March 2011 Archives

* Junior OL Jeff Baca was carted off the field after suffering a left ankle injury during practice, and his status is unknown. Connor Bradford and Stan Hasiak saw the action as Baca's backups at left tackle.

* QB Watch: Richard Brehaut had a really good practice but bore the brunt of several dropped passes. Brehaut delivered a few crisp deep balls, but he hit the check-downs better today, and seemed to feel the pocket pretty well. Brett Hundley was good but not great, though he did have one absolutely sensational deep throw that was .... dropped.

* The guy I hyped up all year last year, Jordon James, opened some eyes today. He has great burst and hits the hole at the right time, showing little hesitation. If you come out to practice, watch out for No. 6 in white.

* Seemed like everyone had the drops today, though there also seems to be some progress in the catch-and-run department. Josh Smith had a great catch, Taylor Embree caught a nice ball in traffic and Cory Harkey had a good grab. Also, John Young, the tight end out of Loyola who missed all of last season after shoulder surgery, had three catches and looked like a real focal point. I had a good interview with him after practice that I'll post tomorrow.

* Stan McKay got plenty of reps with the first-team defense alongside Tony Dye, and Rick Neuheisel said after practice that the safety position is very fluid and there will be plenty of mixing and matching.

* Interviews in the next few days with Young, Anthony Barr and Rahim Moore from Pro Day, as well as Neuheisel's post-practice comments. I'll be out of town for a few days, and we'll have Gerry Gittelson out at practice on Saturday and Monday. I'll be back Tuesday.

From UCLA: This email was sent to members of The Den, UCLA's student athletic support group, to announce decisions made after a survey of The Den members and several months of working with various campus student and non-student groups. The changes are designed to enhance the student experience at UCLA athletic events.

Dear Members of The Den:

This past December, the UCLA Athletic Department asked you to participate in a survey regarding the student experience at our athletic events. The results were very informative and we want to thank all of you who participated. Over the past few months, we have been working with numerous campus student and non-student groups to implement many of the survey's findings.

Today's email is to report to you the results of the past few months. The new programs are all designed to create the greatest athletic student environment in all of collegiate athletics.

To fully examine the survey findings and the resulting decisions, the Athletic Department worked in cooperation with the Undergraduate Students Association Council (USAC), specifically Undergraduate Student Association President Jasmine Hill. She, along with fellow council members helped to identify and establish student focus groups that enabled us to vet ideas and concepts. We also discussed potential changes with The Den student leadership, Wooden Center Board of Governors, ASUCLA staff leadership, cheer and band leadership, and the Rally Committee.

Beginning in the 2011-12 season, UCLA Athletics will implement several new programs listed below, all with the goal of enhancing the student experience.

When new Pauley opens, there will be a specified student entrance for members of The Den at new Pauley enhanced with special graphics;

Creation of a Student Event Enhancement Committee, consisting of members of various constituent groups that will consult with the Athletic Department on ways of creating and maintaining a student environment second-to-none on a regular basis;

The return of a single-game student ticket price. Over the past few years, student seats were sold only on a season basis and if students wanted to attend a game without a season pass, they had to pay the regular fan price. This past season, UCLA instituted a price of just $99 for The Den season pass, which provided students the opportunity to attend all home football and basketball games. As a result of the survey, UCLA reinstituted a single-game student ticket priced at $12 during this past Pac-10 basketball season and will continue this going forward. Home football games will also have single game student pricing. The Den season pass for football and basketball will also remain as the best value option.

The chips on the shoulders of Rahim Moore and Akeem Ayers have grown and grown and grown, and they looked like they were about to burst out on Tuesday afternoon.

Both had one last major showcase for NFL scouts at Spaulding Field for UCLA's Pro Day, and both felt like they addressed some of the concerns that have been labeled on them.

Ayers had to deal with worries caused by a poor performance at the NFL Combine, a showing that raised some concern about his speed. After running both of his 40-yard-dashes at the combine in the 4.8s, Ayers was clocked at anywhere from 4.69 to the mid 4.7s on Monday and improved in his bench press and vertical jump, which measured at 34 1/2 inches.

"For a football player, you look at the film, you can see what I can do," the former UCLA all-conference linebacker said. "Obviously I'm not on the field running a 4.8. If you look at the film, you just see what type of football player I am and gauge from there. At the end of the day, turn on the film, watch me play, see what I can do as a football player, which is what I'm going to be doing on Sundays with whichever team drafts me."

To his credit, Ayers did not dodge questions about his combine performance and accepted the criticisms on his game. But he also spent nearly a month trying to address those critiques, and he drew rave reviews from scouts during his individual workouts.

"It was just something I should have prepared myself better for," Ayers said about the combine. "It wasn't that I didn't work hard. I did everything I could. It's more that I needed to prepare myself better mentally and physically, as far as recovering. ... I think I did well (today). I improved all my numbers. Hopefully the scouts out here see how hard I worked and how much I want to compete to get better."

Moore, meanwhile, showed up at Pro Day weighing 207 pounds, up five from the NFL Combine in late-February, and improved his bench press from 11 reps at 225 pounds to 16. After running unofficial 40-yard-dash times of 4.53 and 4.62 at the combine, Moore chose to focus on his strength and agility training, deciding not to run the 40.

"Sometimes I feel like people underestimate me," said Moore, a two-time All-American at safety for the Bruins, though pro scouts have inquired about his ability to play cornerback.
"Some people think I'm weak, which is fine with me because it makes me work harder. I want to be the underdog, I want to be underrated. I want to be underestimated. It brings the best out of me. I'm fine where I am."

Moore is currently slated in the mid-second round in most mock drafts, but an NFL scout from a team drafting in the late first round showed intense interest in Moore after he completed his drills at Pro Day.

"I wanted to show them I could move and that I am what I am, I'm a safety-slash-corner," Moore said. "I did my best at the combine and did my best here."

* Just a head's up before we start. You guys are going to have to bear with me on the post-practice reports, as there's no wireless internet at Spaulding Field anymore, and I'm going to have to improvise. I'll try to get them as quick as possible, but at this point, I don't know how fast that is.

