March 2008 Archives

The Modesto Bee named UCLA basketball commit Reeves Nelson its player of the year. Here is the story.

UCLA coach Rick Neuheisel said it was his understanding receiver Marcus Everett, who underwent ankle surgery at the end of the season, would be 100 percent for spring practice.

Aside from the 58 points UCLA allowed in the second half of the Western Kentucky win, the Bruins' defense has been stellar during the NCAA Tournament, culminating with the 56-point performance by Xavier in Saturday's regional final.
"We're peaking at the right time,'' UCLA point guard Darren Collison said. "This is right where we want to be defensive-wise. Coach (Ben) Howland has done a good job of stressing it to us about our defense all season, and that's something we're going to be targeting these next two games."

Narbonne defensive back/receiver Byrone Moore, who is being recruited hard by UCLA, accepted an invitation to play in January's prestigious U.S. Army all-star game.

Stanford twins Brook and Robin Lopez are both leaving school for the NBA, the Associated Press reported.

I asked UCLA coach Rick Neuheisel if he gave any consideration as to when red-shirt sophomore WR Dominique Johnson will sit his NCAA-mandated two-game penalty for getting his red-shirt season back after playing in the 2006 opener.
Johnson must sit out the first two games of one of his remaining seasons.
"I want to talk to Dominique about it,'' Neuheisel said. "Right now, I would say it's not next year, just based on what I know.''
The reason being is Neuheisel is uncertain about UCLA's depth.
"I don't know how quickly our freshmen will respond," he said, "but a year from now I have a feeling we'll be in much better shape."

UCLA guard Darren Collison and Russell Westbrook were named to the all-defensive team by collegeinsider.com.

I asked Bruins coach Rick Neuheisel if QB Patrick Cowan, who recently had knee surgery, would be available for spring practice.
"I'm waiting to hear, but I'm thinking, 'yes,' '' Neuheisel said.

I just spotted UCLA alum Eric Karros in the press box at Opening Day for the Dodgers. He was wearing Dodger blue, sort of. It was actually a UCLA polo shirt. Karros attends most basketball games at Pauley Pavilion.

Writers had a chance to meet with football coach Rick Neuheisel today, and here are a few of the more significant things:
He said developing a good tempo in spring practice "is a must," and he said the biggest area of concern is the offensive line, especially since it is a position that incoming recruits usually do not make an impact at.
Neuheisel said he was excited about UCLA's tight ends, saying "I have high, high hopes for that position."
Tight end Adam Heater was moved to center.
Tight end Ryan Moya is back in school, and looks "outstanding,'' according to Neuheisel.
Fullback Trevor Theriot is now on full scholarship.
As previously known, TB Kahlil Bell, DT Jess Ward and LB Josh Edwards will not take part in spring practice because of injuries.
TB Raymond Carter will take part only in non-padded drills.

Memphis coach John Calipari has been talking lately about the Tigers' lack of national respect, and Monday he said the way his Tigers played lately shows they are deserving being in the Final Four, where they will face UCLA.
"They way we played this weekend, we deserve to be in the Final Four,'' Calipari said. "We were really defensive-minded. We were really unselfish. We really took care of the ball, and offensively, we really executed.
"You got to see the true gist of the third and fourth drive, the back door cuts, the post-ups. Ya' know, all the stuff we do, you got a better vision of it for those that didn't know about it."

UCLA freshman center Kevin Love was named an Associated Press All-American first teamer. Bruins point guard Darren Collison was named to the third team.

Not that it is a surprise, but legendary UCLA coach John Wooden will not be at the Final Four. He did not attend either of the last two, either, and continues to recover at home after being hospitalized a month ago after falling at his condo.

Anyone go to the Dodgers-Red Sox game at the Coliseum last night? If you did, you had the opportunity to see Kareem Abdul-Jabbar on the field at the Coliseum. If that wasn't strange enough, so was his pitching. Between the first and second innings, Abdul-Jabbar one-hopped his ceremonial pitch to the left of catcher Russell Martin. Then he sky hooked a pitch to Martin, who had stepped in front of the bag before he tossed it. Fittingly, the hook-shot pitch worked much better than his real pitch.

I am looking forward to this matchup between UCLA and Memphis because I think the contrast in styles make it very interesting.
In a nutshell, I think Memphis has the edge in athletic ability, but UCLA gets a big edge in the coaching department. I know there are some similar opponents -- like Texas and Michigan State -- but I don't think comparing how UCLA and Memphis did against each one matters much, especially since the Bruins played both of them in the first month of the season and Memphis played them in the last three days.
Anyway, what are everyone's thoughts on the matchup?

UCLA vs. Memphis is the first game of the Final Four and will tip at 3:07 p.m. pacific.
Kansas vs. North Carolina will tip at approximatley 5:47 p.m.
Also, UCLA coach Ben Howland said power forward Luc Richard Mbah a Moute had a small amount of swelling in his left ankle today, but he should be fine.
UCLA is off today and will do cardio and weight lifting Monday before returning to the practice court Tuesday.

Before the Memphis victory over Texas, John Calipari said this is what he told his team about advancing to the Final Four.
``I kept telling them, it's our time,'' Calipari said. ``We've been here enough. It's our time.''

While UCLA has made three consecutive Final Four appearances, Memphis made the Final Four for the first time since 1985, but that appearance was wiped from the record books because of rules violations. Their previous appearance was a memorable one. Memphis - then known as Memphis State - and UCLA played for the national championship in 1973. That was the game were Bill Walton made 21 of 22 field goals and scored 44 points.

I talked to a source of mine today, and was told Bob Lopez resigned as UCLA's director of football operations because he is possibly heading to San Diego State to join the staff there. Lopez and former coach Karl Dorrell were close, but I was told new coach Rick Neuheisel wanted to keep Lopez.
The timing isn't the best for UCLA since spring practice begins Thursday, and UCLA will have a bunch of juniors on campus over the weekend, and Lopez would play an integral role in that. However, I am told he will be gone by the end of the week.

No. 1 seed UCLA will play No. 1 seed Memphis (37-1) in the NCAA Tournament semifinals. Memphis easily dispatched Texas 85-67 today. The Tigers' only loss this season was to Tennessee.

Add Xavier's Sean Miller to the long list of opposing coaches who are amazed at what Kevin Love does, but Miller's accolades came from the way Love plays defense and rebounds.
"We got one foul on Kevin Love in the first four minutes, and I got excited,'' Miller said. "I think if we would have played 200 more minutes, he would not have picked his second foul up. He doesn't foul."
Of course, Love finished with three fouls in 33 minutes. He also had 19 points, 10 rebounds and for assists.

UCLA allowed 58 points in the second half of the regional semifinal against Western Kentucky, then allowed 57 points total in beating Xavier to advance to the Final Four. The Musketeers shot 36.2 percent from the field, which is their second-worst total of the season, but it didn't surprise Bruins guard Russell Westbrook.
"We are a defensive team,'' Westbrook said. "That's what we do to start off the game. I think we did a great job of that, guarding everybody, rotating real well, getting out in transition. It was real good for us."

Xavier coach Sean Miller said he could tell UCLA is tested when it comes to Elite Eight games, and the Bruins' talent level did hurt, either.
"They really at a way about them, as if they'd been there before'' Miller said. "Very patient on ofense, don't crack easily, don't flinch. Really stick to what makes them good."
Miller lauded the play of UCLA point guard Darren Collison and center Kevin Love.
"You appreciate (Collison) a lot more when you play against him (rather) than watching him on t.v.'' Miller said. "At the end of the (shot) clock, he just is incredible. He can make a shot himself. He makes his teammates better. And he has that dagger ability. When they need it, bang, he delivers.
"And then Love, obviously, is that extra special player that maybe UCLA hasn't had in the past that could be the difference for them now because everything really starts and stops with him. He is so mobile for a big guy. It amazes me, to see him run around like he does and not foul, and plays the minutes that he plays. Very unique."

UCLA fans chanted "one more year, one more year'' to Bruins center Kevin Love, who joked the cheers could have been for any number of Bruins.
I'm just having fun now playing UCLA basketball, playing under coach (Ben) Howland with all my teammates,'' Love said. "It feels great, but we have business to take care of next week.
"I'm not even thinking about the next level right now. I'm living in the now, living in the present so we can win these games next weekend."

Here is the game story and notebook I wrote in today's paper, and a column by Steve Dilbeck. Also, here is what UCLA coach Ben Howland said when asked if the season would be a disappointment if the Bruins did not win the national title.
"That would be very arrogant for me to ever suggest that if you go to a Final Four and don't win it all, that it's a failure,'' he said. "I don't buy that for a minute. This is a very difficult thing to do. I know it's seemingly common place because it's three times in a row.''

UCLA coach Ben Howland said the experience of losing to Florida the last two years in the Final Four should help the Bruins.
"The guys that returned from the previous couple of years have had that tough loss against Florida both times, and it was obviously very disappointing,'' Howland said. "We were beat by a great team both years. Florida was just special.
"I think that the experience that the guys have played in those two (games) have gained, along with Russell (Westbrook) and James (Keefe), really helps this team."

Bob Lopez, UCLA’s director of football operations the last five years under former coach Karl Dorrell, resigned and is expected to take a job at another school.

In the locker room, UCLA players were talking about losing in the Final Four the last two seasons, and how they weren't going there this time to come home without a title.
"It definitely left a sour taste in our mouth,'' UCLA wing Josh Shipp said. "We definitely have unfinished business. It would be great if we can accomplish this goal."

UCLA freshman Kevin Love was named the West Region's Most Outstanding Player after scoring 19 points and grabbing 10 rebounds.
Bruins guards Daren Collison and Russell Westbrook were named to the All-Region team, as were WKU guard Tyrone Brazelton and Xavier forward Josh Duncan.

The Bruins are in the Final Four for the third consecutive season. So much for this matchup. UCLA beat Xavier 76-57. UCLA will play the winner of tomorrow's Memphis-Texas game. Kevin Love had another incredible game with 19 points and 10 rebounds and Darren Collison had 19 points.

UCLA starters have scored all 51 of the team's points. UCLA leads 51-35 with 10:45 left.

UCLA is on a 9-0 run. Russell Westbrook made a steal and the enusing layup and was fouled. But Kevin Love got the offensive rebound and as he was blanketed, he threw a pass to an open Darren Collison, who drained a 3-pointer for a 15-point lead. Xavier missed a shot on the other end and Love made a shot off the glass from the baselin to give UCLA a 17-point lead at 45-28.

The Bruins ran out to a nine-point halftime lead, and that's without Kevin Love having a big game. Love has eight points and three rebounds thus far. Darren Collison let the shot clock wind down and made a jumper with about three seconds left before halftime. Luc Richard Mbah a Moute has nine points on 3-of-4 shooting.

Xavier's Stanley Burrell, who was outspoken regarding his excitement for drawing the excitement for Darren Collison, hasn't had a great game thus far. Burrell is 0-for-4 from the field, and Collison has made 2 of 4 shots for five points. UCLA leads 24-20 with 3:58 left. The Bruins already have nine turnovers.

UCLA has made 5 of its first 9 shots and has a 16-13 lead over Xavier with 10:46 left in the first half. Of course, against Western Kentucky, the Bruins went cold in the second half. Kevin Love has yet to take a shot.

Here is the third and final set of answers from this week's bonus questions segment:

Here is the second set of answers:

I'll post three sets of bonus answers today, prior to the 3:40 p.m. tip-off with Xavier. Here's the first set:

Getting video tape on Xavier was simple, mostly because administrative assistant Doug Erickson spends the season taping almost any and every game that is on television. A bunch of televisions in the basketball office are always tuned into games, whether being broadcast live or on tape delay, and Erickson tapes them all.
In fact, all but four of Xavier's games were on television somewhere.

UCLA center Kevin Love talked about the increased role and importance of James Keefe playing well in the postseason.
"He's helping us big-time,'' Love said. "He is playing as an X-factor for us, showing up and playing great in the tournament. If we can keep that going, keep that streak alive, that will be huge for us down the stretch."

I talked to some UCLA and Xavier folks and this was the scouting report I was given on the Musketeers:
They are similar to UCLA in playing a moderately paced game, and are not expected to press because they have not pressed all season, unless they were down big late in a game.
They are very well balanced with size and scoring. The leading scorer is 6-foot-9 Josh Duncan, who is averaging 12.4 points per game and shoots the 3-pointer very well (42.9 percent). He also will start and guard Kevin Love.
Oklahoma transfer 5-7 Drew Lavender (10.9 ppg) will guard Russell Westbrook, 6-8 Derrick Brown (10.8 ppg, 6.6 rpg) will matchup with Luc Richard Mbah a Moute. C.J. Anderson, a 6-6 banger, has not attempted a 3-pointer this season and is averaging 10.8 points and six rebounds per game. Stanley Burrell (9.8 ppg, 3.8 apg) is the only starter not averaging double figures, and he will guard Darren Collison.
B.J. Raymond (10.1 ppg) is shooting 41.3 percent from 3-point range and comes off the bench, as does big-bodied Jason Love, who will also try his hand at guarding Love.
Xavier, I am told, is well-coached and their balance and experience (Duncan, Lavender and Burrell are seniors and Anderson and Raymond are juniors) make them a very good team.

Rather than guard the wing, which sometimes happens, Xavier guard Stanley Burrell said he will guard UCLA point guard Darren Collison, and he is looking forward to it.
"I take it as a challenge to guard him rather than standing out there on the wing where you're not always involved,'' Burrell said. "When coach (Sean Miller) told me about that, I was real excited."

Thanks, again, for the questions. Now, here is the sixth and final set of answers:

Here is the fifth set:

Luc Richard Mbah a Moute was wearing a walking boot on his left ankle, but he said his ankle wasn't that bad and the swelling was at a minimal. He went through a morning walk-through and said he didn't experience nearly the swelling he had after the second round game
Mbah a Moute said he also took anti-inflammatory medication to ease the swelling.
UCLA coach Ben Howland said the Bruins will do another walk-through tonight and watch video of Xavier.

