes into the half. Coming out of the huddle, the Bruins immediately turned the ball over and the Bears rolled off five more unanswered.

“To be that close (at the half) we were fortunate,” redshirt sophomore forward David Wear said. “We knew coming out in the second half that we needed to really lock down on defense and focus. We just had some breakdowns and it was tough.”

Even tougher to figure out was omnipresent Bears guard Jorge Gutierrez.

In his only game against UCLA last season, the senior from Mexico had torn up the Bruins for 34 points at Haas Pavilion. The 6-foot-3 all-Pac-10 first-teamer from a season ago did more of the same Saturday, scoring 16 points while darting inside the paint, undaunted by UCLA’s massive front line. Gutierrez also had eight assists and two steals.

“He does what it takes to win,” said Lamb, who at times matched up with Gutierrez on both ends of the floor. “He doesn’t focus just on scoring. He’s going to go out there and play defense, get assists and steals, and he’s just an all-around team player.”

With senior guard Lazeric Jones coming off a career-high 26 points at Stanford on Thursday, Gutierrez was tabbed to stop the Bruins’ leading scorer. Jones shot just one-of-five from the field in the first half before leaving with an injured left ankle, the same one he hurt in practice early in the week.

Cal coach Mike Montgomery felt that Gutierrez neutralizing Jones was the key to the Bears’ defensive effort.

“Jorge sets the tone,” Montgomery said. “If he’s able to take the head of the snake out, it makes it difficult if they’re counting on a certain person to be a significant factor.”

Jones, who had five points on two-of-seven shooting, six assists and four turnovers, saw it a differently.

“He’s a good defender, but I didn’t want to force any shots,” Jones said. “You know when teams are scheming to stop you, and I didn’t want to force shots.”

Jones said he was comfortable deferring to the hot hand on the night, which was Lamb. Lamb had a career-night of his own, hitting his first five shots and finishing with 26 points, including five-of-seven 3-point shooting.

David Wear also set a career-high with 17 points. No other Bruin had more than eight.

UCLA kept up with Cal’s offensive firepower for a half but couldn’t sustain it for another 20 minutes. The Bears continued to hit shots, and the Bruins gave up their second-highest field-goal percentage of the season while the lead grew to as many as 24 points.

UCLA’s defense was its undoing no matter what scheme it was in, a problem that will have to be rectified before another top conference foe in Arizona comes to the Honda Center on Thursday.

“Whether it was man or zone, (the Bears) were pretty consistent,” Howland said. “They really executed and shot it well. … Our defense, it was the problem all day. (The Bears) just continued to score time after time.”

__________________


Cal sends UCLA home winless in Pac-12

BY DAMIN ESPER / Special to the OC Register
Published: Dec. 31, 2011 Updated: 10:00 p.m.


BERKELEY – UCLA guard Tyler Lamb finished his postgame media session and headed down the hall beneath the floor at Haas Pavilion. When Lamb got to the end of the hall, having gone the wrong way, teammate Lazeric Jones asked Lamb if he was trying to find his way back upstairs.

The Bruins are trying to find their way back, too. UCLA lost on Saturday to Cal, 85-69. The Bruins, preseason favorites to win the Pac-12, return home from a lost weekend in the Bay Area sporting an 0-2 record in conference play.

The Golden Bears used a 10-0 run to open the second half to blow open the game. Allen Crabbe had the dagger, fielding a long rebound and burying a long 3-pointer to make it 50-39 just 2:23 into the second half. UCLA (7-7) never recovered.

The reasons were many. Outside of Tyler Lamb and David Wear (43 points combined), the Bruins couldn't shoot. The rest of the team made just 11 of 31 shots (35 percent). Cal had a staggering 28 assists on 34 field goals. The Bears shot 65 percent (34 of 52) for the game. They had six players in double-figures.

You could tell how the day was going just by looking at the coaches. Cal coach Mike Montgomery spent most of the afternoon sitting on the bench, right leg crossed over left. UCLA coach Ben Howland was standing from the opening tip, wearing a pained expression.

"They scored too easily today," Howland said. "Whether it was man or zone, they were just scoring so easily. We were slow."

Said Lamb: "We weren't there at all defensively. I don't know (why). I wish I did know. If I knew, it would be easy to fix. We've definitely got to try to figure it out."

They have five days to figure it out. Arizona comes to the Honda Center on Thursday.

Lamb and Wear were the only bright spots. Each set a career high – Lamb with 26 points, Wear with 17.

Meantime, the Golden Bears (12-4, 2-0) had balance. Crabbe led the way with 20 points and six assists while Jorge Gutierrez added 16 points and eight assists. Justin Cobbs had 13 points and eight assists.

"I think we did a great job tonight executing," Cobbs said. "We cut off the bigs, ran our motion offense and came off picks. If they came out high, we just hit the man down low."

The defensive lapses would figure to be an aberration, given Howland's history. The 0-2 start might be something more. It's the first time UCLA is 0-2 in conference play since 1987-88. They haven't been 0-4 to start conference since 1945-46 under Wilbur Johns.

Said Lamb: "It's going to be very hard. But it's something that has to be done if we want to turn the season around. I'm pretty sure everybody in that locker room wants to turn the season around. So we're going to have to do what it takes."