* Overall there seemed to be good enthusiasm and energy for much of the day, but it got tailed off at the end, and some coaches started getting a bit chippy.

* New OC Mike Johnson: "On both sides of the ball, we're trying to execute, trying to push the tempo, trying to get the guys to play with a different mindset. Today was a different first day. I think it was a shock to the system with the tempo. It was OK for first three quarters of practice, but then they got fatigued and they dropped off. But that's to be expected - until they learn to play this way consistently, that's what's going to happen."

* Richard Brehaut and Brett Hundley both looked decent in UCLA's first spring practice, but neither wowed. Brehaut overthrew some passes, Hundley underthrew some, and they pretty much performed as you'd expect for their particular situations - Brehaut the maligned junior, Hundley the much-hyped freshman. Both had a number of really nice throws, and I have little doubt that this will be a back-and-forth battle throughout the spring.

* Hundley: "We have a new offensive coordinator, defensive coordinator, brought new coaches in, and the whole mentality is to get UCLA to where it needs to be. I mean, 7-6, we're not looking for that type of season. We're looking to be the first Pac-12 champions. Today started everything changing. We're putting UCLA back to where it needs to be."

* Still too many drops among the wide receivers, but a couple look noticeably different - Morrell Presley is getting bigger and bigger and Josh Smith looked really fast out there, and not at all hampered as he was constantly last season.

* Saw a few really good breaks on the ball by Aaron Hester, and Tony Dye looks like he's going to be a really good player next year. His body is filling out where it needs to be, and he's taking more of a vocal role. He's a big key to the season, as he needs to not only become an all-conference player, but also replace Rahim Moore's vocal prowess.

* Check throughout tomorrow for videos, including Richard Brehaut, Rick Neuheisel and Tony Dye.

UCLA junior guard Malcolm Lee said he was declaring for the NBA Draft during a conference call with reporters on Tuesday, but added that he was not going to hire an agent.

Lee, who is coming off left knee surgery, said he will take until the May 8 deadline to pull out of the draft before making his decision. He is in the process of rehabilitating his knee - which required surgery to fix a small cartilage tear and small miniscus cartilage tear, suffered in the team's regular-season ending win over Washington State - and hopes to be ready for individual workouts that start on April 28.

"I consulted with my family and mentors like that, but the deciding factor was saying I'm a junior and I felt I made a lot of improvement from last year," Lee said. "I felt like it was just right."

Lee said his AAU coach was in the process of interviewing potential agents, but he said he wasn't going to hire one in the interim. Sophomore forward Tyler Honeycutt declared for the draft on Monday but will hire an agent, ending his college eligibility.

UCLA head coach Ben Howland said he thought it was Lee made the right decision based on the fact that he has the option to return his senior year, when the Bruins are projected to be among the top teams in the country.

Lee submitted a questionnaire to NBA executives yesterday that will give him feedback on his current draft prospects, Howland said, and he should have the results in 7-10 days.

"I don't think it hurts Malcolm at all," said Howland, who also added that he expects sophomore forward Reeves Nelson to return after their discussion. "He's leaving open the option to come back to school if he doesn't get the feedback he wants to hear. His classes are Tuesday and Thursday, and he should be good to go in terms of being back to full strength by the time they are starting to work guys out, which at the earliest is April 28th."

Most mock drafts have Lee anywhere from the early second round to undrafted, but Lee's sensational defense could find him a first-round suitor. Lee averaged 13.1 points on 43.7 percent shooting and added 3.1 rebounds as an All-Pac-10 first-team selection for the Bruins, who advanced to the third round of the NCAA Tournament.

But it was Lee's defense that drew rave reviews, as the all-defensive team pick was called the "best perimeter defender in the country" by Howland on several occasions.

"I feel like I'm a first-round draft pick, but my opinion doesn't mean anything," Lee said. "If I'm not a first-round draft pick, as of right now, I feel like I can improve my stock in the workouts."

Lee said he is unconcerned about a potential NBA lockout, and that it will not affect his decision. However, he did say that the team's potential for next season - even with Honeycutt off to the draft, most Pac-10 observers believe UCLA should be at the top of the conference next year - could be a factor in his return.

"That's definitely on my mind," Lee said. "Just knowing what our team could be with me.
The potential this team has could be could be a deciding factor. But if I were not to come back it could be a top team still because we do still have talent."

Howland added some more talent on Monday, only it will be delayed a year.

Former Taft High and North Carolina point guard Larry Drew II enrolled at UCLA on Monday and will redshirt next season before becoming eligible as a senior in 2012-13.

Drew abruptly left North Carolina in early February after his playing time diminished and he lost the starting role to freshman Kendall Marshall.

Drew averaged 4.4 points and 3.9 assists in 22.8 minutes per game as a junior, down from 8.5 points, 5.9 rebounds and 28.8 minutes per game in 2009-10.

"We're excited to have Larry Drew in the program," Howland said. "I think he'll be a good addition. Gives us a point guard in a class we need it as we move past next year. I'm excited about our team next year. We won't know Malcolm's decision until sometime around May 8. Then I'll have a better feel."

From UCLA:

Bruin head coach Ben Howland announced today that Larry Drew II attended class at UCLA today, the first day of class for the Spring quarter. He will be on scholarship for the 2011-12 season, one he will have to sit out for the entire year, due to the NCAA rules on four-year transfers (North Carolina). He will become available when the Bruins return to Pauley Pavilion for the 2012-13 season.

"We are very excited about the addition of Larry Drew II to our program," UCLA Head Coach Ben Howland said. "He is an outstanding player and a really good kid. He is a great person and I think that he will be a great player for the Bruins in his final season of eligibility."

"It feels great to be back home," Larry Drew II said. "I had a great learning experience at North Carolina and they taught me a lot. I'm looking forward to getting a fresh start at UCLA and I'm happy to be a Bruin. Next year will give me time to focus on my academics and of course, train with the team."

Former North Carolina guard Larry Drew II has enrolled at UCLA and will redshirt next season, sources confirmed Monday afternoon. Drew left the Tar Heels abruptly in February amid frustrations with playing time, after his numbers dropped drastically from his sophomore season.