Here is the fourth grouping:

I was told UCLA power forward Luc Richard Mbah a Moute's ankle came out of Thursday's game as good as can be expected, and that he took part in today's walk through and should be ready for Saturday's game against Xavier.
Bruins coach Ben Howland has his press conference shortly, so official word should be coming soon.

Here is the third installment:

Here is the second set of answers:

What's it like being a coach this time of year? Well, UCLA's staff is getting about four hours of sleep a night. Less than 30 minutes after the completion of last night's win against Western Kentucky, assistant coach Donny Daniels was on his way back to the team hotel to finish his scouting report on Xavier.

Thanks for the questions. There will be six sets of answers today, but before I get to those, if you'd like to ask questions today, do so, and I will post answers Saturday before the 3:40 p.m. tip-off against Xavier.
Now, onto the first set of answers:

Western Kentucky coach Darrin Horn said a big turning point was when A.J. Slaughter missed a 3-pointer with the Hilltoppers down 63-59, and UCLA's James Keefe then made two free throws before Josh Shipp hit a 3-pointer with the shot clock winding down.
"Huge, huge,'' Horn said. "That, in a nutshell, was the game. It changed all the momentum. If it goes to one, everything is on our side, going our way. They're playing without (Darren) Collison at that point. I thought that was the sequence of the game in the second half."

Here is the game story and the notebook I wrote for the final edition of today's paper. Also, Bruins forward Luc Richard Mbah a Moute discussed just what type of affect Western Kentucky's pressure had in the second half.
"You can only simulate it so much in practice,'' Mbah a Moute said. "You can't do it like they do it. It was definitely a lot tougher than we expected. They did a good job of pressuring us the whole game, pressuring the ball and attacking everything. All credit to them. They're a very good team."

There was a consensus among UCLA players and coaches about what went wrong in the second half against Western Kentucky's press.
"I thought we got tentative instead of being attacking,'' UCLA coach Ben Howland said. "When we attacked, we did a good job. We had a lot of opportunities in the first half. I am like an old-fashioned guy. I like the jump-stop. You never see it in the NBA, so it is hard for the players to watch those guys and go, 'that's a great play.'
"But the jump-stop sure helps against teams that press and pressure."

Sure, UCLA is happy with the victory, but the Bruins aren't happy with their second-half performance in which they let the Hilltoppers back in the game.
``I wasn’t as happy as you think,'' Kevin Love said on CBS. ``We made some mistakes that are unacceptable. We’ve gotta get real serious on Saturday.’’

Kevin Love said he was sent back to the locker room by head coach Ben Howland rather than go to the postgame press conference because he needed ice on his right shoulder. Love said he fell on it and injured it, but he was not worried about it affecting his status for Saturday's game with Xavier.

Kevin Love and James Keefe each had career-best games to help UCLA advance to the Elite Eight with an 88-78 win over Western Kentucky.
Love had a career-high with 29 points and 14 rebounds, and James Keefe had 18 and 12.
The Bruins routed the Hilltoppers in the first half, but the Hilltoppers came back in the second half by using a fullcourt press.
What did you think?
Up next: UCLA vs. Xavier on Saturday. Tipoff at 3:40 p.m.

Yes, this is a UCLA blog, but given that it involves someone UCLA fans should know well in former Stanford coach Mike Montgomery, I thought it was worth posting here. This is a story Daily News staffer Ramona Shelburne wrote on Montgomery possibly coaching at Loyola Marymount.

Kevin Love has tied a career-high with 27 points. The game's not over yet. UCLA has a 74-66 lead with 2:16 left.

Darren Collison has fouled out with 5:39 left and just four points. If the Bruins are to make it to the Elite Eight, they must do so without their starting point guard. And that's not the only problem. Russell Westbrook and Josh Shipp each have four fouls as well.

Darren Collison, Russell Westbrook and Josh Shipp all have four fouls, and Western Kentucky, not surprisingly, is making a comeback. Collison and Westbrook are both on the floor now and Shipp is on the bench. The Bruins have 14 turnovers.Western Kentucky has cut the lead to nine points at 56-47 with 9:08 left.

Darren Collison is on the bench with four fouls, and the Hilltoppers are making a comeback. UCLA leads just 56-43 with 10:29 left. UCLA had a 21-point lead at halftime.

The Hilltoppers have been using a fullcourt press, with some success. UCLA has broken it and the Hilltoppers just got a steal out of it. UCLA leads 53-38.

So much for close calls. The Bruins are crushing the Hilltoppers and finished te first half on a 28-7 run.
Your thoughts?

James Keefe already has seven points and five rebounds in the first half on 3 of 3 shots. Much has been made about the need for Luc Richard Mbah a Moute and Josh Shipp to play well for UCLA to advance in the tournament, but with Keefe providing such solid minutes off the bench, UCLA might not need them. At least for this game.

UCLA went on a 15-2 run to build a 28-15 lead. The Hilltoppers were worried about defending UCLA, but perhaps they should've been more concerned about scoring against the Bruins. Western Kentucky has made just 4 of 19 shots (21 percent). WKU missed 11 consecutive shots.

The biggest roar of the night just went up when Josh Shipp hit a 3-pointer to give UCLA a 28-15 lead with 6:42 left in the first half. Yes, Shipp has struggled from the field, and everyone knows it.
Western Kentucky called timeout after the bucket, and during the huddle UCLA players were laughing and smiling about the crowd reaction.

The story of the game thus far has been Kevin Love, and CBS announcers Verne Lundquist and Bill Raftery are loving Love. They've done nothing but shower him with praise and said he's ``intelligence personified'' on the court. Love has made 5 of 8 field goals and scored 11 of UCLA's 23 points. UCLA leads 23-13 with 7:25 left in the first half.

As expected, Western Kentucky has no answer for UCLA's Kevin Love inside. Love has nine of UCLA's first 15 points, but the Bruins' lead is 15-13 with 11:27 left in the half.
However, UCLA is having trouble with WKU's quickness on the offensive end. The Hilltoppers are getting some separation and getting some clean looks at the basket.

Kevin Love already has scored seven points and had a nice no-look, backward pass to Russell Westbrook for an easy basket. The Hilltoppers know they have to contain Love, but they haven't found a way to do it thus far. UCLA 13, Western Kentucky 8 with 13:16 left.
FYI: I am blogging from Los Angeles. Brian Dohn is in Phoenix.

No. 3 Xavier advanced to the Elite Eight with a 79-75 overtime win against No. 7 seed West Virginia.
If UCLA beats Western Kentucky, it will mark the second time the Bruins and Musketeers have met. UCLA beat Xavier in the second round of the 1997 NCAA Tournament 96-83. The Bruins went on to lose to Minnesota in the Midwest regional final.

The starting lineup was announced for UCLA's game against Western Kentucky and there were no surprises. I was in the hallways when the Bruins got here at halftime of the West Virginia-Xavier game, and power forward Luc Richard Mbah a Moute came limping through.
A couple folks who I trust said Mbah a Moute's ankle is remains swollen, but he is expected to play.

Back from a family vacation, UCLA football coach Rick Neuheisel is in attendance. He just came walking down the isle at U.S. Airways Center, stopping along the way to shake hands and speak with several people.

If it matters, UCLA assistant Scott Duncan is the one responsible for scouting Western Kentucky. The Bruins had seven videotapes of the Hilltoppers as of the weekend, and came up with seven more to look at.
Also, UCLA coach Ben Howland said he did speak briefly with former assistant Mike Adras, now the head coach at Northern Arizona, which beat Western Kentucky earlier this season.

Several Western Kentucky players bristled at suggestions the Hilltoppers were a Cinderella team since the insinuation is a Cinderella doesn't belong in the Sweet 16, and that the run is unexpected.
However, the Hilltoppers also know UCLA is a heavy favorite.
"We just use that as motivation,'' WKU guard Courtney Lee said. "We've been picked to lose every game we've been in so far in the tournament, so we just use it as motivation."

Western Kentucky likes to run up and down the court, and if the Hilltoppers can keep it close down the stretch, guard Courtney Lee said an up-tempo pace could help toward the end.
"We feel (a fast pace) could favor us because we like to get out and play aggressive in a fast pace,'' Lee said, "and towards the end of the game we will run more bodies at them the whole game. Definitely, we feel we can wear them down towards the end of the game."

UCLA power forward Luc Richard Mbah a Moute told me yesterday his sprained left ankle was so sore and swollen after the Texas A&M game he couldn't walk Sunday and had his foot in a walking boot.
He said he was much better Wednesday and would be ready for big minutes tonight. However, since the swelling was so bad after Saturday, I asked him if he was concerned his ankle could swell again after tonight's game and create an issue for a possible game Saturday against either Xavier or West Virginia.
"I think it was swollen a lot because I played on Saturday after having not played for a week and a half,'' Mbah a Moute said. "I think I could play on Saturday. I think it swelled up so bad because I hadn't done anything that hard before Saturday, and Saturday I played (32) minutes hard. But I practiced (Tuesday) and again (Wednesday), and my ankle is getting used to being played on again."

What does everyone think the keys to tonight's game is, and how about a prediction?
For me, the two things UCLA must do is handle Western Kentucky's full court pressure and exploit the mismatch with Kevin Love in the middle.
UCLA 81, Western Kentucky 67

Here is a story I wrote on UCLA power forward Luc Richard Mbah a Moute that ran in today's paper. Also, Bruins point guard Darren Collison said one reason Mbah a Moute's offensive production is down this season is because of injuries.
“I think a lot of it has to do with injuries,’’ Collison said. “When he’s healthy, he’s real good offensively. Trust me, I know by experience. There’s times we play one-on-one in practice, and he’s one of the top guys doing so well.’’
Mbah a Moute has dealt with a pair of sprained ankles and a concussion.

UCLA coach Ben Howland talked today about how long practice was the last two days in preparing for Western Kentucky's pressing defenses, but reserve power forward Alfred Aboya said it wasn't a hard, intense practice.
"I don't call that practice,'' Aboya said. "We just walked around. It was a pretty relaxed practice. Today, the same thing. We're just trying to save our legs for tomorrow because we have to give everything we have."

Of the teams UCLA played, coach Ben Howland said Western Kentucky's style of play is most similar to Washington's style.
"I thought they were most like Washington, in terms of the pressure,'' Howland said. "Now, Washington doesn't press like they did a couple of years ago. The University of Washington, if you remember a few years ago, would trap the first pass that came in. It's kind of like that."

UCLA's Alfred Aboya was a second team selection to the Pacific-10 all-academic team. UCLA's Luc Richard Mbah a Moute was an honorable mention. The whole release is below:

In case someone missed it, Cal fired coach Ben Braun today. Two names linked to job for the last few months is Saint Mary's coach Randy Bennett and former Stanford coach Mike Montgomery, although many sources I talk to say they doubt Montgomery will take the job.

Western Kentucky point guard Tyrone Brazelton watched videotape of several points guards in the offseason to learn how to be a better player. So who did he watch?
There was former Wake Forest star Chris Paul, Texas' D.J. Augustin and ...you guessed it, Darren Collison.
"I really watched how he handled ball screens high,'' Brazelton said.

Western Kentucky coach Darrin Horn was asked how the Hilltoppers were going to deal with Kevin Love.
"We're hoping he gets sick,'' Horn said. "(That) is the main thing we're looking for."
Horn then turned more serious.
"He's an outstanding player,'' Horn said. "We have not seen a guy like him this year, individually, that is capable of putting up those kinds of numbers and being that kind of threat."

UCLA coach Ben Howland said power forward Luc Richard Mbah a Moute went through a full practice today and he is scheduled to go through the public shootaround now. He is listed as a starter.
Mbah a Moute said his ankle was so sore after Saturday's game he couldn't walk Sunday and needed to wear a walking boot.
Howland added that wing Josh Shipp took 50 3-point shots after practice Tuesday, and made 40 of them.
"He looked really good,'' Howland said.

Today marks the 35th anniversary of Bill Walton's incredible game in which he made 21 of 22 field goals against Memphis State to help UCLA win the national championship in 1973. Check out Alan Reifman's blog on the subject. Reifman is a professor at Texas Tech University.

As as been talked about for days, Western Kentucky's strength is its guard play, particularly leading scorer Courtney Lee, who is averaging 20.5 points per game, and second leading scorer Tyrone Brazelton, who is averaging 13.9 points per game.
A key element for the Bruins is whether guards Darren Collison and Russell Westbrook can handle the duo.
"I can tell you that they've got a very good backcourt, their front line is ok,'' Collison said. "We should be up for the challenge. Russell and I have a lot on our hands on the defensive end."

I was speaking with UCLA center Kevin Love yesterday about how well the Bruins played defensively against Texas A&M in the second, and while he agreed, he said UCLA should not be happy with its overall defense.
"We need more scoring, we need more rebounding, and really, we need more defense,'' Love said. "We need to step up our defense. It's like we choose when we want to play defense. I'm saying this from my standpoint, too. I turned it on the last 10, 15 minutes, but I think when we're motivated, we can be as good a defense as we want to be.
"We've let teams shoot this year over 55 percent, over 50 percent, a couple times in the first half."

A break from the football and basketball to let you all know UCLA's softball team is No. 1 in the nation. This is from UCLA:

UCLA has moved up to #1 in the latest ESPN.com/USA Softball rankings, which were released Tuesday. UCLA is 28-3 on the season after finishing its non-conference schedule with a doubleheader sweep at UC Santa Barbara on Tuesday. The Bruins open up Pac-10 play this weekend at home against Oregon State (Friday) and Oregon (Saturday and Sunday).

In speaking with many of UCLA's players, they believe Josh Shipp is the key ingredient in a run to a national championship. Here is the story I wrote for today's paper, and here is something else Shipp had to say about the need to get a third scorer.