__________________


UCLA BASKETBALL: Bruins leave Bay Area deflated after defeat to Cal

By Gideon Rubin Special to the Los Angeles Daily News
Posted: 12/31/2011 08:50:05 PM PST
Updated: 12/31/2011 09:21:45 PM PST


BERKELEY- A trip that started with lofty expectations and whispers of a chance at maybe even cracking the national rankings ended with a giant thud.

UCLA was riding a five-game winning streak and a consensus favorite to win the Pac-12 going into a conference opening two-game Bay Area excursion.

But talk of conference championships turned to talk of every game being a must-win after the Bruins experienced an 85-69 throttling at the hands of California on Saturday in front of 9,750 at Haas Pavilion.

The Bruins (7-7, 0-2), who were coming off a heartbreaking 60-59 loss to Stanford on Thursday, are off to their worst conference start since the 1987-88 season, when they lost their first three before going on to finish second with a 12-6 conference record.

On the positive side, Tyler Lamb scored a career-high 26 points to lead the Bruins, and David Wear added 17, also a career-high.

But Saturday's loss was UCLA's most lopsided to California since a 92-63 defeat Feb. 1, 2001, at Berkeley.

The really bad news from a UCLA standpoint was a failure to execute, especially defensively.

Cal (12-3, 2-0) shot 65.4 percent from the field.

"It's really our defense that was the problem all day," UCLA coach Ben Howland said. "They just continued to score time after time after time."

Somehow, the Bruins managed to keep it close in the early going, trailing just 40-39 going into the intermission, as they matched California's scoring despite shooting just 43.3 percent in the first half.

"The first half we played pretty well offensively to keep it to a one-point game, but when you keep letting a team score every time they have the ball, eventually you're digging a hole for yourself," Howland said.

The Bruins dug a hole they couldn't climb out of to start the second half, which the Golden Bears opened with a decisive 10-0 run.

That sequence seemed to suck the life out of a UCLA team that has shown a lot more resiliency all season, especially Thursday against Stanford.

"They made shots, they made big plays, and if you don't respond to that you can get rolled over a little bit," UCLA guard Lazeric Jones said.

Allan Crabbe, who was among six Cal players to reach double figures in scoring, led the Golden Bears with 20 points - including 12 in a second half in which the Bruins were outscored 45-30. Jorge Gutierrez added 16 points.

"They knocked down open shots and they knocked down tough shots," Lamb said.

Howland tried switching defenses in the second half, but nothing seemed to slow California.

"Whether it was man or zone, they scored so easily," he said.

Lamb shrugged his shoulders when asked if he had any answers for the Bruins' defensive woes.

"I don't know," he said. "I wish I did know because then it'd be easier to fix, but we're going to have to figure it out."

The Bruins have to figure it out quick, too.

They play Arizona and Arizona State on Thursday and Saturday at Honda Center in Anaheim without much margin for error if they have any hope of staying in the title chase.

"It's tough because we had a chance to win our first game (against Stanford) on the road and we knew this game would be tough, the second game with less preparation time, and playing them on their own floor, where they're obviously very good," Howland said. "Now we've got to bounce back."

Howland said despite some poor execution, Saturday's loss wasn't all on the Bruins.

"I think Cal's a really good team, too," he said. "They're the team I picked to win (the Pac-12) going into (conference play) and they played like it today."

Jones aggravated an ankle injury late in the first half but stayed in the rest of the way, saying he never considered sitting out the second half.

__________________


Rapid Reaction: California 85, UCLA 69

By Peter Yoon
ESPNLA.com, UCLA Report
December, 31, 2011 4:35 PM PT


BERKELEY, Calif. -- UCLA was within a point at halftime, but couldn't stay with California and lost, 85-69, Saturday at Haas Pavilion.

Overview: UCLA had major breakdowns defensively and allowed Cal to shoot 65.4 percent from the field. The Bruins shifted back and forth between man and zone, but it mattered little as Cal kept finding holes and getting wide open shots.

It was the second-highest shooting percentage against UCLA this season, behind only the 71.4 Middle Tennessee shot on Nov. 15.

And the Golden Bears didn't discriminate. They had six players score in double figures, finding scoring opportunities all over the court. Allen Crabbe led the way with 20 points, including four of seven on three-pointers, while post players Harper Kamp, David Kravish and Robert Thurman combined for 34 points -- many coming by way of the dunk.

Turning point: The Bruins trailed only 40-39 at halftime, but Cal went on a 10-0 run to start the second half and took control of the game as UCLA never got to within single digits after that.

Crabbe had a three-pointer and a fastbreak layup during that run while Justin Cobbs also had a three pointer. The Golden Bears extended the lead to as many as 24 points with 4:50 to play.

UCLA star of the game: Tyler Lamb had a career-high 26 points and tried to keep the Bruins in the game. He also did an admirable job defending all-conference guard Jorge Gutierrez when UCLA was in a man defense Gutierrez, who scored 34 against UCLA last year, had 16 points on five of 10 shooting. David Wear also had a career-high with 17 points, but the rest of the Bruins combined for 36 points on 11 of 31 shooting.

Stat of the game: California's 65.4 percent shooting marks the third time this season UCLA has allowed an opponent to shoot better than 60 percent and the fifth time a UCLA opponent shot higher than 50 percent. Of the California players who took more than two shots, only Gutierrez (five of 10) shot less than 60 percent.