Drew averaged 4.4 points and 3.9 assists in 22.8 minutes per game as a junior, down from 8.5 points, 5.9 rebounds and 28.8 minutes per game in 2009-10.

The Taft High product will sit out the 2011-12 season - both Lazeric Jones and Jerime Anderson will be seniors - but will be available in 2012-13, though he will be on scholarship next season.

Tyler Honeycutt will declare for the NBA Draft and will hire an agent, the UCLA sophomore forward said during a conference call with reporters on Monday.

The Sylmar High product was long rumored to be planning on leaving for the NBA, despite a possible work stoppage, after an All-Pac-10 first team season.

Honeycutt averaged 12.8 points, 7.2 rebounds and 2.1 blocks in 35 minutes per game as a sophomore in helping lead the Bruins to the third round of the NCAA Tournament, a year after the team went 14-18.

UCLA's best pitch to Honeycutt was the potential for next year's team, but Honeycutt cited what is projected to be a weak draft class as the catalyst for his decision.

"It wasn't really conflicting," Honeycutt said. "The biggest X-factor, the thing that would keep me, is the team next year and how good we could be. It could be a great team, but I feel like what's best for me is to leave this year."

Honeycutt met with UCLA head coach Ben Howland on Monday to discuss his plans, and got his blessing to leave, the latest in a long line of recent Bruin early entries.

Recent mock drafts have Honeycutt anywhere from the mid-first round to the early second round, but his play in the NCAA Tournament might have turned some heads. Honeycutt had 29 points, nine rebounds, nine assists, seven blocks and four steals in two tournament games as the Bruins beat Michigan State and lost to Florida.

Honeycutt said he was aiming for the lottery and was going to sign with an agent to maximize his preparation for the draft. Honeycutt said the biggest knock that he's heard has been on his 6-8, 188-pound frame, and how it will react to the rigors of the NBA.

"I think I'll fit in well," Honeycutt said. "The factor for me is physically at the next level, which I plan to work on, dedicating every day to being the best player I can be. That's probably the biggest knock on me - people talk about my frame."

Howland tried to dissuade Honeycutt from making the decision because of the possible NBA lockout, which will affect incoming rookies tremendously, eliminating crucial summer workouts.

Now Howland will set to work on the team's other potential early entries, junior guard Malcolm Lee and sophomore forward Reeves Nelson. Nelson implied he was leaning toward returning for his junior season after the NCAA Tournament run, but Lee was non-committal on his return.

"I just wish Tyler the very best," Howland said. "He did a great job for us these past two years. He's worked very hard, I think he improved a lot. He made a big jump from the end of his freshman year until now.

"He will always be a Bruin, and when he is done, I want him to make sure he comes back and finishes his degree here at UCLA, which he said he would."

Here are the five biggest spring football questions for the offense:

* Can Richard Brehaut blossom at the helm...or does Brett Hundley sneak up on him?
With Kevin Prince and Darius Bell out for spring ball, and Nick Crissman on a "pitch count," Brehaut and Hundley are going to get the reps at quarterback. Brehaut, the returning starter, at the helm for seven games, results mixed, and Hundley, the freshman wunderkind. All eyes will be on Hundley, but the flashlight will be just as bright on Brehaut, who appeared to be coming on at the end of last season, with 551 yards and four touchdowns vs. two interceptions in his last two games.

* Will a reliable wide receiver please stand up?
Perhaps the Bruins' most perplexing unit in 2010, which featured dozens of drops but some impressive connections late in the year. New offensive coordinator Mike Johnson has said that he will enter spring ball with a clean slate, and that could open the doors for some wideouts who were lower on the depth chart last season. With the entire cavalry returning - Seniors Nelson Rosario, Taylor Embree and Josh Smith, juniors Randall Carroll, Jerry Johnson (out for spring ball) and sophomores Ricky Marvray and Shaquelle Evans (transfer from Notre Dame, out for spring ball - there is once again high hopes for the unit. Will they be dashed again?

* Is this actually a good offensive line?

No single unit has befuddled UCLA as much as the offensive line over the last few years, but a couple of returning players - and one important bonus - should give Bruin fans hope that there is finally an intimidating unit up front. With Jeff Baca and Kai Maiava back in the fold, Sean Sheller getting a sixth year from the NCAA, Mike Harris returning for his senior year with 28 starts and Chris Ward coming off a solid freshman season, UCLA has much to be excited about. But, as is always the case, a couple injuries or academic casualties, and everything unravels. The offensive line is a fickle beast.

Welcome to Extreme Makeover: UCLA Edition.

Entering his fourth spring football session, UCLA head coach Rick Neuheisel has taken a scalpel to his coaching staff.

Offensive coordinator Norm Chow? Gone.

Defensive coordinator Chuck Bullough? Gone.

Defensive line coach Todd Howard and wide receivers coach Reggie Moore? Gone, gone.

Special teams coordinator Frank Gansz? Gone.

It's a surprise the ballboys haven't been pink-slipped, but then again, the season doesn't start until September.

All this, after a 4-8 season, Neuheisel's second in three years at the helm of his alma mater. All this, after the Bruins slipped to 100th nationally (out of 120 teams) in total offense and 94th in total defense.

"It's an important time for us, given all the changes we've made staff-wise," Neuheisel said in a conference call with reporters last week. "For the coaching staff to get to learn how to play off each other - and make (sure) the new schemes that we'd like to incorporate on both sides of the ball (are) involved - are huge deals."

Some of you may recall about a year ago, when I posted this story about my former Thousand Oaks High teammate - and one of my best friends - Corey Mazza, who had decided to join the United States Marine Corps.

Corey's beloved grandfather, Gino, had just passed away, and we were all greatly affected. Gino was a wonderful man, still is in our hearts and minds, and even as we watched Corey walk down the aisle with his beautiful wife late last year, we thought of him.

Well, now the day has come for Corey, and he's handling it better than I am.

Corey is leading a unit to Afghanistan, and in typical Corey fashion, had this to say:

"I am bringing 48 men over and am bringing 48 back. End of story. Thank you for the prayers for our family as we depart on our journey...Semper Fidelis!"