“It definitely will make it a lot harder,’’ Shipp said of winning without a third scorer. “As long as we play D, we have a chance to win, but it’s definitely going to be tough when you only have those two guys scoring.’’
Shipp added he believes he is close to breaking the slump.
“It’s definitely tough when you have a lot of those in and outs,’’ he said. ‘I see it a lot, but I have to keep shooting the ball.’’

Send in some questions and I will post answers on Friday. Remember, the answers will not come until after the Western Kentucky game, so please consider that when asking questions. Because of the game, the deadline for questions will be a little later. I'll make it 10 a.m.
Second, I am quickly growing tired of certain posters who complain all the time about what Jill and I are posting. If you do not like it, do not read it. I have received many -- yes, many -- emails complaining about certain posters. That said, and given my patience is gone, I will ban commenters based on my own decisions.
This does not mean you cannot disagree with Jill or myself. That is fine. However, there are a handful of posters that criticize regardless of the post, and it is taking a lot of the fun out of the blog for me and others, and I will not tolerate that.

ULCA has won 12 consecutive games and survived some close calls. Here's what Kevin Love said when asked if he believed in destiny. He pointed to a moment in the regular-season game against Stanford.
"Russell's free throw hit the back of the rim, bounced up in the air, bobbled a couple of times and I was like, 'Russ, this is destiny here, you're going to knock this next one down and we're going to win the game,' " Love said. "Hey, that ended up happening, and that was kind of a surreal moment for me."

Kevin Love said he had Easter dinner with Josh Shipp and his family. Shipp went scoreless against Texas A&M and was 0-for-4 from the field.
"He knows what he needs to do and I don't think he should feel any extra pressure," Love said. "He's been here twice, so he knows what he's doing."

According to UCLA coach Ben Howland, Luc Richard Mbah a Moute went through a full practice today.

The last few seconds of Saturday's game were harried for UCLA broadcaster Chris Roberts. There was the play with Donald Sloan and Josh Shipp. Then there was the score. Chris Roberts saw an official wave off Russell Westbrook's dunk because it came after time expired. UCLA won 53-49, but the score was 51-49 the next day after the NCAA took back the basket.
``I thought it was good, but I was afraid to give the score after Westbrook's slam because of the scoreboard malfunction,'' Roberts said. ``I saw an official wave it off, but I gave 53-49 because that's what was on the scoreboard.''
He also said he gave Shipp credit for a block on the play against Sloan in his play-by-play, and he was glad to later see that Dick Enberg did the same on CBS.

Because of all the interesting late-game calls and non-calls, many of which have gone UCLA's way, some are wondering if there's a conspiracy theory. Kevin Love didn't think that was the case.
``I hope not,'' he said. ``At the end of a game like that, you never know. We still have to come back. We still have to hit our shots. Everybody hates UCLA now. We're not feeling bad.''

Josh Shipp was smiling the whole time he was asked about the photos that show his hand grabbing the arm of Texas A&M guard Donald Sloan with three seconds left in UCLA's win. No foul was called. Shipp had contended that he made a clean block. When first asked about it, Shipp said: ``Yeah, what about it? It doesn't matter. Photos are illusions.''
Asked if he thought he fouled Sloan after viewing the photo, he said:
``I don't care about the photo. The game's over.''

Former UCLA women's basketball coach Kathy Olivier was guaranteed $180,000 last season, which according to reports, was last in the Pac-10.
However, sources told me UCLA will spend markedly more for her replacement, although it still doesn't figure to put the new coach in the upper echelon in the Pac-10. From what I'm hearing, UCLA will increase the salary to guarantee at least $250,000 per season.

UCLA wing Josh Shipp said he wasn't feeling well for a few days leading up to Saturday's game against Texas A&M, but had no idea he had strep throat.
In fact, after today's press conference I was joking with Shipp about him saying he felt fine after going 0 for 4 and being held scoreless.
"I thought I was (fine),'' Shipp said. "I started feeling (ill) just a few days before the game, but that's no excuse."
So about the strep being contagious?
"No, that's what the antibiotics are for,'' Shipp said. "That way I'm not contagious. ...That's the least of my concerns right now."

There has been much talk lately about UCLA needing a third scorer (in addition to Kevin Love and Darren Collison) to advance past this weekend, and Love addressed it when he was asked about getting more offense from either Josh Shipp, Russell Westbrook or Luc Richard Mbah a Moute.
“We’re going to need a lot,’’ Love said. “We need to step up and hit those shots, and that’s what we’ve been stressing the past month-and-a-half. We need to step up and hit those shots, and I trust that they will because the bigger the stage, we all need to step up and play our best basketball.’’

UCLA coach Ben Howland said power forward Luc Richard Mbah a Moute will practice today despite a swollen left ankle. Howland said he was assuming the MRI was fine since he hadn't heard anything about it, and added he would have heard by now if something was wrong.

Russell Westbrook was 2 of 9 from the field and 1 of 4 from the free throw line against Texas A&M in 39 minutes. After the game he was asked if there was anything wrong with his offensive performance.
"Nothing,'' he said. "I just couldn't make a shot, (so he tries to) make up for it any way I can; rebounding, steals, diving on the floor."
During a teleconference Monday, UCLA coach Ben Howland said Westbrook sped himself up against the Aggies.
"Russell speeds himself up,'' Howland said. "He doesn’t get sped up by anybody. He's as fast and quick as anybody out there. I think he just gets a little excited and ramped up, so I’m not as much worried about anybody else as just him, ya' know, playing under control and making good decisions, which he’s done a great job of this year."

Western Kentucky coach Darrin Horn marveled at UCLA center Kevin Love's versatility on offense, and his ability to rebound. Among the programs the Hilltoppers played this season are Gonzaga, Michigan and Tennessee, but Love creates a different type of matchup problem.
“I don’t think we’ve played against anybody like him,’’ Horn said. “Matchup-wise, with the way that we play, we’re not going to get caught up in individual matchups. We’ve only got one physical body that would be close to being a matchup with that, and D.J. Magley is a freshman also. We’re going to try and depend on our team defense like we have all year in order to give him a chance.’’

UCLA will practice on campus today and make the short flight to Phoenix tonight. Meanwhile, Western Kentucky left campus earlier today for its flight to Phoenix, and I'm hearing one thing the Hilltoppers aren't thrilled about is the schedule.
UCLA played Saturday, less than 60 miles from its campus, while the Hilltoppers played Sunday in Tampa, Fla., then traveled back to Bowling Green, Ky., after the game and arrived late at night. After having Monday off, Western Kentucky was set to travel across the country today.

Western Kentucky coach Darrin Horn spoke this morning about what he saw on tape from UCLA.
"How direct and tough they are,'' Horn said. "They're not a team that does a thousand different things, but what they do, they do well."

Here's the story I wrote in today's paper on Western Kentucky, and the Hilltoppers' style of play.
Also, here's what Northern Arizona coach Mike Adras said about WKU guard Courtney Lee.
“Once he gets going, I think they try to get him the ball as much as they can because he can go and make the play,’’ Adras said. “Now, can he do that when Russell Westbrook is covering him? I don’t know that. Maybe not. He can really elevate and get a shot off any time he wants, on anybody. He did that against the Gonzaga guys, he did that against the Michigan guys prior to playing us, and he did that against us. He just missed the shots.
“They’re going to penetrate and kick, (Gurad Tyrone) Brazelton is very quick.’’

Just got word that Luc Richard Mbah a Moute's MRI on his left ankle will not be ready until Tuesday. When I get the news, I will let you know.

Someone asked during the Q&A about Luc Richard Mbah a Moute's health, and how it related to him shooting 1 of 4 from the field and committing six turnovers against Texas A&M. Here's what Bruins coach Ben Howland said.
“I thought one of the things that hurt his timing is he hadn’t practiced in a week and then we throw him out in the game,'' Howland said. "I probably made a mistake. I should have played him in the Mississippi Valley State game to get him in there. I don’t know. Hindsight is 20-20.’’

Thanks for the questions, and I'll do another Q&A during the normal time late in the week. Here is the fourth and final set of answers"

Just wanted to get your thoughts on some of the top-10 NCAA Tournament moments in UCLA history. An obvious one would be Tyus Edney's dash down the court and last-second shot. Any and all of your favorite moments are welcome, from the John Wooden era to the Ben Howland era. Thanks!

UCLA released its football depth chart today. Take it for what it's worth since freshman are not listed, and the offensive coaching staff hasn't seen any of these guys play. But here is the depth chart:

Earlier today I spoke with Northern Arizona coach Mike Adras, who beat Western Kentucky in December and is friends with UCLA coach Ben Howland. The basic scouting report was this:
The Hilltoppers are guard oriented and look to push the tempo of games and shoot lots of 3-pointers. He said five NBA scouts showed up to see guard Courtney Lee, who leads WKU in scoring at 20.3 points per game, which is plenty in Flagstaff, Ariz.
“They really try to get after you,’’ Adras said. “They pressed us, and hurt us, with the press. They were well composed.’’
However, Adras said pressing UCLA's Russell Westbrook and Darren Collison would be difficult.
Adras added the Hilltoppers lack any kind of inside presence, and he was uncertain how they would be able to stop UCLA center Kevin Love. In fact, he used the word "dominating'' when he discussed how the Bruins inside would perform against WKU's interior players.
I will have more on the Hilltoppers in Tuesday's paper.

UCLA coach Ben Howland said Luc Richard Mbah a Moute's ankle swelled after the game and he is going for an MRI today, but the coach added he expected Mbah a Moute to play Thursday.
Howland also said Bruins wing Josh Shipp was treated for strep throat after the game and was taking antibiotics, but is doing better.
Howland added Shipp came in for extra shooting today, and took more than 300 shots.

Here is the third set:

Here is the second set. There will be four sets of answers today.
:

I know some folks asked for a heads up when I will be on the radio, so here it is. I will be on ESPN radio ">ESPN radio in Fresno at 2:05 p.m. and ESPN radio in Los Angeles at 7:30 p.m.

Let me just start by saying how glad I am the comments are working again. It makes this blog so much more fun (most times), and in my opinion, much better.
I'm thinking there will be about five sets of answers today, but I'll let you know definitely this afternoon. Now, onto the first set:

I am told UCLA's allotment for tickets for the next round of the NCAA Tournament is 1,239. Donors and season ticket holders were emailed recently information on ordering tickets, and the school is holding a certain percentage of tickets for students.
UCLA expects all its allotment to be used, so those who do not fit the above criteria will have to search for tickets another way, I am told.

Here is the story I wrote in today's paper about UCLA's ability to come back late. Also, Texas A&M coach Mark Turgeon spoke about the Bruins' comeback after the loss.
"I feel like we were in control of the whole game,'' he said. "We did a good job against their defense, their pressure, and it just came down to (Kevin) Love and (Darren) Collison at the end just making plays.
"I mean, Love made two unbelievable shots and we couldn't guard the ball screen late. And Collison made two big-time shots, and that was the difference in the game.''

I wrote a little bit about this for Monday's paper, but here's what UCLA coach Ben Howland said took place as far as the Bruins' defensive changes in the second half.
"I thought a lot of their points in the first half were actually off of ball screens, where (Donald) Sloan was getting into the paint and creating shots for himself and for others,'' Howland said. "The second half, especially the last 10 minutes, we did a better job of hedging and staying with our hedge in the middle of the floor, and that's a little adjustment we made, to tell Kevin (Love) to say there and hold it longer, because (Sloan) was just dancing around them."

Here's something else UCLA's Kevin Love had to say about his turnaround jumpers in the closing minutes against Texas A&M.
"I'm just looking at the back of the rim, through the basket,'' Love said. "You kind of dream about shots like that. You know, advancing to the next round, hitting big shots for your team. I just wanted to hekp us put us over the top any way that I possibly could.
"It happened to be scoring. Other times it's passing, rebounding, taking charges. But what's going through my mind on those? I'm just praying that I make them and it goes through the basket."

Here are a few stats, courtesy of UCLA:

UCLA’s 33 wins are a school record. The old mark was 32, set in 1995 and tied in 2006.
UCLA and Memphis are the only two schools to reach the NCAA Sweet 16 in each of the last three seasons.
This is the 31st time UCLA will be playing in the Round of 16.
UCLA’s 78 points allowed in the first two NCAA Tournament games is the lowest total for the first two games of a Tournament since 1949, when Oklahoma State allowed just 69 in its first two games.
Kevin Love’s 621 points rank No. 20 on UCLA’s season list and are the most since 1998, when J.R. Henderson scored 626.
Kevin Love’s 382 rebounds rank No. 9 on the season list, just two behind No. 8 Sidney Wicks (384 in 1971).
Darren Collison’s three-point percentage of .516 is the best in school history for one season.
Russell Westbrook’s 1,214 minutes rank No. 2 for a season since minutes started being recorded in 1979

The final score of UCLA's win against Texas A&M was changed Sunday to 51-49.
The ruling came after an error was made in the score keeping in which Russell Westbrook's dunk at the end came after the clock expired.
"As the officials were leaving the court, they waived off the basket, ruling the ball was still in Westbrook's hands when the clock expired," national coordinator of men's basketball officiating Hank Nichols said via a release today. "Amidst the activity courtside, there was a misinterpretation of the signal. But the ruling on the court was that the basket should not have counted, making the final score 51-49, not 53-49."

UCLA vs. Western Kentucky will tip approximately 6:40 p.m. from Phoenix. It is the second game, preceded by Xaiver vs. West Virginia.

No. 12 seed Western Kentucky beat No. 13 seed San Diego 72-63 in the second round, meaning the Hilltoppers will face No. 1 seed UCLA in the west regional semifinals. The game is Thursday, but a game time has not been announced yet.

UCLA freshman center Kevin Love hit two difficult fadeaway shots in the closing minutes of Saturday's win against Texas A&M.
"Kevin's two little fall aways were incredible shots,'' UCLA coach Ben Howland said. "Speak of horse shots, those were like horse shot plays. Unbelievable with that kind of stuff on the line out there. You're season's on the line, and you can step up and make those plays. That's why he's a great player."