"Today we didn’t get anything done defensively," coach Ben Howland said. "The first half we played pretty well offensively to keep it to a one-point game. But when you keep letting a team score almost every time they get the ball, eventually you’re digging a hole for yourself so our defense really let us down today."

What it means: The Bruins opened Pac-12 play 0-2 for the first time since 1987-88. The Bruins actually started 0-3 in conference that year, but recovered to finish 12-6 and tied for second in the conference but did not make the NCAA tournament. Coach Walt Hazzard was fired after that season.

The Bruins continue a tough opening stretch against Arizona Thursday at the Honda Center in a game the Bruins almost certainly have to win if they are going to get the season turned around and make a run at an NCAA tournament berth.


Click on boxscore to enlarge

UCLA At California For New Year's Eve Clash

UCLA At California For New Year's Eve Clash

The Bruins lead the all-time series with California 133-97 with the last two in Berkeley going to overtime.

UCLA Men's Basketball website
Dec. 30, 2011

BERKELEY, Calif. -


GAMEDAY CENTRAL
DATE: Dec. 31, 2011
SITE: Haas Pavilion (11,877)
TIP-OFF: 1:06 p.m. (PT)
TV: Fox Sports Net and Fox Sports West
TALENT: Steve Physioc (play-by-play) and Marques Johnson (analyst)
RADIO (UCLA Sports Network from IMG College): AM 1150
SIRIUS SATELLITE RADIO (California's): Channel 94
SIRIUS XM SATELLITE RADIO (California's): 190
TALENT: Isaac Lowenkron (play-by-play) and Don MacLean (analyst)
SERIES: UCLA leads 133-97
SERIES STREAK: California +1


SERIES VS. CALIFORNIA

This is the 231st meeting between UCLA and California with the Bruins leading the series 133-97 (.578). The Bruins lost a heartbreaker last year at Cal 76-72 in overtime on Feb. 20, 2011. It marked the second-straight game in Haas Pavilion that the two teams played an overtime game. UCLA won in 2010 in Berkeley when Michael Roll picked up a loose ball and sank a 13-foot jumper with 1.9 seconds left to give the Bruins a 76-75 victory. Jamal Boykin, who had given the Bears a 75-74 lead with a 15-foot jumper that banked in with 21 seconds left, tipped away a pass from the Bruins' Jerime Anderson. But Roll grabbed it and made his game-winning shot. In last year's win by California, Malcolm Lee got a friendly bounce from a three-point shot at the buzzer to send the game into overtime, tied at 60-60. Jorge Gutierrez scored nine of his game-high 34 points in overtime to lift Cal to the 76-72 victory. Lee finished with 19 points for UCLA while Tyler Honeycutt was the only other Bruin to reach double figures with 14 points. Mark Sanders-Frison was the only other Golden Bear to reach double figures in scoring with 12 for Cal. Head Coach Ben Howland is 16-7 all-time against California. He has more wins against Cal than any other team he has faced in his 18 years of coaching.


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. California 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 364-187 (.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 196-88 (.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 11 games with patellar tendinitis and is out for the game against California (Dec. 31). Senior point guard Lazeric Jones and freshman guard Norman Powell both suffered left ankle sprains in practice on Dec. 27, but both were able to play in the Pac-12 opener at Stanford on Dec. 29 and will play against California on Dec. 31.


JONES LEADING UCLA

Senior point guard Lazeric Jones has scored in double figures in eight straight games, a personal-best, while leading UCLA to a 6-2 record during that stretch after the Bruins started the season at 1-4. In the last eight games, Jones has averaged 17.4 points, 3.8 assists, 3.9 rebounds and 2.0 steals while shooting 61.0 percent (47-for-77) from the field and 58.6 percent (17-for-29) from three-point range.


JONES LEADS ALL NCAA DIVISION I GUARDS

Senior point guard Lazeric Jones leads all NCAA Division I guards in effective field goal percentage since Nov. 28 (or in his last eight games). Effective field goal percentage is field goals made, plus 0.5 of three-point field goals made, divided by the number of field goal attempts. In Jones' case, he is 47-of-77 from the field and has made 17 three-pointers. So when you add 47 and 8.5 (half of his 17 treys) divided by 77, you get his effective shooting percentage of 72.1 percent. He is just ahead of Buffalo senior guard Zach Filzen (.717), Cornell senior guard Drew Ferry (.694) and BYU junior guard Brock Zylstra (.690).

UCLA BASKETBALL: Jones, Bruins don't get final word in losing Pac-12 opener at Stanford 60-59

UCLA guard Lazeric Jones (11) drives in front of Stanford guard Aaron Bright (2). Jones scored a career-high 26 points in the loss. AP PHOTO

UCLA BASKETBALL: Jones, Bruins don't get final word in losing Pac-12 opener at Stanford

By Jill Painter Staff Writer
The Los Angeles Daily News
Posted: 12/29/2011 11:42:49 PM PST
Updated: 12/29/2011 11:53:02 PM PST






PALO ALTO - UCLA guard Lazeric Jones drained shots from all over Maples Pavilion in the Pac-12 Conference opener against Stanford to score a career-high 26 points.