I'm reposting the story of Corey and Gino that I wrote in the Daily News a while back, because it deserves reposting. I've never been more proud of a story. I've never been more proud of a man.

Come back safely, Corey. We love you. 48-for-48.

On Special Teams:
"Jeff is out for the spring, hip surgery 100 percent successful, he'll be ready to go in the fall. But for the duration of spring the focus will be on Kip Smith and the field goal duties. We'll work him also as a kickoff guy. Remember also that Kip Smith is a great field goal kicker as well. We've got an ace up our sleeve there."

On the new holder:
"I had asked if Jeff could hold - Jeff is a holder - but they don't want him to be in way shape or form in harms way, so Alex Masceranas will be the holder for spring football."

On Sean Sheller:
"It was the fair ruling because Sean missed two of his seasons with injury. the NCAA did the right thing and we appreciate that. I know Sean appreciates it. He's kind of had a second, a rebirth of sorts in terms of his football career. He had some real hard luck early and last year became a starting football player and I know is very excited about extending his career. I'm looking forward to him improving and becoming a real leader for us in front."

On Glenn Love:
"We want Glenn to have a chance to win a job. Akeem has left and we wish him well, but Glenn being a senior, being a guy who does everything right in the program, I want him to have a chance to win that job. His body is built for a Sam linebacker. He certainly has cover ability. Now its just about the physical portion of the job and being instinctive. We also have Ryan Hoffmeister joining us for the spring and Eric Kendricks who will get a lot of reps at will linebacker."

On Hundley getting too many reps:
"I dont think so. During course of a season you really get more than two quarterbacks practice anyway. With Brehaut and Hundley guys being full go, both will be excited about having as many reps he can get.:

On Hundley getting a chance to start:
"That's speculative. We'll know more after we watch him play. He is going to get his chances, thats for sure."

On the use of the F-back:
"The F-back, like I said, there will be multiple personnel groupings. The F is always part of the offense. Is it Barr? Is it John Young, a new tight end? Damien Thigpen? There's a number of people. Is it Marvray, Embree? The F position will still be a part of the offense, it's just who's playing in it."

On utilizing two-back sets:
"They'll be times we'll be in two-backs. You know, Anthony Barr. We want to find out more about Anthony as a running back. We certainly saw the makings of a very talented guy, and want to give him more chances with the ball in his arm."

On not switching to a 3-4 defense:
"I had said that we needed some more answers. Chuck obviously built everything out of a four-man front. But when we lost some players, we didn't have the ability to transition and create some new looks that might have given us a chance against some of our opponent offenses. We're going to be still based out of four-man, but we will have the ability to go back and forth between odd-even configurations."

On the Pistol offense:
"The pistol is a formation and it was certainly successful in the run game. What we need now is to develop the throw game that compliments and goes along with that and uses other formations. we can't just be so one-dimensional that we can be stopped when it comes to throwing the football. We're working to make sure the run game and the throw game compliment each other."

Opening Statement:
"It's an important time for us, given all the changes we've made staff-wise. For the coaching staff to get to learn how to play off each other and make it the new schemes that we'd like to incorporate on both sides of the ball involved, are huge deals."

On Frank Gansz and Kip Smith:
"With Frank moving along as special teams coach it will be important to get some measure of consitency going again with the special teams. Although we wont focus as much on special teams as we will be during the fall. It will be a very important time for Kip Smith, kicker in waiting, to get a measure of consistency. With all the new faces, this is going to be exciting."

Here's some stuff from the UCLA press conference today:

* Junior guard Malcolm Lee had surgery on his left knee on Tuesday - to repair the cartilage tear, remove loose cartilage and also fix a small meniscus cartilage tear - and Howland said he expects Lee to miss 4-to-8 weeks.

* I asked Howland about the log jam at power forward next season, and he said David Wear might play some at the three, and that Travis Wear has experience at multiple positions.

* Asked whether Brendan Lane might redshirt next year, and he said he hasn't discussed that with Lane.

* Howland said he'll begin his discussions with Tyler Honeycutt, Malcolm Lee and Reeves Nelson in the next 10 days about their future plans. He would not really speculate on any of the decisions, but he is quite certain there will be an NBA lockout, and that will play a factor in his discussions with the players.
"This is going to be a serious lockout. I have a lot of friends in the NBA, and they're all preparing for it. They will not be playing in next December or January. Nothing in the summer time; July 1 it starts. There's a real commitment by owner and ownership to get things right."

* Howland said he does not have a target weight for Joshua Smith, but he wants his body-fat percentage to be somewhere around 12 percent. He also said Smith will be on a regular regimen with the rest of the players, rather than a conditioning-only plan like last year.

Neither UCLA team advances to Sweet 16, but the women had much tougher draw with Gonzaga in a home game in Spokane. The Zags lost 1 home game all season and upset UCLA, 89-75. Nikki Caldwell had said last week that the potential matchup with Gonzaga in Spokane was ''the most interesting'' thing the selection committee did. UCLA was disappointed with a No. 3 seed, but seeding didn't matter. The Zags will play in a Spokane regional, too, paving what could be the easiest path to the Final Four on the women's side.

From UCLA:

UCLA head football coach Rick Neuheisel announced today that special teams coach Frank Gansz Jr. has left the staff for personal reasons and that Angus McClure, the Director of On-Campus Recruiting for Football who possesses over a decade of on-field collegiate coaching experience, is UCLA's new special teams coach.

"Frank has done a great job for us during our three years together and I certainly wish him all the best," said Neuheisel. "He feels that it's in his best interest to make this move and I certainly understand and respect his decision."

McClure has been a member of the Bruin staff since 2007. That season, he served as tight ends coach under Karl Dorrell. He has spent the last three years as Director of On-Campus Recruiting for Football and has handled recruiting administration and organization; managing all official and unofficial visits; tracking all recruiting paperwork, including transcripts, serving as liaison to college All-Star game representatives; liaison with pro scouts; and other assignments from the head coach.

McClure came to UCLA after serving as the offensive line/run game coordinator on Turner Gill's staff at the University of Buffalo during the 2006 season. Buffalo scored more points (201) in conference games than any other member of the Mid-American Conference East Division.

