Heating Up?

UCLA senior forward Nikola Dragovic credited the extra time he's been able to put in the gym during the winter break for spurring his recent hot streak, as he has increased his scoring average by nearly two points per game over the last three games.

After scoring just 63 points in UCLA's first eight games - with a low point coming on an 0-for-9, zero-point performance against Mississippi State in a 72-54 loss on Dec. 12 - Dragovic has averaged 17 points per game in the team's three-game winning streak.

He also said, though, that his off-the-court distractions are now fully past him and he's been able to concentrate on basketball.

"It felt like old times," Dragovic said of his 23-point outburst against Arizona State. "It felt good, (like) last year, the Pac-10. These past two years I had problems in the same area of the year. But (it's) the new year, everything settled down and I have it out of my mind."