Yet it was the last shot he took that troubled him so much.

Jones made a move through the lane and tried to split two defenders, but his shot was blocked by Josh Huestis with two seconds left as Stanford held on for a 60-59 victory Thursday at Maples Pavilion in the Pac-12 Conference opener.

Jones made 8 of 13 shots and 6 of 8 free throws, but he couldn't sink the potential winning shot.

"I should've passed it. I knew as soon as I did it," Jones said. "I was rushing for no reason."

There was absolutely good reason to be rushing. Stanford was ahead by one point with two seconds left.

UCLA (7-6) started as preseason favorites to win the Pac-12, but opened with a road loss.

Stanford improved to 11-2 and hosts USC - which lost to Cal at Berkeley, here Saturday. UCLA plays at Cal (11-3, 1-0) on Saturday.

Stanford's Aaron Bright scored a team-high 16 points, and the Cardinal made 13 of its 16 free throws.

Had the Bruins not turned the ball over so much in the first half (nine turnovers compared to just two in the second half), made more free throws (they missed 9 of 24) or not made an embarrassing defensive error on three consecutive possessions.

"You look at the game and see we missed nine free throws," UCLA center Joshua Smith said. " If we made three (more) of them, you're coming down the court, you're up 2 and they have to foul you."

UCLA's zone defense was broken down by the Cardinal, as it made three consecutive 3-pointers from the same spot on the baseline to build a 56-51 lead with 5:08 left. Chasson Randle made two of those and Anthony Brown sank the other.

"It was a disappointing finish," UCLA coach Ben Howland said. "We fought back hard and put ourselves in position with the ball to be able to take the open shot that we got and we just missed it. When you get in position down 1 with the ball, because we're 15 of 24 from the free-throw line, that's disappointing.

"Every one of those points helps us. That zone (defense) helps us, then they hit three in a row on the same side and we came back out of it."

Jones, who sprained his left ankle but returned to practice Wednesday, seemed to suffer no ill effects as he scored 14 first-half points, including seven in a row in the first half.

Norman Powell, who also sprained his left ankle, played against Stanford but missed all three of his shots in the first half.

Powell, Tyler Lamb and David Wear combined to shoot 0 for 10 from the field in the first half.

Lamb had three early turnovers as well, earning him an early seat on the bench.

UCLA trailed 21-12 early, but Jerime Anderson made consecutive baskets, including one off a steal, to help get the Bruins back in the game.

It was close the rest of the way, and although UCLA tied the score several times, it never took the lead.

Smith, who's failed to capitalize on his fantastic freshman season, was backing down Andrew Zimmerman in the paint, and was whistled for his third foul early in the second half. He walked right to the bench, and Bright nailed a 3-pointer from the left wing, immediately after, to give Stanford a 29-26 lead with 16:41 left in the second half.

Smith, who scored 10 points, fouled out with 1:24 left. He had a good view of the last shot that never had a chance.

"We didn't have the timeout. There was only five seconds left," Smith said. "Zeke (Jones) was our horse the whole game. He was carrying us. We wanted him to have the ball. He tried to make a play."

UCLA was the preseason favorite to win the inaugural Pac-12, but started the year in dumbfounding fashion with losses to Loyola Marymount and Middle Tennessee State and more scuffling.

After a roller-coaster ride with Reeves Nelson - the Bruins returning leading scorer - that ended with him being kicked off the team, the Bruins won five in a row until opening conference play with a loss.

This wasn't the big game on campus this time of year. Stanford's football team is in Arizona, for Andrew Luck's final game in the Fiesta Bowl, and the UCLA football team is nearby, making final preparations for the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl at AT&T Park on Saturday.

UCLA had a sizeable fan base, probably many of whom are headed to San Francisco for Saturday's bowl game.

This was a disappointing loss for the Bruins, who figured they could've easily been 1-0 in the Pac-12 if not for all the mistakes.

"We want to win. It don't matter who we play, where we playing or how," Smith said. "We just want to win. Gotta give credit to them. They outplayed us."

______________


Bruins' loss is a missed chance


UCLA (7-6, 0-1) now tries to regroup before traveling to Cal on Saturday.


BY SCOTT M. REID / THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Published: Dec. 29, 2011 Updated: 11:37 p.m.


STANFORD -- Stanford gave UCLA a series of chances to stay close in Thursday night's Pac-12 opener and ultimately an opportunity to win in the final seconds — and the Bruins wasted all of them.

Cardinal forward Josh Huestis rejected Bruins guard Lazeric Jones' shot from the top of the key with three seconds remaining to finally slam the door on UCLA and close out a 60-59 Stanford victory in front of 6,777 at Maples Pavilion.

The blocked shot was one of the few setbacks for Jones on a night he finished with a game-high 26 points and repeatedly brought the Bruins back, capitalizing on Stanford's inability to close out what could have been a blowout in the first half.

Stanford, having led since the early minutes of the first half, provided the Bruins with one final opportunity when Cardinal point guard Aaron Bright threw up a wild shot at the end of drive to give UCLA the ball with 25 seconds remaining and trailing by a point.

But UCLA guard Jerime Anderson missed a jumper from the left corner. After the teams tied up in a scramble for the loose ball, UCLA was awarded the ball by the possession arrow. A series of tentative, ragged passes finally found Jones at the top of the key where the game's final shot was barely out of his hands before Huestis sent it into the backcourt.