McClure spent the two previous seasons (2004-2005) as an assistant on Bill Callahan's staff at the University of Nebraska. McClure assisted with the offensive line, coaching the offensive tackles, as well as serving in several special teams roles.

Prior to his stint at Nebraska, McClure played a major role in record-breaking offenses at Sacramento State University, where he served as assistant head coach and offensive line coach from 1997-2003. During his tenure at Sacramento State, the Hornets set 52 NCAA Division I-AA, Big Sky Conference or school records. He coached 20 All-Big Sky conference honorees and had six of his players sign NFL contracts. In 1996, McClure coached tight ends at the University of Nevada in Reno.

"Angus has a lot of experience both in on-field coaching and administration and organization," Neuheisel said. "He has been a valuable member of the staff and I know he was anxious to return to coaching. This will be a smooth transition and I expect our special teams to flourish under his guidance."

Fire away with questions for this week's Q&A. Please don't post new questions on the answers section, because I don't always check the comments. Save them for next week.

Also, I'm taking the rest of the day off, coming back with a season-in-review-slash-look-forward tomorrow after our press conference with Ben Howland, then likely taking the rest of the week off until Spring Football begins on the 29th.

Thanks
Jon

UCLA junior point guard Lazeric Jones said he did not need off-season surgery for either his ailing left wrist or right middle finger, despite struggling greatly toward the end of the season.

Before suffering the sprained left wrist, which required a bulky cast, Jones had made 80-of-194 shots, 41.2 percent.

After the injury, he made just 22-of-70 shots, for 31 percent, including just 2-for-10 in two NCAA Tournament games.

"No surgery; I just have to do rehab and get it back right," Jones said. "I need to get it back to normal. I've been playing a little awkward lately. Now it's time to get in the gym and get myself together. I have to come back better next year."

TAMPA -
UCLA head coach Ben Howland would not second-guess Lee's decision to go for the steal on the game's decisive play, an inbound pass to Walker that left Lee on the ground after slipping and Walker at the 3-point line, nailing a three that put the Gators up four with 1:14 left.

"You can go for it, but you can't put yourself out of the play," Howland said. "It's hard; he's playing the game, playing as hard as he can as he always does. You miss out on the steal, and it is one thing. Unfortunately, he took himself out of the play."

TAMPA -
The Bruins are anxiously awaiting the offseason decisions of several players who have been rumored to be toying with the idea of entering the NBA Draft.

Sophomore forward Tyler Honeycutt is rumored to be the most likely to leap to the league, though he said after the game that he has not made a decision and would consult his family and coaches first. Honeycutt is rated anywhere from a mid-first-round pick to a late-second-round pick in most mock drafts.

UCLA head coach Ben Howland said that he would meet with Honeycutt shortly to discuss his future.

"That's really early," Howland said. "I haven't even discussed it with him. That's something we'll do here over the course of the next few weeks."

The Bruins are also wondering about the fate of junior guard Malcolm Lee and sophomore Reeves Nelson, who also said he had not made any decisions.

"I haven't thought about it at all," Nelson said. "I was going to try to take this as far as we could go. Now I'm going to just sit down with coach and my parents and then see what happens."

Smith, meanwhile, emphatically said he was returning for his sophomore year in the team's locker room.

TAMPA - March Madness is a time for heroes and a time for goats, a time of luck and of skill, a time of joy and of sorrow.

But mostly, it's a time for mish-mashed styles, for coaching preferences, for big versus little, both in conference size and literal size.

Nowhere was that more evident than Tampa's St. Pete Times Forum in UCLA's 73-65 loss to Florida.

The Bruins entered the game knowing they'd win it by going inside. The Gators knew they'd win it by staying outside.

Ultimately, it was the Florida backcourt that snatched victory from the Bruins - guards Erving Walker and Kenny Boynton combining for 33 points - but UCLA can rest assured that it played its game against Florida.

The Bruins went to the post early and often, utilizing freshman center Joshua Smith and sophomore forward Reeves Nelson with max efficiency. The two combined for 14 points and 10 points in the first half as UCLA trailed 35-33, despite owning a 20-10 rebounding advantage, and a 9-0 edge on offensive rebounding.

"It's our same game plan every game; just control tempo and play inside-out," Smith said. "For the most part we kinda controlled the inside game, but they were getting putbacks, getting wide-open shots, and they made more plays than we did."

In the second half, though, despite foul trouble for three post players -Vernon Macklin, Patric Young and Erik Murphy each finished with four fouls - Florida flipped the script.

The Gators grabbed 22 rebounds - including eight offensive - to the Bruins' 15, and with Smith facing foul trouble of his own, UCLA lost some of its decided post advantage.

"You have to try to impose your will on the game," Nelson said. "But good teams make adjustments, and that's what they did. At the same time, I thought Josh and I did a good job inside today."

Tyler Honeycutt:

"I dont think we played 40 minutes of our greatest, but I do think we played 40 minutes of our hardest. We were missing too many easy layups, too many free throws. We could've played a lot better. This wasn't a great game - but in terms of effort, I think we played 40 minutes."

TAMPA - Malcolm Lee jumped, his left knee ailing, his chest pounding, the sweat dripping, and he thought he had the ball.

It was there, maybe an inch away, maybe a mile, but it was there.

And then it wasn't.

And neither was Erving Walker, as Lee slipped to the ground, and Walker scurried past.

The 5-foot-8 Florida point guard caught a desperation in-bound pass over a leaping Lee, dribbled to the 3-point line and delivered the latest Gator dagger into the hearts of Bruin fans.

Walker's 3-pointer with 1 minute, 14 seconds left dropped into the basket, giving Florida an insurmountable four-point lead, and the Gators advanced to the Sweet 16 with a 73-65 win over UCLA on Saturday afternoon at Tampa's St. Pete Times Forum.

It was Florida's third tournament win over the Bruins in six years, and though it did not come in the championship game like in 2006 or the Final Four like in 2007, it was just as painful.
Lee sat at his locker after the game quietly dejected, not outwardly emotional - freshman teammate Joshua Smith sat close by, head buried in hands, eyes bloodshot - and replayed the moment over and over in his head.