Since comments are working now, send some questions today and I will post the answers tomorrow.

I read the posts in response to the game last night, with people wondering why such a topic would be broached when it comes to whether or not a foul should have been called on Texas A&M's last shot attempt.
The reason for posting it has nothing to do with an alleged bias against UCLA. I do not care if the Bruins win or lose. I strive for objectivity, and my job isn't to be a homer toward UCLA.
If the tables were turned, I would have posed the same question. To think it is being done because I am anti-UCLA is, in my estimation, is ludicrous. The idea of this blog is to provide information, and an exchange of ideas.
The question was simple: Was it a foul on Josh Shipp?
If folks cannot handle that, perhaps it is time to eliminate the subjective part of this blog.

Josh Shipp said he cleanly blocked Donald Sloan's shot with three seconds left.
``There was no call, the game was over,'' he said.
Asked if he touched his arm, Shipp said with a smile: ``I thought I got all ball.''
A link to the photo is on the blog entry entitled: ``Was it a foul?'' It's a must-see.

A photographer just showed me a photo that shows Josh Shipp grabbing Donald Sloan's arm just below the wrist on the final shot in the closing seconds.
Here's the photo.
That said, do you all think it was a foul?

Kevin Love blocked a career-high seven shots. The original stat sheet had Love with eight, but that's because he was incorrectly given credit for the last-second blocked shot against Donald Sloan. That was changed to give Josh Shipp credit for block.

With the Bruins down by 10 points in the second half, UCLA players said they still figured they could win. The Bruins have made a habit of coming back from second-half deficits, and this time was no different. It was a little more dramatic, perhaps, but UCLA still won.
``There was still a ballgame to be played,'' Darren Collison said. ``Once that buzzer goes 0:00, the time clock goes 0:00, that's when we'll stop playing. We've been through that all season. Ever since I've been here, we've been through adversity, especially in the tournament. There's not quitting.''

UCLA came back to win, many thanks to Kevin Love. But Shipp made the big play at the end. Donald Sloan took a shot and Josh Shipp blocked it. Russell Westbrook got the ball and was all alone on the fastbeak and made a one-handed slam on the other end as time expired.
UCLA wins 53-49 and makes the Sweet 16 for the third consecutive year.
Your thoughts on UCLA's comeback?

Kevin Love just gave UCLA its first lead of the second half. He made a turnaround jumpber on the baseline with 1:35 left. He has been unbelievable tonight. Love has a career-high seven blocks and 19 points. He stuck his tongue out at the UCLA crowd.
Joseph Jones scored inside to tie the game at 47.
There's one minute left....

Kevin Love has a career-high SIX blocked shots. If the Bruins win, it will be because of Love. He just had two on one possession against two players. He got a defensive rebound and was fouled. He held the basketball and roared, imploring the crowd to get into the game. He made both of his free throws.
Love has 15 points and six blocked shots.
UCLA trails 44-43 with 4:14 left.

Russell Westbrook scored on a fastbreak layup with 8:37 left in the game. Westbrook missed a pair of free throws with 10:26 left. He is 1-for-9 from the field. UCLA still trails, 44-38 with 8:12 left.
Kevin Love went back in the game with 9:26 left and immediately made an impact when he blocked Chinemelu Elonu's shot from behind.

Texas A&M has made 18 of 31 shots (58 percent). UCLA's usually stingy defense has failed to deliver so far. Texas A&M leads 39-34 with 13:03 left in the second half.
Russell Westbrook has yet to make a shot. He's 0-for-7 from the field.

The Bruins are in a precarious situation, down 36-26. Texas A&M had a 3-point lead at the break, and Josh Carter made a 3-pointer 15 seconds into the second half. The Aggies went on a 7-0 run to build the 10-point lead. Luc Richard Mbah a Moute scored on a putback to stop the Aggies run, but collected his third foul moments later. Texas A&M leads 36-31. Kevin Love just made a 3-pointer from the top of the arc and the UCLA crowd is back into it.

UCLA made just one field goal in the final 9:39 of the first half. Darren Collison and Kevin Love are shooting the ball well, but for some reason, the Bruins stopped going to them midway through the first half. Also, the Bruins have eight turnovers in the first half. Collison has made all four of his 3-pointers.
The other three starters - Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, Russell Westbrook and Josh Shipp - are a combined 0-for-11.
The Bruins have some work to do if they're to make the Sweet 16.
Texas A&M guard Donald Sloan is driving and scoring. He hit three consecutive shots, the second of which gave the Aggies a 25-24 lead. Sloan drove and got one to fall over the outstretched arms of Love. He hit a jumper with 1:19 left to give the Aggies a 27-24 lead.

Darren Collison has made all three of his 3-point attempts, including one from NBA range to help UCLA to a 20-15 lead with 9:38 left in the first half. Josh Shipp, Luc Richard Mbah a Moute and Russell Westbrook, however, are a combined 0-for-7.

Also, Stanford players just walked through the arena following their overtime win over Marquette and the Cardinal received a standing ovation from the Stanford faithful. Many UCLA fans joined in the standing ovation, showing their love for the Pac-10.

Luc Richard Mbah a Moute had missed three shots and committed a turnover, and Ben Howland substituted James Keefe in for him with 16:12 left in the first half.

Luc Richard Mbah a Moute was just announced in UCLA's starting lineup. So, it's official.

John Wooden is expected to watch today's UCLA game at his Encino home with his son, Jim Wooden.

Here is the starting lineup that UCLA has listed for tonight's game - Russell Westbrook, Darren Collison, Josh Shipp, Luc Richard Mbah a Moute and Kevin Love.

Stanford coach Trent Johnson was ejected in the first half of the game against Marquette. A foul was called on Lawrence Hill. Johnson immediatelly said something to official David Hall and was assessed a technical foul. Johnson was out of the coach's box and after he did not return to the coach's box, he was assessed a technical foul by official Curtis Shaw. Two technicals results in an ejection.
What did you guys think of the ejection?
The official statement from the officiating crew is below.

At halftime of the Marquette-Stanford game in Anaheim, the USC women's soccer team - which won the national championship - was honored. They were booed by many UCLA fans.

UCLA center Kevin Love said coach Ben Howland doesn't want the Bruins to watch any of the NCAA Tournament games involving teams in the west bracket, but after No. 2 Duke survived in the final seconds of the first round but No. 4 Connecticut and No. 5 Drake were bounced.
"I'd be lying if I said I didn't notice it,'' Love said. "We have that game to play (against Texas A&M). Hopefully, we'll win that one and be able to move to Phoenix."
It means if UCLA wins today, it will face either No. 13 San Diego or No. 12 Western Kentucky in the regional semifinals Sunday in Phoenix.

Texas A&M big man Joseph Jones said UCLA is a much different offensive team than it was when Bruins beat the Aggies in the Wooden Classic, and most of it is because of center Kevin Love.
"They go down inside a lot this year,'' Jones said. "Last year with (Arron) Afflalo on the wing, they had a great perimeter shooter, so they relied on him. Now, they run some sets (for Love) down low."

Since the comments feature is again working, I thought this is a good time to ask what the keys to today's game will be.
For me, it's the play of Darren Collison and Russell Westbrook. Texas A&M has size inside, but the Aggies' guard play has been inconsistent as of late. After watching the Aggies beat BYU in the first round, I think UCLA should be able to control the game with its backcourt.
Another factor is coaching, and most people I speak to say UCLA's Ben Howland has the clear advantage in this matchup.

In a game of really big guys, there is UCLA point guard Darren Collison, who isn't the mots stout player on the floor. But is he worried about going inside among the Texas A&M's front court.
"They can't catch me,'' Collison joked. "It doesn't do a thing to me (going against the size). (Brook) Lopez is probably the most athletic guy at that height that I played against. It doesn't faze me. I'm going to continue to go to the rack. It's not going to make me change my game.
"Obviously, I have to be a little smarter around the basket when I shoot the lay-ups. If I have to slow down and shooter a floater over them ...but for the most part it's not going to change me game."

I wrote in Friday's paper about a couple of new hires in the athletic department, and how it should impact fundraising.
Here's a little more:
UCLA already put down a new field before this season at Jackie Robinson Stadium, and future renovations include a new clubhouse, a team room, a Hall of Fame and and an expanded seating area.
Currently, the stadium holds about 1,000 fans, a number too small for UCLA to have a realistic shot at hosting the opening round of the NCAA Tournament, which the program wants to do.

Texas A&M is big and strong, as UCLA players and coach Ben Howland discussed Friday, but what makes the Aggies so effective is how the big players use their bodies.
"They're big, and when someone is big, it's hard to get around them, and hard to keep them off the boards,'' UCLA power forward Luc Richard Mbah a Moute said. "You're going to get banged no matter what."

UCLA wing Josh Shipp is 13 for 66 (19.7 percent) in his last 14 games from 3-point range, but is he slowly breaking out of his slump. In the Pac-10 Tournament and the first round of the NCAAs, he is 5 of 19 (23.6 percent) from beyond the arc.
"I definitely do a lot of extra work,'' Shipp said. "I'm shooting good when I'm at practice. Maybe I'm rushing a little bit when I'm in the game, but as long as the team's winning, I'm fine."

UCLA expects a very physical game against Texas A&M, and coach Ben Howland compared that aspect of the Aggies to a few teams UCLA played this season.
“I would say Michigan State and Stanford are the two most physical teams we played this year,’’ Howland said. “Watching A&M on tape, they were, by far, the most physical team we played last year.’’

UCLA's defensive coaches are off next week, but defensive coordinator DeWayne Walker is using the time to get a different perspective about defenses.
Walker will visit the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday, and the Washington Redskins on Tuesday to meet with the coaching staffs and talk about defensive ideas, schemes and techniques.

UCLA power forward Luc Richard Mbah a Moute said he practiced with the starting five today, and he is expecting to start against Texas A&M.

I am told the comments are now working after one of our tech guys worked very hard at it. Here is what he wrote:

There was a problem in a javascript file, which was preventing comments from working properly. I've fixed that, and I've also re-implemented the old commenting system, so users can register through the internal MT system or through typekey. I just posted a test comment, and it seemed to work, so I'm hopeful that this will solve the problem.

So, that said, please chime in about UCLA and the NCAA Tournament. And as long as the comments continue to work, I will do a Q&A for Monday, which means questions can be sent in Sunday.

John Wooden has returned to his Encino home following his release from a local rehabilitation center today.
Here's the release from UCLA:
UCLA legendary former basketball coach John Wooden has been released from a local rehabilitation center and has returned to his home.

Coach Wooden returned home at around noon PDT today and will continue to recuperated from his fractured left wrist and fractured left collarbone, according to his daughter, Nan Muehlhausen.

Coach Wooden, 97, was hospitalized on February 29 with a hairline fracture of his left wrist and a fractured left collarbone he sustained in a fall in his condo the previous night. He left the hospital and entered the rehabilitation center on March 11.

UCLA was just about finished with practice at an area high school today when it learned the bus that dropped it off wouldn't start. Ben Howland took Kevin Love, Darren Collison and Josh Shipp - who were scheduled to be on the interview podium - in a car so they would be on time. The remaining players and coaches waited for Super Shuttle vans to take them to the Honda Center. It didn't take that long and the Bruins were available in the locker room for interviews.
The story was relayed because Howland's cell phone went off again during his Friday news conference. Howland then explained that he had it on because he was trying to communicate with his team. His cell phone went off during Wednesday's news conference as well. He said he left it on because he was again trying to communicate with his team, which was stuck in traffic on its way from Westwood.

The west bracket is shaping up very interestingly. If top-seeded UCLA beats No. 9 seed Texas A&M tomorrow, they will play the winner of Sunday's game between No. 12 seed Western Kentucky and No. 13 seed San Diego, after both teams pulled upsets today.

Here's a few notes from UCLA's 70-29 opening round win against Mississippi Valley State:

*UCLA's 13 blocks equaled the most in a first- or second-round NCAA Tournament game, and was one shy of Kentucky's 1998 record, set in the regional final.
*UCLA's 41-point win was the widest margin of victory in the NCAAs since beating Wyoming 109-60 in 1967.
*The 29 points equaled the fifth fewest in NCAA Tournament play, and was the lowest in the shot clock era. It is the lowest total since Baylor scored 29 in a 1946 loss to Oklahoma State.
*MVSU's 19.7 percent field goal percentage was the fifth lowest in NCAA Tournament history, and lowest since North Carolina State shot 19.5 percent in a third round game against Baylor in 1950.

Yes, even after blowing apart Mississippi Valley State by 41 points, players said there was room for improvement. So where did they look?
Well, the Delta Devils grabbed 10 offensive rebounds in the first half.
"We gave them too many offensive rebounds in the first half,'' UCLA center Lorenzo Mata-Real said. "We gave up a lot of offensive rebounds, so that is something we can't afford in the long run.''

I spoke with Narbonne receiver/defensive back Byron Moore Jr. today, who is being recruited hard by UCLA. He said he had offers from UCLA and Arizona, and is getting mail from LSU, Arizona State, Oregon, Penn State, Colorado and Texas.
"When I went (to UCLA) for their junior day a few weeks ago,I really loved it,'' Moore said. "They didn't offer me then, but they called a few days later and offered me. But I wanted to wait and take my time."
Moore also said he grew up a USC fan, and attended games at the Coliseum. He added that a few weeks ago he went to USC on an unofficial visit and spent three hours speaking with the coaching staff.
Given his druthers, Moore said "I would like to stay close to home. Right now, I want to make a decision probably before my season starts."
Moore is being recruited as a safety, and he said he wants to play defense.

