Howland wants one breezer
I asked Ben Howland last night about the team seemingly finding a 'fifth gear,' the ability to not just get back into a game but to sail past the other team, like the Bruins did last night, and his answer was very revealing about the wear-and-tear of the season.
"I sure hope so," Howland responded. "But I'd love to have an easy game where we're in control the whole game. I'm just praying we have a game like that sometime. Every one is tooth and nail. I just thought this was a trap game coming into it. I'm just really thankful that we're able to come back and win the game tonight."
What spurred the question?
After back-to-back impressive wins over USC and St. John's, the Bruins came out flatter than a sheet of paper against Oregon, trailing by eight at one point. But UCLA did not only come back, they soared right past the Ducks, outscoring Oregon 39-26 in the second half.
It appeared to me that the Bruins are finding another level, not just meandering around and hoping for a win, as it seemed they did earlier in the year.
love howland, but the last thing he needs is a breezy win so he can slow the game down to a grinding halt for the last 10 minutes as he calls plays from the bench.
The best thing he has done so far this year is allow his players the ability to improve and pick up the pace on offense.
His love of control will make it a constant battle not to go back to the collison dribble the shot clock down to 5 offense he was more comfortable with, but he must resist that urge and realize the way he is doing things now is the right way.
Bruins show 58% free throws last night. Was that a record low?
I'll take a brezzer any day of the week. Too bad there aren't any in the Pac-10.
The team I see right now would never have lost to VCU, Montana, or Kansas. Imagine if we were 20-4 and had wins over Kansas, BYU, and St. Johns? We'd be in the top 10.
That said, I like going into the tourney as the "underdog." Just don't like that we will likely hit OSU in the second round.