"I kind of played it soft, which ended up biting me in the butt," Lee said. "I hesitated a little bit. It was a bad decision.
"But I would go for it (again), go for my initial instinct instead of hesitating."

For 38 minutes, there was no hesitation for UCLA.

Two days after nearly coughing up a 23-point lead in a 78-76 win over Michigan State in the second round, there was no up-and-down like the Bruins have shown all season, no rollercoaster, no big lead and subsequent melt down.

They were gritty and tough, seasoned and mentally strong against a fiercely pro-Florida crowd, Gainesville just a two-hour drive away. In a game, it looked like they had become men.

For 38 minutes.

Then Walker cut directly into their souls, hitting the decisive 3-pointer and four more free throws as UCLA's Tyler Honeycutt and Reeves Nelson both missed 3-pointers and Lee missed the front end of a one-and-one.

Thirty-eight minutes of grit and hustle and determination.

Two minutes of misery.

Months of bad memories.

"I felt this was a game we should've won," Lee said. "It's just really hard when the whole team goes out there and gives it our all. We could've played a lot better, but there was no question our intensity was there. It just hurts when you go 150 percent and still come up short..."

With Joshua Smith on the court, UCLA looked simply dominant at times in the first half of its NCAA Tournament third-round matchup against Florida.

Then Smith picked up his second foul, on the offensive end going for a loose ball, and the Bruins game-plan changed.

Yet they stayed in the game.

UCLA trails the Florida 35-33 at the half, despite the Gators' sensational shooting, and the Bruins have the ball to start the second half.

Despite very good on-ball defense, Florida shot 56 percent in the first half, making 14-of-25 shots, while UCLA shot 40.7 percent, hitting 11-of-27 shots. The Bruins also struggled from the free-throw line, making 10-of-15, while Florida hit 4-of-5.

If not for a remarkable 20-10 rebounding advantage, including a 9-0 offensive rebounding edge, the Bruins would be trailing by more than two. But Smith has four offensive boards and six points, Reeves Nelson has eight points and six boards and Tyler Honeycutt seven points and three rebounds, and UCLA is keeping it a game.

I briefly chatted with UCLA Director of Ops Tyus Edney on the court before today's game against Florida, saying, "This has to bring up a lot of memories."

Edney's response?

"Man...I miss the boos."

Well, he should hear a lot today in this incredibly orange-and-blue crowd. And to think, Florida players said this wasn't a home game.

Check out this story on UCLA's fancy footwear: Fancy Feet

Caught in a swarm of reporters, most of whom stood a full foot shorter, Joshua Smith basked in the attention, joking and giggling and eliciting guffaws from the charmed group on Friday afternoon.

Smith will get no less attention from Florida tomorrow.

The way the Gator players and coaches talked about the UCLA freshman center as the two teams met the media in advance of tomorrow's 11:45 a.m. NCAA Tournament third-round matchup at Tampa's St. Pete Times Forum, you would have thought they were talking about unicorns.

They haven't seen a player of Smith's size and strength, not many have, and they stood in awe.

"He's a mountain, sure," Florida coach Billy Donovan said of UCLA's gentle giant. "He's a freight train. I would say every game that Josh Smith goes into, he has a physical advantage. I don't think there's a question about that. He has a physical advantage against everybody he plays against."

The Gators are expecting a full serving of Smith - that's seconds or thirds compared to anyone else - and they should be expecting it early.

Smith started in the Bruins' 78-76 win over Michigan State on Thursday night in the second round, his first start since UCLA's 63-52 loss at USC on Jan. 9. Smith had 14 points on 5-of-7 shooting, added three rebounds and two steals and had a monstrous block on Spartan center Adreian Payne that Donovan singled out specifically.

UCLA head coach Ben Howland said he finally realized after the team's crushing 76-59 loss to Oregon in the quarterfinals of the Pac-10 Tournament that Smith had seemingly overcome his foul issues and that the Bruins needed to set the tone early.

Talk about a hearty breakfast.

"I just want to get off to a good start," Howland said of the Bruins, who raced to a 42-24 halftime advantage against Michigan State only to eke out the two-point win. "He is one of our five best players. He should be our starting center. I just thought it was the right thing to do."

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Hey guys,

First off, I just want to apologize for letting tonight's chat get out of control. I told myself I was going to moderate the whole thing, but that just became too difficult on deadline, and things got a little crazy in there. Also want to apologize to BruinFaithful, a very good poster on this blog, and someone whose opinion I respect, for booting him out of the chat. You're more than welcome to join the next one on Saturday, and I would be disappointed if you let what happened tonight keep you away.

The problem is - as it should be expected, certainly by me, by now - the pack mentality that occurs when UCLA starts its inevitable in-game slide is just overwhelming. Obviously, I'm just trying to keep things in perspective, and I oftentimes (RE: always) forget that you guys have a lot more invested in the games and the team than I do. And, honestly, I can't believe that UCLA let a 23-point lead slip away, so when things are going sour - 23 becomes 19 becomes 15 becomes 11 - and the negativity just starts downpouring in, it gets to be a little much.

I will try to be more patient and remember that these games mean so much to you. Quite frankly, I haven't really been that invested in a single team in a long time - the Denver Broncos have been so disappointing for so long that I'm just kind of numb to it now - that I kind of forget what its like sometimes to live and die with your team. Part of it is being a sportswriter. Part of it is the Broncos suck. Thank God I have my Thousand Oaks Lancers, who can never, ever, EVER, do anything wrong, and if anyone says otherwise, you're not only banned from the blog, but I might just put sand in your gas tank.

But I will ask that people have some more perspective and some more patience, and try to be a litttttle less aggressive during the chats. The moderating is just, well, impossible during a game, and I know it's a lot less fun for you guys when I'm only OKing the questions and the polite comments. I don't want to do that, and I know you guys don't want it done.

Lets work together on this. Or it's sand in the gas tank.

UCLA will practice tomorrow around 1:35 PM (PST) after a brief media session, and will play Florida in the second game on Saturday at around 11:45 AM (PST).

UCLA has been there before.

