Post-game quickies

good, good win over a team who usually plays UCLA tough. Taj Gibson will likely be decent in the NBA, he is a great college player as much as i hate to admit it.

Thank goodness Dragovic will be starting now, Keefe just did absolutely nothing for the offense, and i think theyre defensive skills are just about even.

And, I LOVE Collison and his 6:1 assist to turnover ratio, thats awesome. And 39 minutes. He will probably have a career in the NBA as well.

Looked to me like Lee was still injured. As he warmed up he was limping(especially before the second half) and he kept rubbing his knee while on the bench.

Great win!

Hell of a game for Nikola

gibson is 6-9/225. he's no center, he's a pf who'll get eaten up on O and D.

ya i think taj got game. dunno about pros, he is longer than his height tho. timmeh (floyd) may be a good x's & o's guy, but i dont think he develops players, taj couldve been a killer college player, his skillz are still raw.

im conflicted about drago. im so used to raggin on him, but he made a few plays tonight. but, i think it should be illegal for keefe and drago to be in at the same time! that is NOT how a ucla team should look like...its slow, unskilled, anti-dis-un-a-not-athletic, and just plain ugly. it pains me to see it, i have to say. we need LRM. gordon should definitely get more PT. comon, let him develop now rather than later, hes gotta be our man down the stretch, NOT drago or keefe.

i noticed i was yelling, "omg, BOOXX OOUUTTT!!" a lot.

and whats up with shipp? he seems like half the player that he used to be. i expect and demand more from him! (and to a lesser extent, roll)

DC is our steady court general, luv him.

holiday is a winner. period. that one bank high off the glass is big-time my friend. i luv how he lets the game come to him, he doesnt force it and is not an attention-whore. im proud that hes a bruin. did they say he was on the high school gospel choir? or was that someone else?

luv the win, sc is always tough for us. but, i hope we blossom far past this point for the tourney, we're not ready!

GO BRUINZ!!!!

Crowd was very much into it. During SC's run in the middle of the second half it sounded as if the Trojan crowd noise was coming down from the roof. But as usual ucla got the last roar, the scattered bruins throughout joining in a choruse of uc--la at the end.

This ucla team is not nearly as good as last year's. I kept saying how SC had more of an inside presence than ucla's. But I was surprised at ucla's 3-point ability, perhaps the best in some time. Maybe Dragovic does not usually shoot that well, I only follow bruin basketball when it plays SC, but he looked mighty confident and he put the dagger in the Trojans' heart. And Collison, what can you say?-- darting, cutting, shifting around, SC could not keep up with him.

Overall, an entertaining game. Nobody left early. SC looks as if it is a man or two short to compete effectively in the Pac-10 but if Washington returns intact it could still contend for a tournament bid. ucla is going to lose some Pac-10 games, this is no juggernaut, and it will probably be a 4-seed at best. National championship?-- uuhhh, maybe next year bruins.

LJ

Uh, Brian, not to suggest I have a crystal ball or anything but remember I asked in the Q&A whether Nicola would be starting soon or not . . . what changed Coach Howland's decision here?

Lawyer john, I didn't want to comment but you make it impossible for me not to. first you say this: "I only follow bruin basketball when it plays SC" then you follow up with your expert opinion on how our season will shake out and what you think our tourney seeding will be. What seed did you predict for us in 2006? Sounds like you've only seen one UCLA game this year, so what do you know about us? It's basketball season now, so if you don't care about UCLA basketball then get off the blog. We'll see you in August.

Drew Gordon is my new hero. He gets the UCLA-USC rivalry. Something I don't think Kevin Love ever understood.

The way Gibson and Hackett put on the angry scowl and rejoiced after each basket they made and the way the crowd went nuts when SoCal took the lead, one might think basketball actually mattered to Troy. Men 64-60...Women 87-75. Enjoy your first day back to school. Fight on! The only thing about Dragovic is he shot like 4 for 13. That's horrible.

You could tell who the bruins were at the game last night, even without their identifying marks-- you know, full of attitude and negativity, and in the end blow-hardedness. Winning with dignity is not a bruins' trademark.

Add to that 'hypocrisy.' There was at least an element of intention regarding the blow to Hackett. And no matter how hard Hackett plays he does not throw head blows. He did not deserve that and everyone in attendance agreed, including the bruins except for a few hard-headed ones.

ONLYTHESPOOF

apparently there are many sore loser trojan fans like ONLYTHESPOOF who dont know how to lose with dignity.

I was annoyed by the bruin offense again, esp towards the end of the game, where they keep dribbling and passing the ball around the perimeters till time is about to run out and someone just heaves up a prayer shot. that has become almost like a trademark of the bruins half court offense. they appear to be so tentative at times and overly cautious. i think it has a lot to do with CBH's intolerance of turnovers, and a player goes back to the bench if they commit a turnover, which makes them overly cautious and afraid to take risks and only wait for safe shots. this does not bode well for the rest of the season if the offense continues to be so anemic.

I forgot about Drew's Hackett whacking until just now. That was awesome. Hackett is the whiniest kid i've ever see on a basketball court. He always gets really frustrated and looks like he's going to cry. I won't be surprised if someone in the Pac 10 (preferable not a bruin) decides to pull a Brooks-Appleby on him this year.

SPOOF's right, Bruins don't know how to win with class like us Trojans. And remember - always watch your 6 after a USC win, or you might get "Maualuga'd!"

"blowhardedness"? seriously?

Also, I can't think of a dirtier player than hacket. Did he deserve an elbow to the face? Of course not. But let's not turn this into something bigger than it was. Drew hit him with the inside of his elbow and without much force. Players get hit harder every time they go down the court. Hacket reacted like mike Tyson hit him with a left hook. Much like sasha v, you stop getting those calls if you go into histrionics everytime someone makes contact with you.

Hackett isn't a dirty player, but he is "cheap." Surprised his tossing aside of Collison's shoe hasn't been mentioned yet in this thread. Also, he likes to throw his arms up into a defender in order to try to draw fouls. That stuff worked against Georgia Tech, but the refs are catching on. He got the call once against Jerime Anderson, but I don't think he got it against anyone else. Hackett's no whiner, but he does have a knack for getting under people's skin.

Dustin, nice comparison of Hackett and Vujecic.

I did see Hackett low-bridge someone last year. This is a play that can be very dangerous and anyone who plays recreationally, leads to a lot of fights.

Strange how his idol is Jordan, yet can anyone imagine Jordan waving his arms and/or snapping his head every time someone touched him? Just play ball.

ONLYTHESPOOF sounds like a trojan from head to toe, especially with idiotic comments.

It is clear that Trojans cannot win with dignity. We also have examples that they cannot lose with dignity. I'm curious "SPOOF", what did you think about the cheap shot Leonard Washington gave to Blake Griffin? Seems like Griffin being the best player in college basketball didn't sit well with the bum Washington so he hit him in the "family Jewels".

Another case of trojan dignity?