UCLA (7-6, 0-1) now tries to regroup before traveling to Cal on Saturday afternoon in what despite its early spot on the Pac-12 schedule is already a must-win game for a Bruins team still in search of a quality victory.

Stanford was able to jump out to an 18-7 lead midway through the first half largely because of UCLA's poor shooting. The Bruins made just 2 of their first 12 field-goal attempts and sank just 1 of 11 first half 3-point shots. UCLA sophomore center Joshua Smith finally snapped the Bruins out of the drought with a put-back of his own miss to make 18-9.

Even so, the Cardinal blew a chance to blow the game wide open. Jones outscored Stanford, 10-6, down the stretch to send the Bruins into the locker-room at halftime down only 24-23. Jones finished the half with 14 points.

The intensity UCLA displayed in a 2-3 match-up zone also was a major factor in the Bruins' turnaround. Stanford was 5 for 9 from the field against the man-to-man defense with which the Bruins opened the game.

After UCLA switched to the zone Stanford was 3 of 20 from the field.

Smith tied the score at 24-24 with a free throw in the second half's opening moments but was then benched after picking up his third personal foul with 17:03 remaining.

A pair of 3-point jumpers by Stanford guard Aaron Bright stretched the gap to 32-28.

Again Jones kept UCLA in the game, hitting a 3-point jumper that cut the Cardinal lead to 34-33, then tying the score at 40 with another 3-pointer.

But Stanford's John Gage was just as hot, responding to Jones with a long turnaround jumper and then pumping in a 3-pointer that hit the back of the rim, nearly jumped over the top of the backboard before falling through the hoop to put Stanford up, 45-42.

______________


Bruins fall in Pac-12 opener against Stanford, 60-59


Missed shots and miscues lead to a UCLA loss against the Stanford Cardinal as Pac-12 play gets under way.


By Diane Pucin
The Los Angeles Times
11:20 PM PST, December 29, 2011



It was an "almost" kind of basketball game for UCLA on Thursday night at Maples Pavilion.

The Bruins would almost get a rebound. And then a Stanford player would tip it away. The Bruins would make a steal and almost get a layup. Except the ball would rim out or get blocked. The Bruins would almost get a lead. But never in the second half.

In the Pac-12 season opener for both teams, Stanford beat UCLA, 60-59.

The Cardinal (11-2, 1-0 Pac-12) gave itself just enough of an edge by piercing UCLA's work-in-progress zone defense with three straight three-pointers and a 56-51 lead with about five minutes left.

Until then, UCLA (7-6, 0-1) had hung close because of senior Lazeric Jones, who had a game-high 26 points, mostly from jump shooting, and from the work of center Josh Smith, who had 10 points in 20 minutes. But Smith was often on the bench with foul trouble.

"This was a disappointing finish to a game where we fought back hard," UCLA Coach Ben Howland said.

There were at least a half a dozen times in the second half when UCLA had a chance to take a lead, but always there was a shot an inch short or a missed free throw or a turnover.

Still, the Bruins were within a point, 56-55, with 2:07 left. Jones, who had just missed a free throw that would have tied the score, committed a foul while trying to make a steal against Aaron Bright. Bright made both foul shots, and the constantly uphill climb for UCLA ended.

UCLA's last stand came when it forced a Stanford miss with about 25 seconds left. Anderson missed a 12-footer, but on a tied-up rebound UCLA got the ball back. With four seconds left, Jones had a five-foot shot in the lane blocked by Stanford's Josh Owens.

Jones said he should have passed the ball.

"I made a mistake," he said. "I wasn't open."

At halftime the Bruins trailed by a point, which seemed unlikely when they were down by as many as 11 and were outrebounded 24-18 and allowed the Cardinal 10 offensive rebounds.

But Jones had a spurt of scoring seven straight points including a baseline jumper that cut Stanford's lead to 24-23 with 2:18 left in the first half. No one scored again, though Jones, who had 14 points in the first 20 minutes, had a chance to put the Bruins ahead when he tried to convert a steal into a layup. Jones missed, and it appeared that he'd been fouled Jones unsuccessfully begged for the call.

Two disappointing statistics for UCLA — nine missed free throws (15-of-24) and 12 offensive rebounds allowed to Stanford.

Smith shook his head at the mention of the missed free throws. "We missed nine," he said. "We lost by one. If we make three more of them, we're holding the ball at the end with a lead and waiting to be fouled."

_____________


Five observations: Stanford 60, UCLA 59

By Peter Yoon
ESPNLA.com, UCLA Report
December, 30, 2011 12:08 AM PT


PALO ALTO, Calif -- Opportunity kept on knocking at UCLA's door, but the Bruins never answered as they fell to Stanford, 60-59, Thursday night in a Pac-12 Conference opener at Maples Pavilion.

Lazeric Jones had a shot to win the game as time wound down, but Stanford's Josh Huestis blocked his eight-footer from just inside the free-throw line to preserve the victory for the Cardinal.

UCLA fell behind early, 18-7, but rallied several times though the Bruins couldn't take the lead and leave Palo Alto shaking their heads about missing out on a golden opportunity to get off to a good start in conference play.