Comfortable, easy, breezy, a mai-tai in hand, beach umbrella up.

And then the storm came, and the Bruins had to run for cover.

Only in the end, it was Michigan State's Kalin Lucas who took a few too many steps, and No. 7-seed UCLA withstood a furious Spartan rally to advance to a Saturday showdown with two-seed Florida after a 78-76 win at Tampa's St. Pete Times Forum.

After building a 23-point lead with 8 minutes, 35 seconds left, UCLA eased off the gas pedal, essentially grinding to an absolute stop. After a Malcolm Lee missed free throw with four seconds left, it took a travel violation by Lucas with less than a second left to close it out for the Bruins.

"It got closer than we wanted; we weren't able to make free throws, gave up too many threes," UCLA sophomore small forward Tyler Honeycutt said. "The game wasn't close until about the last 10 minutes when they came back. We have to do a better job closing out games. We've done this too many times. But this is going to be one of our biggest learning experiences.
"We lose this game, we go home."

TAMPA -

When judging UCLA's first-half performance against Michigan State, there are really two different viewpoints.

Was it UCLA?

Or was it Michigan State?

Either way, the Bruins simply crushed the Spartans in just about every facet here at the St. Pete Times Forum, taking a 42-24 lead into the break.

Though UCLA shot just 12-for-31 from the field, the team has made up for it with an astounding 11 offensive rebounds. For measure, Michigan State has 14 rebounds total.

But the Bruins have completely turned up the pressure on the Spartans' offense, led by Malcolm Lee's effort on Kalin Lucas. Lucas, Michigan State's best offensive player at more than 17 points per game - scoring over 20 per game over his last 14 - has zero points in the first half on 0-for-7 shooting. But aside from Durrell Summers' 12 points, no Spartan has more than four.

Meanwhile, UCLA has put together a balanced offensive effort, getting impressive contribution from the bench. Tyler Honeycutt has nine points, Reeves Nelson has eight, Malcolm Lee seven, Jerime Anderson six and Joshua Smith five, despite two first-half fouls.

Smith got the start but was quickly relieved by Anthony Stover, who had a key block. Brendan Lane added three points, three rebounds and a block in 11 minutes and Tyler Lamb also chipped in two free throws and a rebound.

Perhaps most importantly for the Bruins, they've locked down their two biggest issues so far. UCLA has just seven turnovers (with seven assists) and is 15-of-19 from the free-throw line.

Howland said on Wednesday that he hadn't seen a lot of wide eyes and dropped jaws among his players during the team's time in Tampa, though he did say a police escort from UCLA to LAX on Tuesday had the players quite awed.

"Our guys, they get a lot of attention as it is, being the second biggest media market in the country," Howland said. "They're probably a little more used to a lot of exposure and a lot of people watching than most."

TAMPA -
UCLA has shown a propensity this season of taking their opponents lighter than a feather, sometimes playing down - or up, as it were - to the competition.

The players don't sound like they're going to make that mistake this time around.

"We watch a lot of college basketball, we know Michigan State," UCLA freshman center Joshua Smith said. "Everybody knows. They've been to two straight final fours. It wouldn't even take a blind person to know how good Michigan State is."

TAMPA -

Having the only NCAA Tournament experience on the team, Anderson and Lee have become the defacto grandfathers in the room, doling out advice on the entire March Madness experience.

Lee played 19 total minutes as a freshman in the Bruins' win over Virginia Commonwealth and loss to Villanova in 2008-09; Anderson played 13.

"I remember that it was a really physical game, a game you have to go out there and take," Anderson said of his first tournament game. "No one's going to give it to you. That's the main thing I want to tell these guys, that we have to come out and play hard and play physical. We have to establish ourselves inside, establish the physicality of the game. I don't think some of the guys understand how physical the game will be (today)."

TAMPA -

The NCAA Tournament is coming at an absolutely awful time for UCLA's academics, as the opening week coincides with finals week for the Bruins.

Sophomore forward Brendan Lane had to take a Political Science final on the team plane while flying to Tampa, proctored by academic coordinator Kenny Donaldson and faxed immediately to Lane's professor when the team arrived at the hotel.

Three players had finals on Wednesday and Tyler Lamb, Tyler Honeycutt, Reeves Nelson and Anthony Stover all have finals on Friday.
But at least they're in Tampa.

David and Travis Wear, who transferred from North Carolina before the season and had to sit out the year because of transfer rules, could not get out of their finals schedule and were left behind in Los Angeles.

TAMPA -

Moments after a soul-crushing, head-scratching, 76-59 loss to Oregon in the quarterfinals of the Pac-10 Tournament, the UCLA basketball team was not thinking positively, not searching for any thread of silver lining.

In retrospect, though, with the locker room looking more and more like an infirmary, the Bruins have conceded that maybe a quick tournament exit was just what the team needs going into its NCAA Tournament second-round matchup with Michigan State tonight at the St. Pete Times Forum.
Only a little concession, though.

"This team probably could've used a little rest, although we would've liked to have played in the Pac-10 championship," said junior guard Malcolm Lee, one of the walking wounded. "But we took advantage of what was given to us, and I feel like the team has a lot of legs and a lot of springs, and we're going to need that."

Lee enters the tournament a little less than two weeks removed from suffering a small cartilage tear in his left knee in the team's regular-season ending win at Washington State on March 5. Lee played 28 minutes in the loss against Oregon, but has practiced at nearly 100 percent for the last week. On Wednesday, he went through a typical workout with the team earlier in the day, had his knee iced and shut down, doing only light shooting in the team's 4:30 shoot-around.

Meanwhile, after the loss, the three Tylers - sophomore forward Tyler Honeycutt, freshman guard Tyler Lamb and walkon Tyler Trapani - survived bouts with strep throat, while junior guard Jerime Anderson was able to beat a viral illness.

The biggest lingering medical issues are junior guard Lazeric Jones' left wrist and right middle finger, which have drastically limited his effectiveness in recent weeks. Jones has just two double-digit scoring games in his last 11, and has scored just 15 points on 6-of-29 shooting in the team's last four games.