UCLA can't expect to know which Texas A&M team will show up Saturday since Mark Turgeon is never quite sure, either. Here's what he said when asked whether he knew Josh Carter - who matched a career-high 26 points and drained three early 3-pointers - would be able to get it going against BYU.
``You know, with this team, I never know what's going to happen in a game,'' Turgeon said. ``It just happens to be where he was open, we did a good job of swinging the ball to him.''

UCLA sophomore forward James Keefe talked about the ease of the first round crushing of Mississippi Valley State, and how the Bruins shouldn't expect the same thing in the second round against Texas A&M.
"The advantage of having the No. 1 seed is obviouis,'' he said. "We worked hard all season to be able to get this. We have to take this game for what it was worth and we know the next game is going to be harder, so we just have to focus on that one."

Everyone knew Mississippi Valley State didn't have a chance to beat UCLA by the time the game was about 2 minutes old. At least one player conceded the victory before the game clock read 00:00, according to Ben Howland.
``Stanford Speech came up to me with about seven minutes to go, and he said `Coach, I hope you guys win the whole thing.' That was really classy of him to do that in the middle of the game. So, they have a bunch of really good kids. I don't know if you saw one of their kids after the game, he was crying his eyes out. I mean, it's their last game as seniors. So, I would never make light of, or make fun of someone in that way. I think that's, you know, being rude.''

Being on the quarter system means the NCAA Tournament coincides with finals at UCLA, so players are spending some of their down time studying.
Reserve wing Nikola Dragovic took a final Wednesday night and backup center Alfred Aboya and power forward Luc Richard Mbah a Moute have final exams today.
Also, starting center Kevin Love and reserve wing Chace Stanback spent part of their first NCAA experience writing papers, which are due today.

As it turns out, UCLA coach Ben Howland didn't start power forward Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, who did not play in the blowout win against Mississippi Valley State.
James Keefe said he was told before the Bruins left campus Wednesday that he would start in place of Mbah a Moute, and Keefe added that Howland announced to the team the plan was to try and rest Mbah a Moute and his sprained ankle in the first round.
A few hours after that took place, Howland told the media he planned to start Mbah a Moute.

Luc Richard Mbah a Moute said the decision to not play him Thursday was a mutual one between he and Ben Howland.
``We both agreed on it,'' Mbah a Moute said. ``It was OK with me. As much as I wanted to help the team win, I also wanted to be careful about my ankle. I'm really happy with how it went.''

Ben Howland just said that Luc Richard Mbah a Moute will start Saturday's game against Texas A&M. He also said Mbah a Moute would start today's game against Mississippi Valley State, which didn't happen. Here's what Howland said about his decision to not play him.
``Luc will start on Saturday for sure,'' Howland said. ``I initially planned on to start him today. It wasn't until late last night when I gave it a lot of thought (that I changed the decision).''

Kevin Love had 20 points and nine rebounds in his debut in the NCAA Tournament as UCLA crushed the Delta Devils 70-29. He easily could've had a double-double but didn't play the last seven minutes of the game. Russell Westbrook was the last UCLA starter to leave the game for good at 11:25. Luc Richard Mbah a Moute didn't play.
Thoughts?

During the first half, Ben Howland talked to a couple of NCAA Tournament officials because it was, as he put it, extremely disconcerting that the UCLA band was playing so loud during UCLA's timeouts. The band, under one of the baskets, was not far from UCLA's bench.
In the second half, the band members turned toward the crowd and played their instruments, as opposed to how they normally play, which is facing the court.
By the way, UCLA leads 57-23 with 8:48 left.

Alfred Aboya is coming back in the game with 13:00 left. Aboya left the game with a few minutes left in the first half with what appeared to be a left ankle injury. Luc Richard Mbah a Moute is still in his warmup jacket and isn't expected to play. He's joking around with Kevin Love at the end of the bnech.
UCLA leads 53-21. Your thoughts on whether UCLA can hold Mississippi Valley State under 26 points? That was its total against Washington State.

Darren Collison had no points in the first half, but he took just one shot. Collison made his first basket on a layup a couple of minutes into the second half and just made a 3-pointer with 14:10 left. Kevin Love just had another one of his famous crosscourt passes, although many in the country might have been seeing it for the first time, to Russell Westbrook, who converted a layup.
Moments after that, Josh Shipp dove for a loose ball and the fastbreak was on. Darren Collison passed to Russell Westbrook, who fed a streaking James Keefe down the lane for a dunk.
UCLA leads 52-19 with 13:08 left.

Kevin Love does it all, doesn't he. Love already has 18 points, five rebounds and three blocks. He had another big assist that won't go down in the stat sheet when he was able to unlodge a basketball from behind the backboard. Love popped the ball out by using another basketball on his second try. An official tried unsuccessfully about five times.
A UCLA official said Alfred Aboya is available for the second half of the game, but he has yet to play. UCLA leads 46-19 with 16:12 left.

UCLA is crushing the Delta Devils by 24 points, but that wasn't totally unexpected since they scored just 26 points against Washington State.
How's this for an incredible stat? From about the 11-minute mark to the 2-minute mark in the first half, UCLA outrebounded Mississippi Valley State 16-0.
Alfred Aboya left the game with what appeared to be a left ankle injury, and he didn't return to the game. No official word from UCLA yet. Luc Richard Mbah a Moute didn't play in the first half.

Alfred Aboya came out of the game because of his left ankle. He's sitting at the end of the bench next to trainer Carrie Rubertino. He did get up to walk to the team huddle for a timeout with 3:10 left. UCLA leads 37-12 with 3:10 left. At this point, the Bruins have already covered the point spread.

Luc Richard Mbah a Moute went from starting to not starting to not playing. Mbah a Moute hasn't entered the game, and it's eight minutes old. A more telling sign that he might not play is that UCLA already has played James Keefe (who started), Nikola Dragovic, Lorenzo Mata-Real and Alfred Aboya. Mbah a Moute still has his warmup jacket on.
Darren Collison was hit in the neck, but he's OK. And during the last timeout, Josh Shipp took both of his shoes off and put an extra sock on each foot.
UCLA has a 21-6 lead with 11:09 left.

Kevin Love is off to a splendid start in his first NCAA Tournament game. He made the first shot of the game, has three blocked shots and 10 points, including a 3-pointer from the right wing. UCLA has a 15-6 lead over Mississippi Valley State with 12:53 left. Ben Howland just put Lorenzo Mata-Real in for Love, and Love came out of the game with a big smile on his face and had a lengthy chat with Howland.

We're three minutes into the UCLA-Mississippi Valley State game and already the Bruins have blocked four shots. The Delta Devils can't seem to get any good looks and haven't figured out what to do with Kevin Love, who's already blocked two shots. Josh Shipp and James Keefe have each blocked a shot as well. UCLA leads 10-4 with 15:56 left in the first half.

Indeed, Luc Richard Mbah a Moute will not start at power forward. James Keefe was just introduced as the starting power forward. It is the first start of Keefe's career.

UCLA power forward Luc Richard Mbah a Moute (ankle) is going through pregame warmups and looks to be moving well.

Texas A&M pulled away from BYU down the stretch, where it made six of eight free throws, and won 67-60. If UCLA beats Mississippi Valley State, the Bruins will play Texas A&M in the second round. UCLA beat Texas A&M last year in the Wooden Classic.

The public address announcer just told the Pond crowd in Anaheim that Kansas State beat USC 80-67 in Omaha. Obviously there are a lot of UCLA fans here because there was a lot of hooting and hollering.

The starting lineups for UCLA's game were just handed out, and Luc Richard Mbah a Moute is not listed as a starter. Instead, Alfred Aboya is listed as the power forward.
During Wednesday's media session, Ben Howland said Mbah a Moute, who missed UCLA's last game with a sprained ankle, would start.
However, I am told it will still be a game time decision as to whether or not Mbah a Moute will start.

Texas A&M and BYU are tied at the half 29-29. The winner advances to play the winner of UCLA-Mississippi Valley State in the second round.
Also, UCLA assistants Donny Daniels (Texas A&M) and Scott Garson (BYU) are sitting courtside scouting the teams. The Bruins beat both teams last season, and Daniels and Garson did the respective scouting reports.

Texas A&M seeemd poised to blow out BYU after it started the game on an 11-0 run. However, BYU went on a 11-5 run to end the first half, and the game is tied at 29. UCLA still has no more idea of who it would play in the second round, assuming it beats Mississippi Valley State tonight. A&M made five 3-pointers, including an offbalance trey by Josh Carter with 7 seconds left in the first half to tie the game.

UCLA center Kevin Love was asked if there was a responsibility to win a national championship because of the school's history.
"I think we've got to make the people that came before us very proud,'' Love said. "Mr. (Lew) Alcindor, Mr. (Bill) Walton, all the way back to Mr. (Walt) Hazzard, they won those national championships. Coach John R. Wooden, the greatest coach in basketball history, we're trying to make those guys proud."

As expected, UCLA defensive tackle Brigham Harwell's request for a red-shirt year was approved. He missed much of the 2007 season with a knee injury, and did not play again.
He will be a fifth-year senior, and team with Brian Price to be the starting defensive tackles.

Here is a story I wrote in today's paper about assistant speed and conditioning coach Randy Horton being fired .
Also, when I talked to receiver Terrence Austin recently, he said he believed UCLA coach Rick Neuheisel was going to allow him to run track -- after spring practice ended. Austin was a high-jumper in high school.
Of course, that means Austin will be eligible for the meet May 2-3 against USC.

Here is the story I wrote in today's paper about players believing nothing less than a championship will make this a successful season, and the accompanying notebook. Jill Painter also wrote a few stories concerning UCLA, one being on Mississippi Valley State, and another on UCLA's potential second-round opponent.
And, finally, Tom Hoffarth wrote a piece about UCLA's student radio station being shut out of covering the tournament.
By the way, here's what UCLA guard Russell Westbrook had to say about why UCLA has a very good chance of winning it all.
“We have a lot of veterans, and they’ve done it before,’’ Westbrook said. “They know what it takes to go out and compete, and I think that’s very important.’’

The Bruins had plenty of game film on Mississippi Valley State, but the Delta Devils had just four or five games. They managed to find one of UCLA's three losses - the one at Washington. It was shown to instill a message that UCLA isn't invincible.

The first game of the day - Xavier vs. Georgia - tips off at 9:20 a.m, so you'll need to turn in your brackets ASAP.

Mississippi Valley State guard Stanford Speech didn't mind that most UCLA players don't know where Mississippi Valley State is located. When asked where UCLA was, Speech smiled and said he didn't know.

UCLA won't have to worry about traffic to Anaheim today since the team is staying at a hotel in Anaheim. Yesterday, the Bruins bus was a little late in its arrival at The Pond, even though it had a police escort.

Randy Horton, the assistant speed and conditioning coach for the football program, was fired by new head athletic performance coach Mike Linn. Sources say the move is not popular with the players. I will have more on this in Thursday's paper.

UCLA coach Ben Howland has stopped short of saying wing Michael Roll will definitely red-shirt, and I know it's been asked a few times on the blog, so I spoke with Roll after today's shootaround and asked him what had to happen for him to play in the NCAA Tournament.
"No scenario,'' he said. "I'm not playing."

John Wooden is reportedly doing fine with his exercises and is getting stronger every day, according to his daughter Nan Muehlhausen, who spoke to a UCLA official. He's expected to watch UCLA's first-round NCAA Tournament game at the rehabilitation facility where he's at.

Larry Cox, Mississippi Valley State's center, was honest in discussing how the Delta Devils will deal with UCLA's frontcourt.
``They're all big, fast, something we don't usually see in our conference,'' he said. ``But, we're going to be up for the task tomorrow.''

UCLA center Kevin Love said his back is fine, so much so he attempted about 25 fullcourt chest-pass style shots during today's shootaround. He made one.
"We were actually having a dunk competition (Tuesday in practice),'' Love said. "So my back is fine. It's not going to limit me at all."

Ben Howland was asked four questions in Wednesday's news conference before the moderator said: ``Any further questions? All right, seeing there is none, we'll thank Coach Howland.''
To which Howland responded: ``Really? Is that all there is? I walked all the way down here for four or five questions?''
Howland walked from the Anaheim Ducks locker room, which UCLA is using, all the way around to the media interview room. It was less than a five-minute walk. Howland interrupted the news conference before that, because his cell phone went off.

Ben Howland's cell phone went off during his news conference Wednesday in Anaheim. While on the podium, he took the phone out of his pocket, shut the sound off and looked at it for a few seconds. He said he had his phone on because he kept calling the team bus, which was late, because it was stuck in traffic.

Brian reports from Anaheim...

By Brian Dohn
Staff Writer
ANAHEIM -- UCLA will have power forward Luc Richard Mbah a Moute in the starting lineup Thursday when the top-seeded Bruins open NCAA Tournament play against No. 16 Mississippi Valley State at Honda Center.

``He practiced today and I think he's going to be OK,'' UCLA coach Ben Howland said. ``He's going to start.''

Mbah a Moute missed the Bruins' last game with a sprained left ankle, and was in a walking boot until Tuesday, when he took part in a light workout after UCLA's practice.

In 29 games this season, Mbah a Moute is averaging 8.8 points and 5.5 rebounds. He was injured in Friday's semifinals against USC in the Pacific-10 Tournament, and sat out the final against Stanford.

Here is a story I wrote on the completeness of UCLA's team this season, and the accompanying notebook from today's paper.
Here's what Darren Collison had to say about the team, but these quotes didn't make the story:
“I feel that way,’’ Collison said. “This is the best team I’ve played on because we have so much talent. We have so many weapons that we can bring at you, with the play Russell is bringing all season long, with his defensive performance, that’s just another weapon we have. You know how Luc (Richard Mbah a Moute) has been playing as of late, despite the injury. Josh Shipp brings so many things. He’s versatile. And you guys know how Kevin Love is.’’

