Howland: Letdown? What letdown?
A week ago, UCLA followed a crucial Pac-10 season-opening win over Arizona State with a dud against Arizona, a classic letdown game to most but anything but to head coach Ben Howland.
After a stunning, buzzer-beating 76-75 win at Cal on Wednesday, UCLA is wary of another letdown at Stanford today at 3 p.m.
Again, perhaps letdown is not the right word.
"It wasn't as much a letdown as much as we didn't play well," Howland said, matter-of-factly. "I thought Arizona took it right at us and played pretty well. You can't just say it was us having a letdown; I think Arizona forced some of our poor play."
The Cardinal will attempt to do the same.
The good news for UCLA? They had an extra day to prepare.
In the midst of the lone Wednesday-Saturday tilt on the Bruins' conference schedule, the team made good work of its extra day, devoting extra time to free-throw shooting, a nagging thorn in head coach Ben Howland's side.
UCLA is shooting just 61 percent from the foul line with even its best shooter, senior forward Nikola Dragovic, ringing in at a pedestrian .767 clip.
While senior guard Michael Roll's desperation shot to beat Cal was the biggest bright spot in a season of dark chasms, it masks the fact that the Bruins could have iced the game with better foul shooting.
"It's just continuing to shoot them," Howland said. "It hurt us the other night. We had a chance to go up six; all of a sudden they have a lead. So each player shot 100 yesterday. It's pretty easy - no one's guarding you, you're 15 feet away, you're straight on and it's a matter of having a routine you follow."
Free-throw shooting is a solitary pursuit, man versus himself.
UCLA's win over Cal was anything but.
As they prepared for Stanford (7-7, 1-1), the Bruins remembered the cohesiveness they displayed in coming back from a 12-point deficit.
"We definitely want to get a sweep on this road trip," Roll said. "Winning at Cal wouldn't be as good by losing to Stanford. Just the way we played together - it felt like everyone stepped up at a different time. From the beginning of this year, a lot of us haven't played together all that much. That comes with time."
of course, but that's in no way ironic, Captain.
Hey Jon-I was wondering if UCLA has had either Bill Walton or Kareem work with their centers-especially Bobo. Thanks.