"I’m happy the way we competed and found a way to give ourselves a chance to win," coach Ben Howland said. "But we’re never happy or pleased when we end up on the wrong side."


Five observations from the game:

1) The Bruins simply couldn't get over the hump

The Bruins fell behind early, trailing 18-7 with 9:48 left in the first half, but rallied back to tie the score seven times. They never regained the lead, however, after jumping out to a quick 5-0 edge.

The Bruins had possession 10 times with a chance to re-take the lead, eight in the second half, but never got over the hump. Twice in the final 11 seconds, the Bruins had shots to go ahead, but Jerime Anderson missed an open 3-pointer and then Jones couldn't get off his shot.

"I give our team credit for battling and hanging in there on the road against a good team on their floor," Howland said. "We just missed a shot. We make that shot we have a good chance.


2) The Bruins gave it away at the free-throw line

UCLA made 15 of 24 free throws (62.5 percent), which amount to nine misses in a one-point loss. Joshua Smith was 2-for-5, and Jones and Tyler Lamb missed two each.

"We’re just rushing," Smith said. "When you lose a game by one and you look at nine missed free throws, if we made just three of those it's a different game at the end."

Lamb and Smith each missed free throws that would have given UCLA the lead in the second half. Jones missed one that would have tied the score with 2:12 to play.

"Lack of focus," Lamb said. "I practice my free throws every day. I just have to walk to the line and knock those down."


3) Lazeric Jones nearly carried the team to victory

Jones spurred a sputtering offense by taking control and scoring a career-high 26 points, but it's the two he didn't score at the end that will haunt him.

Jones made 8 of 13 shots and the rest of the team made just 12 of 38. Jones made 4 of 6 3-point shots and the rest of the team was 0-for-9 from long range. UCLA missed 10 of its first 12 shots, then Jones took over, scoring nine points during an 11-6 run to end the second half and get UCLA back in the game.

He made a 3-pointer to tie the score at 40-40 midway through the second half and another to get the Bruins to within a point at 47-46 with 7:33 to play. But it was the last shot that Jones couldn't wipe from his mind.

"I knew as soon as I did it I should have passed it," Jones said. "I knew there were two people on me. Just rushing for no reason."


4) The zone defense looked good again

UCLA began the game in a man-to-man defense, but Stanford made five of its first nine shots and Howland switched to a zone. The Bruins held Stanford to four of its next 26 from the floor. UCLA trailed, 13-6, at the time of the switch.

Late in the second half, Stanford began finding holes in the zone and made four consecutive 3-point shots and Howland then switch back to man with 4:36 to play.

"The zone really helped us get back into the game," Howland said.


5) UCLA's post players struggled around the basket

Smith and David Wear often looked as if they had butter fingers when they got the ball down low. Wear finished the game 1-for-8 from the field and Smith was 2-for-6 before hitting two late buckets -- both of which looked like prayers he tossed up and got lucky on.

It continued a season-long trend for the Bruins' post players, who can't seem to make aggressive moves to the basket, instead more often going for soft layups. David Wear did not attempt a free throw. Travis Wear, the other post player, only got off one shot Thursday.

The Wear twins combined for seven points.

"We’ve got to get more offensive production out of those two," Howland said. "David he thinks too much at times where he gets wound up to where he’s maybe going too fast. He needs to slow down on offense."

David Wear acknowledged that he was a little jittery playing in his first conference game and first true road game in a year and a half.

"I just played a little tight," he said. "Conference is starting, the gyms are crowded, it’s like a whole new season. The level of competition picks up, the teams are much more prepared. It’s definitely a step up."


Click on boxscore to enlarge

UCLA Opens Pac-12 Play At Stanford

UCLA Opens Pac-12 Play At Stanford

UCLA leads the all-time series with Stanford 135-90 and has won the last three meetings.

The Official UCLA Men's Basketball website
Dec. 28, 2011

LOS ANGELES -

GAMEDAY CENTRAL

DATE: Dec. 29, 2011
SITE: Maples Pavilion (7,329)
TIP-OFF: 8:07 p.m. (PT)
TV: Fox Sports Net and Prime Ticket
TALENT: Steve Physioc (play-by-play) and Marques Johnson (analyst)
RADIO (UCLA Sports Network from IMG College): AM 570 KLAC
SIRIUS SATELLITE RADIO: Channel 91
SIRIUS XM SATELLITE RADIO: 91
TALENT: Chris Roberts (play-by-play) and Don MacLean (analyst)
SERIES: UCLA leads 135-90
SERIES STREAK: UCLA +3


SERIES VS. STANFORD

This is the 226th meeting between UCLA and Stanford with the Bruins leading the series 135-90 (.600). UCLA has won nine of the last 11 meetings, including posting a 69-65 victory over Stanford in Maples Pavilion last season (Feb. 17). Last year, the Bruins never trailed in the contest in Maples Pavilion and led by as many as 16 points (57-41 with 7:26 left) before Stanford closed out the game on a 24-12 run. Jeremy Green scored a game-high 27 points for the Cardinal while Reeves Nelson led UCLA with 18 points and seven rebounds. UCLA swept Stanford last year with a 68-57 victory in Pauley Pavilion on Jan. 22, 2011. UCLA Head Coach Ben Howland is 11-6 against Stanford and 4-4 against the Cardinal on the road.