Here is the third and final set of the mid-week special set of questions and answers:

Here is the second set of answers to this week's special edition:

Send in some questions, and I will answer them Friday. Please remember that UCLA plays Thursday, so make the basketball questions relevant to when the answers should come.
Also, if you are having trouble commenting, please send the problems directly to our tech guys at ryan.garfat@dailynews.com and/or josh.kleinbaum@langnews.com. If you wish to send me questions because of posting trouble (yes, this maddening stuff is still ongoing), email them to me at brian.dohn@dailynews.com.

I'm guessing the ongoing commenting issues with the blog kept the questions to a minimum for this special session. That said, here is the first of three sets today:

I will be on an ESPN.com chat from 11:45-noon today. Also, today I will have a few answers from the Q&A earlier this week.

Here is the story I wrote on Bruins fullback Michael Pitre being denied his sixth year of eligibility by the NCAA.
One interesting thing I didn't include in the story (for space reasons) was Pitre could have appealed the decision, but didn't want to deal with the uncertainty that could have caused.
Pitre likely would not have learned about his fate until after the NFL draft, and that would have put him in a very difficult position. By choosing to sign with an agent, Pitre now has six weeks or so to network and let teams know he is available.

For the second straight year UCLA has signed the high boy's basketball Gatorade Player of the Year. Kevin Love won the award last season, and this year Campbell Hall of North Hollywood's Jrue Holiday won the honor.
“For one, it’s a terrific honor,’’ UCLA coach Ben Howland said. “That’s really special honor to be recognized as the national player of the year. We’re really excited for Jrue and his family, and also proud of him. That’s a great accomplishment.’’

UCLA center Kevin Love said the diversity and depth of the Bruins make them one of the front-runners to win the national title.
“It begins with Darren Collison,'' Love said. "From our point guard, all the way down to me, I think we have a lot of players that can do a lot of different things on this team. We have a lot of weapons. It starts with Darren. The ball is in his hands the majority of the time.’’

UCLA coach Ben Howland was asked if he like the mandatory open "practice" at the site before the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
"Not particularly,'' he said.
Why?
"Because it's really, when you have everybody scout each other, so you're not really going to (have) a real practice where you're going to work on any kind of strategic stuff,'' Howland said. "The other teams can scout you. It's only an hour long, so you can't really have a real practice. Bottom line, you get used to the facility, and that's always a minor thing in my opinion because (the baskets) are still 10 feet tall."

Rather than head to Anaheim tonight, UCLA coach Ben Howland altered the team's plan and the Bruins will travel to Anaheim after practicing Wednesday on campus.
"We'll leave after our practice and get down there in time for all the media obligations of playing in the NCAA Tournament, and our required, at least 30 minutes, on the floor shootaround,'' Howland said.

I spoke with UCLA fullback Michael Pitre a few minutes ago about the NCAA's decision not to award a sixth year of eligibility. He said he was surprised by it, and that UCLA's compliance folks "didn’t understand it.''
Pitre thought he had a good case because he missed his freshman season with a neck injury, and only played a handful of plays in one game last season because of a left knee injury.
I am checking with UCLA to see what happened.
Pitre added that he spoke to UCLA director of football operations Bob Lopez about it and running backs coach Wayne Moses, but not head coach Rick Neuheisel.
"He's on vacation and his phone is off,'' said Pitre, who added he learned about the denial Sunday. "I talked to Bob Lopez and coach Moses."
Pitre said his injured left knee is "about 85 percent," and he would wait to workout for NFL teams until he was closer to 100 percent.

UCLA fullback Michael Pitre had his petition for a sixth year of eligibility denied, meaning his college eligibility is over. Here is a release from UCLA, which includes a few other notes:

UCLA coach Ben Howland said Luc Richard Mbah a Moute was not at practice today because of a final, but was working out right now, doing some light shooting. Mbah a Moute's availability for Mississippi Valley State was in question because of a sprained ankle.
Howland added center Kevin Love practiced today. He said Love was "a little sore'' but was able to go through practice

While many of UCLA's players and the coaching staff were, at the least, pleased to be a No. 1 seed, Bruins junior wing Josh Shipp had a different take.
"We don't pay attention to any of that,'' Shipp said. "It's playoff time. It doesn't matter who you're playing. Anybody can lose. If we're fortunate to get past this first game, we have to play our best basketball to prove we're a No. 1 seed.''
How many No. 1 seeds lost in the first round?
"None,'' Shipp said. "And we don't want to be the first."

I was talking to UCLA coach Ben Howland, and joking about how concerned he gets entering games, regardless of the opponent. I asked him if he would be concerned if I grabbed four buddies and got on the court against the Bruins.
"I would be,'' Howland joked. "Actually, I wouldn't be because you haven't practiced enough. You wouldn't be organized."
Before the seeds came out, I asked Howland if it mattered being a No. 1 seed after being a No. 2 seed the last two years.
"It's good from the standpoint that every little bit matters,'' Howland said. "The bottom line is we're going to play someone that will worry the hell out of me in that first game.''

A reader sent me a link for a New York Times story on Kevin Love, so I am passing it along.
For those wondering if Love has any chance of coming back to UCLA for a sophomore season (as I've reported, I can't find anyone who thinks he will be back), here is what his mother said about it in the story.
“I’m pro-school,” Karen Love said. “But there are those factors, you know. If you’re going to be a lottery pick, and we don’t know if he is or not, but how can you not go? That’s more money than people make in their lifetime. You have a chance to stay and get injured. There’s so much to weigh.”

Is anyone having problems commenting? If so, please email me at brian.dohn@dailynews.com.

When I spoke to CB Rodney Van at UCLA's pro day last week, I was amazed at one of the things he said.
"I was able to bench press 225 (pounds) 10 times, and I'm happy with that,'' Van said. "I was working out benching 245. Before last season, I couldn't bench 225. Maybe I could once. So i was happy with my bench press."

Here is a story I wrote on Mississippi Valley State in today's paper. Also, here is something else Jackson State assistant Anthony Boone had to say about MVSU. Boone did the scouting report on MVSU this season.
“They’re guards and wings do a lot of moving around and running and cutting,’’ Boone said. “You have to make sure they’re not catching the ball in a position where they can slash and you have to push their big guys off the block a little bit.
“They’ve got a couple of pretty good athletes, and as long as they’re not intimidated, they’ll be able to compete pretty good,’’ Boone said.

This is the scouting report on Mississippi Valley State given to me by Grambling State assistant coach Kenny Sykes earlier today:

“They’re not a fast-breaking team. They’re going to take their time getting it up the floor. They’re patient. They like to get to the hole. They’ve got a pretty decent big fellow inside, pretty athletic. He’s got good size, can shoot the jumper, block shots.’
“They’re poised. They got a good seed in the tournament and played the best basketball down the stretch.
“They need to control the tempo. If they play their style of ball, they could be close in the last 10 minutes. If they get a chance to fastbreak, they will run up and down the floor.’’

The only common opponent between Mississippi Valley State and UCLA is Washington State, and things don't look too pretty at face value. The Bruins swept the Cougars, and MVSU lost 71-26 on Nov. 24.
But the Delta Devils were playing without two key players in the game. Starting center and leading rebounder Larry Cox was out because of a broken foot, and key reserve Chris Watson wasn't eligible until the second semester.
"That was early in the year, and we were trying to gel together and we didn't have our whole team,'' MVSU's Mike Davis said. "That made a big difference. We didn't have Chris Watson, and that hurt a lot. It means a lot to have all the guys together and on the same page with a common goal. We didn't put out the great effort. This shouldn't be that kind of game to blow us out that bad."

Here's part of the scouting report on Mississippi Valley State from Prairie View A&M assistant coach Talvin Hester.
“They have a couple kids that can shoot the ball and attack the basket, but their bread-and-butter is to give it their 6-10 kid, Larry Cox,’’ Hester said. “On occasion, he’s put up huge double-doubles, 20 and 17, 20-19 type of games. He plays really hard near the basket.
“Michael Clark is their best 3-point shooter. Stanford (Speech) is a more all-around player, not specifically a shooter,’’ Hester said. “He’ll shoot it and knock them down.’’

UCLA freshman center Kevin Love was named a first-team all-American by the United State Basketball Writers Association. The release is below:

Changing gears from hoops for a minute, I spoke to UCLA tailback Raymond Carter the other day while I was on campus. Carter, who missed last season because of reconstructive knee surgery, said he remains on target to be ready for August training camp.
Carter said he would participate in a limited capacity when it came to spring practice. He said he thought he would be limited to individual drills.

The players and coaching staff at Mississippi Valley State have been hard to track down, but here is a story about MVSU that appeared in the Greenwood (Miss.) Commonwealth.

I spoke to several coaches around the Southwestern Athletic Conference about Mississippi Valley State, and what type of team UCLA should expect.
They all had the same general thing to say, that the Delta Devils play a deliberate style and try to slow the game down.
"They're a poised team that does not get hurried up,'' Prairie View A&M assistant coach Talvin Hester said. "They are inside first, but they have a couple of guys that can shoot the three. Larry Cox (who is 6-foot-10) is the guy they like to go to inside."
I will have more on the Delta Devils in tomorrow's paper.

I created an Inside UCLA group bracket on ESPN.com, so click on this link to get to the bracket. The bracket's name is Inside UCLA, and is open to everyone. If there is a problem getting to it, let me know. I already inputted my bracket, and everyone is welcome to join.

I will be on ESPN radio 1430-AM in Fresno at 1:25 p.m. today. There is also something in the works where I will be on ESPN.com for a chat session on Wednesday, but should have more details today or Tuesday.

Because of the problems over the weekend regarding the blog and leaving comments, the Q&A session was shorted. I am told the problems are now straightened out, and it is back to the old format.
Therefore, send in some questions today, and I will have the answers Tuesday.
Again, thank you all for your patience, and just to let everyone know, we at the Daily News were highly frustrated by this. Thanks, again.

UCLA is in finals this week, meaning some of the players will do the usual proctored exams while in Anaheim. The team is off from practice today, but individuals will come in and work out, either with weights or cardio, and some will do shooting drills.
The Bruins are heading to Anaheim on Tuesday, and there is a public "practice" for UCLA at Honda Center on Wednesday at 5:10 p.m. Each team is required to spent 40 minutes "practicing," but all teams do is take some shots and fool around.
In fact, UCLA's session usually is filled with 5 to 10 minutes of stretching, a few full court weaves, free throw shooting and capped by the final 5 to 10 minutes of shooting from half court.
The serious preparation will take part at a local high school or college in the Anaheim area where the Bruins will go through a closed-door practice.

Here are my selections for the Associated Press all-America teams, as well as player of the year and coach of the year:

This is the final Associated Press men's basketball poll of the season, and here is my ballot:

UCLA's first-round game against Mississippi Valley State will tip Thursday at approximately 6:50 p.m. It is the last game of the day in Anaheim.

UCLA coach Ben Howland talked about the depth of the 65-team field, and how open the race for the national title is.
"Realistically, in my mind, there's probably 12 to 14 teams that have a real shot at winning that thing.''
I asked Howland to list those teams.
"I'll let you do that.''

As I mentioned earlier, UCLA was 14-2 against teams in the NCAA Tournament field, and Bruins coach Ben Howland said that counts for something.
"Memphis is 6-1, Carolina is 9-1, and Kansas is 8-2," Howland said. "So, by far, we played the most games, 16 games, against the tournament field. I think our team has played the toughest schedule, in my opinion. You're playing that many teams that are in the tournament, night in and night out, we played the toughest schedule."

UCLA coach Ben Howland said he played Mississippi Valley State when he was the head coach at Pittsburgh. In discussing the Delta Devils, and noting they lost 71-26 to Pac-10 foe Washington State this season, Howland had a quick retort
"Washington State was not a good score for the opponent,'' he said with a chuckle. "Washington State played well. But we don't want to be the first team in the history of the tournament to lose to a No. 16 seed as a No. 1 seed, and that is going to happen."

UCLA wing Josh Shipp and point guard Darren Collison both had the same message when discussing the matter that no No. 16 seed has beaten a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
"We don't want to be the first,'' Shipp said.
"I'm sure coach (Ben) Howland will tell us not to be the first,'' Collison said.

UCLA coach Ben Howland said he was not highly concerned about center Kevin Love's back, which gave him problems during the title game of the Pac-10 Tournament. Love said his back was sore, but he received ice and stimulus treatment throughout Sunday and expects to be ready to go come Thursday's opening game of the NCAA Tournament.
Meanwhile, power forward Luc Richard Mbah a Moute shed his crutches and is only wearing a walking boot. He said he was uncertain if he would play in the opener against Mississippi Valley State, but was hoping to.
"I want to play in every game because any game could be the last game of the season,'' Mbah a Moute said.

UCLA's assistant coaches were already breaking down film on Mississippi Valley State while Bruins coach Ben Howland was talking to the media. Howland said UCLA has three films of MVS,
If UCLA avoids being the first No. 1 seed to lose to a No. 16 seed, the Bruins will face either BYU or Texas A&M. And Howland said UCLA has 11 films of BYU, and 27 of Texas A&M.

UCLA is 14-2 against teams in the NCAA Field, with the losses coming to USC and Texas.
Among the possible matchups for UCLA in the bracket are a Sweet 16 meeting with Connecticut and an Elite Eight matchup with Duke.
If the No. 1 seeds were to all reach the Final Four, UCLA would play Memphis and North Carolina would play Kansas.
And here is the link for UCLA's first round opponent, Mississippi Valley State.

UCLA is the top seed in the West, and third overall, and will play No. 16 seed Mississippi Valley State, on Thursday in Anaheim. Tip time is yet to be decided.
Mississippi Valley is where NFL Hall of Famer Jerry Rice played football.
MVS finished 17-15, including 12 in the Southwestern Athletic Conference, and defeated Jackson State 59-58 in the title game. MVS also lost to Washington State 71-26 this season.

If you're a college basketball fan, you should probably be sitting in front of your TV screen to find out where UCLA will play. Selection Sunday starts now. OK, you can go play a round of golf if you want. There's no drama if you're a UCLA fan since a No. 1 seed is a given. The only unknown should be who UCLA plays in the first round. Come back to the blog after UCLA's opponent has been announced for the upcoming game.