UCLA IN PAC-12 OPENERS

UCLA is 23-10 (.697) in Pac-12 Conference openers (since 1978-79). The Bruins are 7-9 (.438) when opening league play on the road (since 1978-79). UCLA is 29-4 (.879) all-time in Pac-12 home openers. This is the fourth time (2-1) the Bruins have opened Pac-12 play with Stanford and the third time they have done so at Stanford (1-1). The Last time was a 76-67 win on Jan. 3, 2008.


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. Stanford is unranked in both polls, but sits at #30 with 11 votes in the Coaches Poll and at #32 with 10 votes in the AP Poll.


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 364-186 (.662), 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 196-87 (.693) 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 10 games with patellar tendinitis and is out for the game against Stanford (Dec. 29). Senior point guard Lazeric Jones and freshman guard Norman Powell both suffered left ankle sprains yesterday (Dec. 27) in practice. However, both guards returned to practice on Dec. 28 and will play in the Pac-12 opener at Stanford on Dec. 29.


JONES LEADING UCLA

Senior point guard Lazeric Jones has scored in double figures in seven straight games, a personal-best, while leading UCLA to a 6-1 record during that stretch after the Bruins started the season at 1-4. In the last seven games, Jones has averaged 16.1 points, 4.0 assists, 3.7 rebounds and 2.1 steals while shooting 60.9 percent (39-for-64) from the field and 56.5 percent (13-for-23) from three-point range.


SEVEN BRUINS AVERAGED DOUBLE FIGURES LAST WEEK

UCLA extended its win streak to five games with an 89-60 win over UC Irvine (Dec. 20) and a 71-63 win over Richmond (Dec. 23) last week. Jones led an incredibly balanced scoring attack for UCLA on the week as seven different Bruins averaged double figures with Jones averaging a team-high 13.5 points per game. David Wear averaged 12.0 points and Joshua Smith averaged 11. 5 points per game while Norman Powell and Jerime Anderson both averaged 10.5 points per game. Travis Wear and Tyler Lamb each scored 10 points per game last week.

UCLA BASKETBALL: Even at 7-5, Bruins might be class of league

UCLA BASKETBALL: Even at 7-5, Bruins might be class of league


By Jon Gold Staff Writer
The Los Angeles Daily News
Posted: 12/27/2011 10:39:39 PM PST
Updated: 12/28/2011 12:51:31 AM PST



A college basketball team does not exist within a vacuum, or else UCLA's 7-5 start would look a whole lot worse.

Embarrassing losses to Loyola Marymount and Middle Tennessee State, followed by more forgivable defeats to No. 14 Kansas, No. 15 Michigan and Texas, were thought to have relegated the Bruins to also-ran status and turned the shiny expectations of a preseason Top 25 ranking into lumps of coal.

But then the rest of the Pacific-12 Conference started losing ... and losing ... and losing, and now that once-insurmountable ditch UCLA once found itself in appears to be a blip.

The Bruins have won five consecutive games heading into Thursday's Pac-12 opener against Stanford, which is tied for the conference's best record at 10-2 albeit against a weak nonconference schedule. The Bruins look at the conference as ripe for the picking.

"We can definitely make a push," said junior point guard Lazeric Jones, who leads the team in scoring at 13.2 points per game. "We have to stick to our principles. I preach that a lot.

"Listening to coach - he knows exactly what he's talking about - going out there defensively and doing what we have to do. We have a lot of offensive firepower, so it's about going out there and focusing defensively."

With more moving parts than a Rolex, that has been easier said than done for UCLA.

The Bruins rank 10th in the conference in field-goal defense (42 percent) and 11th against the 3-pointer (39 percent), although the team tries to make up for it with a league-leading 5.42 blocks per game and a third-best 7.50 steals per game.

The Bruins said they are just now starting to get a feel for each other on the court, and it has shown in recent weeks. Although the competition has been as stiff as Jello, UCLA has won its past four games by a margin of 302-209, and the defense appears to be coming together, particularly when coach Ben Howland allows the Bruins to play zone.

It's also been in the little things, like the extra-help defense caused by better court awareness, the unselfishness brought about by a winning streak and the unspoken communication that's beginning to form.

"We have a lot of new pieces, so it was definitely a comfort factor trying to get worked out," sophomore forward David Wear said. "We had some defensive breakdowns - we really weren't used to playing with each other at that level - but as the season has gone forward we're realizing where we fit in, what we have to do defensively."

The improved defense has helped make up for an offense that is playing without its returning leading scorer in the recently dismissed Reeves Nelson and without the expected progression of sophomore Joshua Smith, who is averaging just 17.8 minutes and 9.6 points while battling weight issues.

With a lack of star power in the conference - the Pac-12 has only three players averaging more than 16 points per game and none above 17 - the Bruins are hoping their offensive balance can help them continue their recent run.

UCLA has six players on the cusp of double figures, thanks to big wins in recent weeks.

"I liked how we were playing going into this weekend over the last couple weeks," Howland said. "Since we got out of finals, I think we made some really big progress as a team."

That just happened to coincide with Nelson's departure, and aside from the awkward questions that still persist the team appears to have moved on quite well.

And with the Pac-12 abundantly winnable, Howland hopes the early bumps and bruises the team suffered to their bodies and chemistry will have paid off.