It turns out UCLA did have some doubts about its status as one of the top teams in the country when it barely beat Stanford and Cal to finish the regular seasn last week. The Bruins beat both teams in the Pac-10 Tournament, however.
``There were doubts,'' Lorenzo Mata-Real said. ``We wanted to prove that we were the ones that deserved to win those games and not because of some controversial call.''

Darren Collison was asked when he felt he returned to 100 percent following a pre-season knee injury. Collison turned toward Ben Howland on the podium, as if to ask his coach when he'd finally become the Collison from a year before, and Howland said the Washington roadtrip. Collison repeated the Washington roadtrip, and a room full of reporters laughed.

Kevin Love wasn't officially saying he's not returning to UCLA when he told the Daily News: ``A game like this, you have to come back for one more year. ... nooooo."
I'm not saying Love is going to return, because he's probably not, but Love meant that if he were to return, it wouldn't be just because of a game like that. He was kidding when he said a game like that would make him come back.
The comment definitely said a lot about Kevin's state of mind as far as his future, especially since he's even joking about it.

We apologize if you are experiencing technical difficulties with commenting. We're having server problems, which we're working on, so please be patient. Right now, I'm told by our IT guys that only people who are signed up can post comments. If you haven't signed up, there is a link that is supposed to appear to allow you to sign in, but that's not working either. Again, we're working to get this corrected.

Darren Collison called for a quick halftime chat with Kevin Love, who played just 14 minutes up to that point because of back spasms.
``He sat me down at halftime and said, `It's going to be this way down the stretch. Your legs, back, anything you have, you have to fight through it.' ''
Apparently, the chat worked. Plus, Love figured out he was getting pulled by Ben Howland each time he grimmaced.

Kevin Love had reporters laughing when discussing UCLA fans' chants of ``one more year.'' He said after a game like that, he might have to come back for another year. Then added ``nooooooooo.''
This is the story on Love and his back spasms that ran in today's Daily News. Read it to find out what Stan Love wanted his son to do when he could tell he was in pain. Stan Love figured he got hit in the kidney.

http://www.dailynews.com/ucla/ci_8589888

Mitch Johnson was guarded closely behind the arc in the waning moments of Saturday's game, so Stanford, down by three points (it could've been more, but James Keefe missed two free throws with 19 seconds left), got the ball inside and Lawrence Hill made an uncontested dunk. But by the time Johnson made the dunk, there was only 3.1 seconds left. Stanford coach Trent Johnson said after the game that the plan was to go for a 2-point basket after Keefe missed his free throws, he just figured the Cardinal would've gotten a shot off sooner. Ben Howland thought Stanford's plan was altered because the Bruins played such good defense.

Ben Howland sort of scolded the media Saturday for not writing about James Keefe's performance against USC, even though Daily News staffer Brian Dohn wrote a story about him. Howland said he'd be mad if people didn't write about Keefe's productivity - minus the missed free throws late against Stanford - for a second consecutive game.
``James Keefe, who no one wrote about yesterday that I saw. ... James Keefe was huge for us these last two days and if no one prints that, I'd be upset,'' Howland said. ``He deserves a little recognition. Here's a kid who never knows when he's going to be called upon, hasn't played that many minutes, he played the last six minutes when we were up 30 against Cal the other night. Yet, he comes through when called upon.''

Ben Howland was happy to learn after his game that the Big West Conference tournament championship between UC Irvine and Cal State Fullerton was tipping off at about 8 p.m.
``Good, I'll have my toes up,'' Howland said.
Howland seemed torn between rooting for UC Irvine because Ross Land, a former player from their days at Northern Arizona, is an assistant coach there. However, Fullerton coach Bob Burton is a good friend of Howland's. Perhaps swaying his decision, Howland interviewed for the Irvine job and didn't get it when Dan Guerrero was athletic director.

Ben Howland said he figured fatigue (from the two earlier Pac-10 games) had something to do with UCLA's horrendous free-throw shooting performance. It certainly shouldn't have had anything to do with the Bruins' woeful perfomrance from the line in the first half, when they were 1-for-9. Lorenzo Mata-Real was happy to point out after the game that he was the one who made the free throw. Which is ironic, considering he's the worst free-throw shooter on the team at 44 percent.
``That was me,'' Mata-Real said with a big smile. ``We hvae to make our free throws. We've got to work on that.''

Darren Collison easily penetrated Stanford's defense by using screens from teammates. Once he was open in the lane, some of Stanford's big men switched to contest his shot, and he made several floater shots.
``I feal real confident,'' said Collison, who was named the Pac-10 Tournament's most outstanding player. ``I was fortunate enough they had a hard time stopping the pick-and-roll. I took advantage of it to get my guys open and create for myself, and I thought that was a big key for us. We kept going to it, and I kept taking advantage of it.''

Kevin Love battled back spasms Saturday, and he'll go in for treatment tomorrow. He had ice taped to his back after the game, too. He said he felt a pulling sensation when he'd go up to shoot a shot or free throw, which is something he's never felt before.
``I just had to play through it. The first time I touched the ball, I tried to explode to the hoop, and I felt a tough pull or a cramp in my back. I tried to go right back up again, and I couldn't get anymore lift. It was really that way the whole first half and the second half I tried to play through it as much as possible, but I just couldn't get any lift because every time I went up I felt like it was going to pull again.''

We were having technical difficulties during the game, so I apologize that the final game update didn't post. UCLA beat STanford 67-64 behind Darre Collison's 28 points.
UCLA has many things going for it in its quest for a national championship that it didn't have last year - Kevin Love. And, of course, the Bruins won't have to worry about Florida.
The Bruins leave no doubt - if there was any - that they will earn a No. 1 seed for the NCAA Tournament.
``This is probaby the best team I've played on,'' Darren Collison said.

As I reported before the game, UCLA coach Ben Howland said after the win that he was hopeful Luc Richard Mbah a Moute (sprained ankle) would be available next weekend, if not for the first round game in the NCAAs than for the second round game.

(By the way, there is something wrong with the comments function, so leaving a comment at this point is dicey. Our tech folks are working on it. Sorry for the problems.)

Darren Collison, who had 28 points in UCLA's win over STanford, was named the tournament's most outstanding player. Kevin Love and Russell Westbrook also were named to the all-tournament team.

The Bruins have a 6-point lead with 1:22 left.

Darren Collison was dribbling around the perimeter, then made a move in the lane and scored on a layup to put the Bruins ahead 50-43 with 8:40 left. Trent Johnson then called a timeout. He now has 21 points, and there's still 8:00 left. UCLA 50, Stanford 45.

Darren Collison just made a ridiculous move around Stanford guard Mitch Johnson bewildered. Collison's shot pulled UCLA within two points. UCLA now leads 45-43.
Anyone think this is going overtime again?

Russell Westbrook missed his first first free throw attempt of the second half but made the second. This is newsworthy since the Bruins were 1-for-11 before Westbrook drained the second attempt.

Kevin Love got his first points of the game on a 3-pointer from the baseline with 3:56 left. UCLA and Stanford are tied at 32 at halftime.

UCLA has made just 1 of 8 free throws. UCLA leads 28-24 with 3:39 left in the first half.

James Keefe didn't do himself any favors by not making free throws. He just missed both free throws with a chance to pull UCLA within two points. Stanford's Landry Fields made a shot on the other end to give Stanford a 17-11 lead with 11:56 left in the first half.

The Bruins were down by as many as seven points (11-4), but they've rallied. A Josh Shipp fastbreak layup pulled UCLA within two at 13-11 with 12:49 left.

Kevin Love is going in and out of the game with back spasms. He's scoreless with 9:06 left in the first half.

Kevin Love walked off the court awkwardly 2 1/2 minutes into the game, but as I was writing this, he already returned to the game. Love has back spasms. Stanford 7, UCLA 4; 16:22 left in the first half

John Wooden is doing well and going through his rehabilitation at a local facility, Nan Muehlhausen told a UCLA official. He was watching a John Wayne movie and awaiting the start of today's UCLA-Stanford game.

Brian Dohn is reporting that Luc Richard Mbah a Moute's left ankle injury is not as bad as originally feared. Mbah a Moute is standing at midcourt, watching the Bruins go through pre-game warmups. Mbah a Moute isn't playing today, but UCLA believes that if he's not ready for the first round of the NCAA Tournament, he would probably be ready for the second game of the tournament. Mbah a Moute said that the boot he's wearing and crutches he's using are just precautionary.

UCLA coach Ben Howland mentioned it was the likely scenario after last night's game, and now I'm told it's official Alfred Aboya will start at power forward in the place of injury Luc Richard Mbah a Moute.

UCLA still has a shot to secure the top overall seed in the NCAA Tournament with a win today against Stanford in the Pac-10 Tournament title game, especially if North Carolina loses in the ACC Tournament. But the Bruins already appear to have the No. 1 seed in the West region wrapped up, so what is the real motivation?
"We just don't want to lose,'' UCLA center Kevin Love said. "That's just the overall theme. Being such a competitive team, we're playing cards in the locker room, we're playing video games after the game, nobody ever wants to lose. That's the biggest thing on this team.
"We're so competitive no matter what it is. We're trying to go out there and win. We don't want anymore losses the rest of the season. We want to be cutting the nets down (today), and also six games after that."

UCLA played with more intensity on defense in the second half against USC, and operated more efficiently on offense in beating the Trojans. UCLA center Kevin Love said part of the reason was coach Ben Howland's halftime talk.
"He said if we don't pick it up, we're going to lose this game," Love said. "We knew with Luc out we needed to pick it up. We came out fired up because we didn't want to be in the summer, or after our season, and they're talking trash to us, and all that sort of stuff, or getting into that. We had to pick it up."

Here is the game story I wrote from UCLA's win against USC.
On O.J. Mayo's 3-point attempt to tie the game at the buzzer, Josh Shipp was guarding USC's leading scorer after a switch with Russell Westbrook. The Trojans got the ball with 23.9 seconds remaining and trailing by three points, but decided the best thing to do was have Mayo dribble the clock down, then attempt a final shot.
"I definitely thought he was going to go a lot sooner, but they didn't have a second chance to get a shot off because of that," Shipp said. "It was definitely surprising."

I ran into UCLA tight end Ryan Moya on campus during the week and said the leg injury that was part of the reason he wasn't enrolled in the fall was healed. He took the fall off of school for health and family reasons, but said he was excited to take part in spring practice.
Just from seeing him, I can tell he spent some time in the weight room and he looks ready to go.

UCLA coach Ben Howland made the decision in the second half to use Russell Westbrook more at point guard and Darren Collison at shooting guard. The reason was USC's triangle-and-2 defense, in which the Trojans played man-to-man against Collison and Shipp and zone against the rest of the Bruins.
"Coach wanted (Westbrook) to run the point because they were denying me and Josh,'' Collison said. "There was really no point in me going to the point. He had a good offensive scheme where Russell and James (Keefe) and Kevin (Love) were on top, and Russell did a good job penetrating, considering no one was on him. You can't leave a good player like that open. He's going to punish you for that, and that's what he did."

I did not see this story on our website, so while that gets fixed, here's a sidebar I wrote on UCLA's James Keefe off of the win against USC.

UCLA coach Ben Howland acknowledged it would be difficult to win the NCAA title without Luc Richard Mbah a Moute healthy, and Bruins wing Josh Shipp agreed.
"It's definitely a concern," Shipp said, "but at this point other guys have to step up if he can't play and have to keep it going."

UCLA's Alfred Aboya was impressed with the career-high 23 minutes James Keefe played in place of injured Luc Richard Mbah a Moute. Keefe didn't score, but had four rebounds and played well defensively.
“You saw the way James Keefe played, that helped us win,’’ Aboya said. “It says one thing about our team, that we’re really deep. Whatever adversity we have to face, we have people to step up and fill that gap.’’

USC shot 50 percent in the first half, but UCLA held the Trojans to 20 points on 7 of 21 shooting (33.3 percent) in the second half.
What was Bruins coach Ben Howland's message at the half?
"We got to stop giving up so many transition baskets,'' Howland said. "We were out-boarded at halftime."

UCLA improved to 30-3 overall, and is the third program in NCAA Division I history to record 30 wins in three straight seasons.
Kentucky did it in the 1940s and 1990s and Memphis has also done it the last three seasons.

Luc Richard Mbah a Moute said the sprain is in the same spot in his ankle that he sprained earlier this season against Arizona. He is not a high ankle sprain. He will not play in the title game, but is hoping to be ready for the NCAA Tournament.
Also, Bruins PG Darren Collison was poked in the left eye late in the game and said he saw "three rims" when he shot the two free throws with 23.9 seconds remaining. He was checked out by the doctor and should be fine.
Bruins coach Ben Howland said he will likely start Alfred Aboya in today's title game.

O.J. Mayo missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer and UCLA beat USC 57-54 to advance to the title game of the Pac-10 Tournament. The Bruins will play the winner of the Stanford-Washington State game.

USC is doing a better job of limiting Kevin Love's touches, and UCLA's offense has gone stagnant. Meanwhile, Dwight Lewis has made a couple of acrobatic shots to pull the Trojans within 50-45 with 6:01 remaining.
USC's O.J. Mayo is scoreless this half.

After opening the half with a 18-4 run to take a 46-38 lead with 14:43 to play, UCLA is scoreles in the last three minutes. Meanwhile, USC has only five points all half, and one field goal. Daniel Hackett's lay-in with 16:32 to play is the only bucket for Trojans, who also have three free throws from Taj Gibson but trail 46-39 with 11:32 to play.
Also, UCLA's Alfred Aboya has four fouls, which is big since Luc Richard Mbah a Moute is out with an ankle injury.