"Adversity always makes you better, when you handle it the right way," Howland said. "This team has had its fair share of adversity this year, and I think that's one of the things that's most pleasing is how we've improved."

Pac-12 preview: Bruins rebounding

Pac-12 preview: Bruins rebounding


ESPNLA.com, UCLA Report
December, 28, 2011 4:43 PM PT


Playing home games away from Pauley Pavilion might actually have helped bring the Bruins closer together.


LOS ANGELES -- This season was never going to be easy for the UCLA Bruins basketball team, but it wasn’t supposed to be this hard, either.

Playing a season of games away from campus as Pauley Pavilion received a makeover put an instant hurdle in front of the Bruins even before the season began, and the bumps seemed to get bigger once the games started.

The Bruins dropped like a rock from the national rankings, booted their top returning player off the team and struggled to find chemistry among an influx of new players as they became this year’s embodiment of overrated.

In the six weeks since basketball season opened, the Bruins went from NCAA tournament sleeper and Pacific 12 Conference favorites to national title non-factor and mid-major pushover.

But a funny thing happened on the way to oblivion: The Bruins began to pull out of their tailspin. The calculated gamble of dismissing Reeves Nelson from the team paid off in the form of a five-game win streak. The addition of a zone defense helped compensate for some shortcomings and UCLA has begun to show signs that it can live up to its pre-season No. 17 ranking and challenge for the Pac-12 title, as the Bruins were picked to do.

This week will tell a great deal about whether the Bruins are, indeed, a legitimate conference title contender, as they head to the Bay Area to open Pac-12 play at Stanford and California, two of the conference’s top teams through non-conference play.

But for a team that began the season with embarrassing losses to Loyola Marymount and Middle Tennessee en route to a 1-4 record, merely getting back into the conversation is a minor victory.

“I think that’s one of the things that’s most pleasing in how we’ve improved, is we’ve handled the adversity by bouncing back pretty well,” coach Ben Howland said. “We’d like to get rid of the adversity … but adversity always makes you better when you handle it the right way.”

Some say the obstacles UCLA has overcome have shaped the Bruins into a more cohesive and close-knit unit. They were relying on Nelson’s production, but have had to raise their level of play to fill that void.

They were expected to roll through much of their pre-conference schedule, but rallied around each other when that didn’t happen. They have been playing games at the Sports Arena and the Honda Center, but have grown closer as a result of spending so much time together in hotels.

“I think everything that has happened has played a vital role in how our team has shaped,” guard Tyler Lamb said. “Definitely I think our team has become a closer team. Everybody has embraced each other. Nobody is being quiet any more. When something needs to be said by a teammate, it’s being said. And nobody is taking it with a grain of salt. It’s ‘we understand where you are coming from’ and it’s on to the next play.”

The situation with Nelson was the biggest distraction the Bruins had to overcome. He led the team last season with 13.9 points and 9.1 rebounds, but was suspended after the first game of the season for behavior problems and then dismissed from the team three weeks later as the issues continued.

But UCLA also had problems on the court. Their defense was brutal early, as four of their first seven opponents shot better than 50 percent. Howland implemented a zone to better suit his team’s big but slow makeup, and four consecutive opponents have shot below 40 percent.

And the chemistry issues began to settle as new players such as David and Travis Wear, transfers from North Carolina, and freshman Norman Powell began to figure out their roles and Howland began using more guard-heavy lineups.

“Honestly, I can tell you in the last five games I think the losses kind of helped us,” center Joshua Smith said. “We’ve been in games where we’ve been down. We all know each other’s identity. We all know what we have to do to help the team win and we all come together and just said, hey, no matter what the score is, we can’t quit.”

The early-season struggles, which included double-digit losses in five of UCLA’s first seven games, mostly served as a wakeup call for a team that expected to coast to the Pac-12 title after entering the season ranked No. 17 and picked by the media to won the conference.

“I think the biggest difference would be just realizing that we could get beat by any team if we don’t come out and play well, play together and play hard,” Lamb said. “I’d say our heads were in the clouds. We had that ranking and I think we overlooked opponents and that definitely got to our heads. But the adversity that we’ve been through, I think our team has responded to it.”

As the wins have begun to pile up and UCLA has gotten to 7-5 after a 2-5 start, the confidence of the team is growing stronger. Nobody is happy with a 7-5 record at this point, but considering where the team was when December began, the Bruins have to accept where they are and look ahead.

“We’re all surprised,” Smith said. “If you would have asked me before the season if we would be 7-5 before Pac-12, I would say no, I don’t believe you.

“We had a lot of high hopes … and obviously we haven’t played up to par but right now we’re on a good road. We’re in a good groove and we’re just looking to ride this out.”

And in some ways, getting through what UCLA has been through this season might make the Bruins an even more formidable team as they sneak up on opponents who might overlook them.

“I think our team has a lot of grit,” guard Jerime Anderson said. “I think we have a lot of heart and teams really don’t give us the credit. … I think we had to get through some bumps in the road, but right now things are riding a little smoother going into Pac-12.

“I really do believe our team is ready right now. We’re ready to make a lot of noise in the Pac-12 and try to win. We’re at UCLA to win and that’s what we’re going to try to do.”