With Luc Richard Mbah a Moute on the bench with his left ankle heavily iced, James Keefe started the second half. However, it was Kevin Love who trigged the Bruins' run out of the locker room.
The Bruins scored the firs 12 points of the half to take the lead, and Love was the central figure. Following a basket by USC's Daniel Hackett with 16:32 remaining, Love hit a 3-pointer and the Bruins lead 43-36 with 15:57 to play.
Love has 11 straight points, including two old-fashioned 3-point plays and one long-range 3-pointer.

Just received word Luc Richard Mbah a Moute has a sprained left ankle and will not return. X-rays were negative.

Davon Jefferson scored nine of USC's first 11 points to help the Trojans build a 34-28 halftime lead, but the big news is UCLA's Luc Richard Mbah a Moute is in the locker room with a left ankle or knee problem.
There is no official word from UCLA yet, but he needed to be helped from the court by teammates and was immediately taken into the locker room, where he was being examined by team physician Dr. Gerald Finerman.
UCLA led 7-4 with 15:55 to play in the opening half, but the Trojans went on a 7-0 run to take the lead for good.
The Trojans' biggest lead was eight points, the last time being 32-24 with 1:57 remaining in the half after a pair of free throws from O.J. Mayo.
Russell Westbrook, Josh Shipp and Kevin Love each have six points for UCLA, which is 10 for 28 from the field, including 2 of 9 from 3-point range.
Jefferson has 12 points, and after a slow start, Mayo has eight points. The Trojans are 13 of 26 from the field.

UCLA power forward Luc Richard Mbah a Moute was injured on an attempted lay-in. The trainers are looking at his left knee, and he had to be helped from the court by Lorenzo Mata-Real and Alfred Aboya. It does not look good.
By the way, USC leads 22-18 with 6:11 to play.

UCLA's Luc Richard Mbah a Moute is having trouble against USC's Davon Jefferson, who has nine points as the Trojans lead 17-11 with 9:01 left in the first half. The Trojans are carving the Bruins defense up inside for easy baskets.

Here's a few more answers to questions that came in late:

Again, sorry for the problems that are going on. I know there are far fewer questions this week because of it, so if the situation is resolved, I'll do another Q&A over the weekend.
I am told that the old format is being restored, and that should take care of things for the next few weeks.
Now, here is the fifth set of answers:

UCLA center Kevin Love was named a first-team all-American by ESPN. Here is the release from UCLA about it:

UCLA freshman center Kevin Love has been named first-team All-America by ESPN. Joining Love on the ESPN team are Tyler Hansbrough of North Carolina, Michael Beasley of Kansas State, D.J. Augistin of Texas and Chris Douglas-Roberts of Memphis.
UCLA junior guard Darren Collison was one of five other players who received votes for the ESPN team.
Love has now made three All-America first teams -- ESPN, Sporting News and Sports Illustrated. He has also been named the USWBA District IX Player of the Year and the Pac-10 Player of the Year.

UCLA running back Kahlil Bell was a spectator at Thursday's pro day, and he said his rehab is going very well and he expects to be ready for August training camp. He said doctors used a piece of his patella tendon to repair the anterior cruciate ligament he tore in his knee last season.

UCLA offensive guard Darius Savage isn't too bad dabbling in this shot put stuff. He attained all-America status today by finishing sixth in the NCAA Indoor Championships in Fayetteville, Ark., with a personal-record throw of 61 feet, 1/4 inch. That came after he established a PR on his first throw of 60-10 3/4.
Also, Bruins teammate John Caulfield earned all-America honors with a throw of 62-2 1/2, which was good enough for a fourth place finish.

Here is the fourth set:

Here is the third installment:

Here is the second set:

First of all, I apologize to everyone for all the blog problems the last few days. I am terribly frustrated by it all, from the inability to read comments, to not being able to post comments. It very aggravating. This blog has turned into something more successful (and addictive, for me) than I imagined, so please bear with us while these issues get straightened out.
Many of you emailed me questions at brian.dohn@dailynews.com, so they will get answered today. If there are any other questions you would like answered today but cannot post a comment, please email them to me.
I'm not sure how many segments there will be today, but here is the first one:
(And, again, thanks for your patience.)

Here is the game story and a notebook, including Lorenzo Mata's Real's impact on the Cal game, that I wrote for today's paper.
Meanwhile, he's what UCLA guard Russell Westbrook said about Kevin Love's trio of 3-pointers to begin the second half.
“They packed it in on defense and it opened up the outside shot,’’ Westbrook said. “Kevin did a good job of making them.’’

After UCLA's win over Cal, reserve guard Mustafa Abdul-Hamid had teammates sign a blue and yellow ball for his friend, Andrew Benecke, who's battling cancer. Benecke and Abdul-Hamid went to the same high school in Country Day High School in St. Louis.
Abdul-Hamid learned his friend's cancer had spread to his brain and wanted to lend support.
``He was always supportive coming to our high school games,'' Abdul-Hamid said. ``I just found out through an alumni email that his cancer spread. I just wanted to send this and show him my support. People say to give flowers while you can still smell them. He's just a good kid.''
Abdul-Hamid said his friend was at MIT but had to go home while he's battling cancer.

In the last three games (two against Cal and one against Stanford) UCLA has averaged 82 points but has given up 71 as well.

UCLA is 11-0 when it shoots 40 percent or better from 3-point range. The Bruins, who have struggled from beyond the arc as of late, shot 56 percent today on 14 of 25 shots.

UCLA wing Josh Shipp sat at the podium post game with his left elbow iced. He said it was a bruise, and nothing to worry about.
"I just fell down to the floor,'' Shipp said. "It was on a scramble. I dove for a ball and got up, and was tripped and went back down."

UCLA assistant coach Donny Daniels is interested in the vacant head coaching position at Loyola Marymount, according to sources.

Cal got down early and it snowballed from there. The Bears allowed the Bruins to shoot 53 percent from the field and 56 percent from 3-point range. UCLA took 25 3-point attempts and made 14.
``You have to go out and perform against them,'' Braun said. ``Our enegery was good. Our focus was good. Fatigue is a challenge, and you have to overcome that, but it's tough. In preparing for UCLA, you can't lose sight of the team that they are and how well you have to play. They're a good basketball team, and they've proven that.''

There are about 2,000 tickets available for tomorrow's UCLA-USC game and about 3,800 for the championship game on Saturday. Tickets can be purchased through TicketMaster and the Staples Center box office.

Lorenzo Mata-Real played 14 minutes in the first half because Kevin Love was in foul trouble. He had three blocked shots in the first half and tied a career-high with four in the game.
``I felt like my old self,'' Mata-Real said.

Kevin Love insisted UCLA has something to play for tomorrow against USC, although the Bruins surely locked up a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament with today's dominant win over Cal.
``Our series is tied 1-1,'' Love said. ``We have something to prove.''

UCLA put the finishing touches on its victory - a 22-point win over the Bears.
What did you guys think?
USC is up next.

It won't be official for another five minutes or so, but UCLA will play USC in the semifinals for the right to play for the Pac-10 Tournament championship. UCLA and USC have never met in the Pac-10 Tournament. The Trojans played before the Bruins Thursday, so they were here at Staples Center watching most of UCLA's thrashing of Cal. UCLA leads by 30 points - 78-48 - with 4:28 left.

UCLA has made 8 of 12 3-pointers against Cal. You read that right. It's a stark contrast for a team that was having so much trouble with its outside shot. The Bruins have made 66 percent from behind the arc. UCLA shot 33 percent from 3-point range during the Pac-10 season. And by the way, UCLA has a comfortable 57035 lead with 13:24 left.

Those who did not participate in UCLA's pro day were offensive lineman Chris Joseph, linebacker Christian Taylor and defensive tackle Kevin Brown.
Joseph, who was awarded a post-graduate scholarship, said he is not going to pursue football, but will work toward a career field in geology.
Taylor continues to recover from offseason arm surgery and is uncertain what he will do in regards to a football career.
Meanwhile, Brown, who had hip surgery, said he is close to 100 percent but chose not to participate in the workouts because he wasn't in shape to do so. Instead, he will try to attend an April 1 pro day at the Home Depot Center, or try to participate in a pro day at USC in early April.

It can be brutal if you're a public figure walking about Staples Center. At halftime, a fan yelled to Rick Neuheisel: ``Hey, Rick. How much money do you have on the game?''
Neuheisel replied: ``Come on, be a good sport.''

The Bruins lead by 14 at halftime. Kevin Love has just two points, but he picked up two fouls and sat out much of the first half. The story for UCLA is that the Bruins are shooting 62.5 percent from 3-point range on 5 of 8 shooting, and Collison has three of those.

Rick Neuheisel is here at UCLA's game...sitting courtside under one of the baskets at Staples Center.

The Bruins are shooting 60 percent from 3-point range (3 of 5). UCLA knows it must shoot better to advance deep into the tournament. Shipp seems to have found his confidence after the circus shot over the backboard to beat Cal. UCLA went on a 8-0 run and leads 27-17 with 4:41 left.

UCLA built a big lead early, but Cal answered with a 7-0 run. The Bears trail 19-15. Westbrook, Collison and Shipp all have drained 3-pointers for UCLA.

A few UCLA players remarked at the large number of NFL scouts out today. I was told the official number was between 30 and 35.
Here's some 40 times from some of the players out there:
WR Brandon Breazell was timed between 4.29 and 4.39, depending on the stop watch holder
DE/LB Bruce Davis was in the 4.6s
CB Trey Brown was in the 4.6s
WR Junior Taylor was in the 4.6s
Dennis Keyes was in the mid 4.5s
OL Brian Abraham was in the 5.1s
OL Noah Sutherland was 4.96
DB/KR Matt Slater was 4.41
CB Rodney Van ran in the 4.5s, but said that was the only part of the workout he wasn't happy about.

Nikola Dragovic is already in the game...and it's just 13 minutes, 25 seconds old. UCLA is on a 9-0 run. The Bruins built a 16-4 lead over Cal and are rolling.

Kevin Love made like a guard, stole the ball at midcourt and made an uncontested two-handed dunk to give UCLA a 4-2 lead, then Josh Shipp, who has struggled mightily with his outside shooting, drained a 3-pointer from the right wing. UCLA leads 7-2 with 15:52 left.

No. 4 seed USC beat No. 5 seed Arizona State 59-55 in the first quarterfinal of the Pac-10 Tournament, setting the stage for a possible matchup with top-seed UCLA on Friday at 6 p.m. It would be the first time the Bruins and Trojans met in the Pac-10 Tournament, but the Bruins first need to beat No. 9 seed California today.

Former UCLA quarterback Drew Olson was at pro day, at the request of former receiver Junior Taylor.
Olson, who is now with the San Franicsco 49ers, came down to throw to the receivers at UCLA's pro day.
"We needed a quarterback to throw to the receivers, and he was good enough to fly down and do it,'' Taylor said. "He cleared it with his team, and then came down and did it. It was nice to be catching passes from him again."

For those that had (or are having) problems asking a question for the Q&A, try to ask it here, or email it to me at brian.dohn@dailynews.com. Again, sorry the problems.

UCLA wing Josh Shipp was asked about the mojo of the Bruins after the wins against Stanford and Cal last week.
"After this weekend, I definitely feel like we have some destiny going on right now,'' he said.

Just a quick update before I head over to the Pac-10 Tournament.
From talking to some scouts and players, the guys who helped themselves the most at today's pro day was receiver Brandon Breazell (4.3s 40-yard dash), safety Chris Horton (improved vert. jump four inches to 32, broad jump 10 inches to 9 feet, 11 inches), safety Rodney Van (timed well in everything but the 40) and receiver Junior Taylor, who did his first full workout as he continues to recover from knee surgery.
I will have more later today.

UCLA junior power forward Luc Richard Mbah a Moute recorded double-doubles in wins against Stanford and Cal last week, and Bruins big man Kevin Love spoke about Mbah a Moute's resurgence since getting back from a concussion and an ankle injury.
"I think he's a lot more motivated,'' Love said. "Coming to crunch time -- it's sad to say, but sometimes people step up their game even more rather than doing it the whole season. But I',m not calling him out at all because of the fact that now he's 100 percent healthy. His girlfriend was here, too, so I think that gave him a little bit more incentive. He's stepping up right now."
So what makes Mbah a Moute such a good rebounder?
"He never gives up,'' Love said. "He's 6-7, 6-8. He's really long. He's really athletic. He just goes after them. He's really aggressive."
But is he better than Love?
"No, I don't think he's better than me at rebounding,'' Love said with a smile. "I'm big and wide and have a little bit extra size on him, but he does a lot of stuff out there."

After defeating Washington last night, California is ready to take on UCLA today in the quarterfinals of the Pac-10 tournament in a rematch of Saturday's controversial Bruins win.
But Bruins PG Darren Collison said his team is ready.
"We're going to be up for this game,'' he said. "We're going to be excited. We wanted to win the Pac-10 tournament last year. I want to win every game that comes our way. We have to do everything we're supposed to. We're here to go out and prove it."

UCLA PG Darren Collison said there should be no concern the Bruins are not interested in the Pac-10 Tournament since winning the Pac-10 regular season title. He added playing Cal today is motivation since the Bears beat UCLA in the Pac-10 tourney last season.
"Last year, it hurt us bad,'' Collison said. "Yeah, we got to the Final Four, but the fact we could have had a No. 1 seed and we fell to a No. 2 seed ...losing to Cal that first game, I remember guys coming back from the game, it was painful. It was real painful. We don't want that to happen again"
Collison said practices leading up the NCAA Tournament were much more demanding than the previous season, when the Bruins won the Pac-10 Tournament.
"(Coach Ben Howland) did not go easy on practices,'' Collison said. "I think that is why we had a good run. We can't lose that first game in the (Pac-10) tournament. We cannot."

I'm out at UCLA's pro day, and just wanted to give a quick update that WR Brandon Breazell ran well in the 40-yard dash. Some scouts had him at 4.38, and others at 4.39.