"My legs feel better, my body feels good right now; as far as the wrist, there's really nothing I can do about it," Jones said. "I've been having some OK practices, and I'm just trying to stay confident heading into these games."

Head coach Ben Howland has been supportive of his point guard, both vocally and in playing time. Jones has averaged 30 minutes in his last five games, and Howland has encouraged him to continue to work through his shooting slump, while highlighting his passing, as Jones has 24 assists in the five games.

"I'm still confident," Jones said. "Coach continues to tell me he has my back and he wants me to go out there and be aggressive. I feel like the shots will fall when it's time for them to fall. Hopefully this is the game where they'll fall."

TAMPA -

Dr. Jekyll, meet Dr. Jekyll.

Mr. Hyde, meet Mr. Hyde.

When seventh-seeded UCLA meets No. 10-seed Michigan State tomorrow in the second round of the NCAA Tournament at Tampa's St. Pete Times Forum, it will be a matchup of four teams.

The two-faced Bruins have been both brilliant and buffoonish, wins over highly ranked BYU and Arizona, losses to bottom-feeders Oregon and Montana.

Likewise, Michigan State has been schizophrenic, 10-10 in its last games, an 18-point win over No. 8 Purdue last Friday followed by a 13-point loss to unranked Penn State the next day.

When asked how he prepares for a team that has proven that it can be so good, but also so bad, Spartans head coach Tom Izzo just laughed and gestured wildly.

"I would've liked to have been in this room when you asked (UCLA head coach Ben Howland) that question about us," said Izzo, who has guided Michigan State to two-straight Final Fours and six overall. "What you have here are two misfits. We both had our issues. But you always prepare like it's for their best, because once they've done something, that's what they're capable of doing on any given night."

And to be sure, UCLA's best has been better than most.

But its worst has been shockingly bad, a 76-59 defeat to the Ducks in the first round of the Pac-10 Tournament just seven days ago.

The Bruins are taking that loss - and other disappointing performances this season, even in the wins - as motivation heading into the tournament. They are well aware that most of the time this year, the only team to beat UCLA has been UCLA.

"Throughout the whole season, we've been our worst enemies," freshman center Joshua Smith said. "It's not always necessarily what the other teams have been doing; a lot of times it's what we do and what we don't do."

This is a pretty remarkable first-person account of the earthquake and ensuing tsunami that struck Japan. Former UCLA players J.R. Henderson and Charles O'Bannon are playing overseas, and while not hit directly, certainly experienced some traumatic stuff: Henderson

Check out this great video on Rahim Moore on NFL.com: More on Moore

FROM UCLA:

The clinic is scheduled from 3:15 - 9:00 pm. Guest speakers include UCLA head coach Rick Neuheisel, Bellevue (WA) High head coach Butch Goncharoff and Grant of Sacramento (CA) High head coach Mike Alberghini.

The clinic is open to all who are interested. Cost is $50, which includes a BBQ dinner.

To register, go to http://www.uclabruins.com/camps/2011-camps-footbl.html or call the UCLA Camps Office at 310/206-3550.

Here's what's on tap for today:

3:45 pm - UCLA student-athlete press conference
4:00 pm - UCLA head coach Ben Howland press conference
4:25 - 5:05 pm - UCLA open practice


5:15 pm - Michigan State student-athlete press conference
5:30 pm - Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo press conference
5:55 - 6:35 pm - Michigan State open practice

I'll be at both, so I'll get a good look at Michigan State for the first time. I'll have stories and interviews/quotes following. Oh, and those are all Eastern time.

I really, really, really didn't want to do this again this year because a guy made my life miserable after last year's prize distribution went awry, but whatever. We'll do it.

I have no idea what the prizes are going to be at this point. As of now, I'm going to try to hope to get two sets of four football tickets for the winner, one set of four football tickets for second place and a set of two tickets and a prize pack of UCLA cards - including a Darren Collison, Jrue Holliday or Alterraun Verner Autograph card - for third place.

If for any reason the prize options change, please be patient with me, and don't threaten to "email my boss because of my unprofessionalism." If you think you'd do that, just don't join the tournament.

Good luck: Inside UCLA NCAA Tournament Pick-em

Here's a look at some of my bracket for the upcoming NCAA Tournament:

Champion: Ohio State

Championship Game: OSU/Pittsburgh

Final Four: OSU/Pitt/Duke/Notre Dame

Elite Eight: OSU/Pitt/Duke/Notre Dame/Kansas/SDSU/UCLA/North Carolina

Sweet 16: OSU/Pitt/Duke/Notre Dame/Kansas/SDSU/UCLA/North Carolina/West Virginia/Texas/UConn/BYU/Utah St./Georgetown/Louisville

Check out the latest batch of weekly answers...

Check out the first batch of weekly answers...

I got an email earlier today from UCLA with a note that the Bruins were traveling the third-longest distance to their NCAA Tournament second-round matchup on Thursday, heading 2,529 miles to Tampa for a matchup with 10-seed Michigan State.

More than 2,500 miles for a first-round matchup. And that's not even the most. Here's the top-six:

1) Washington -- 2,802 miles (Charlotte, N.C.)
2) UC Santa Barbara -- 2,623 (Tampa, Fla.)
3) UCLA -- 2,529 (Tampa, Fla.)
4) Temple -- 2,373 (Tucson, Ariz.)
5) Penn State -- 2,226 (Tucson, Ariz.)
6) St. John's -- 1,777 (Denver, Colo.)

In today's economy, with gas prices soaring - $4.15 a gallon! BLASPHEMY. - and with plane tickets pricier than ever, is that right? Ultimately, the athletic departments aren't going to go into the red, with trips typically funded entirely by revenue-sharing, but what about the physical effects? Trust me, I'm not looking forward to 11 hours of travel tomorrow (including the time change). I can't imagine many family, friends and UCLA fans are, either.

And what about the physical tolls, not to mention educational tolls, on the players? UCLA is in the middle of finals week. You don't think the players would've appreciated a few more hours at home and a trip to Denver instead of a cross-country flight to Tampa? There are four seven-seeds, and three of them - UCLA, Washington and Temple - are on the list above. UCSB is traveling 2,600 for a probably beatdown at what is essentially a home game for Florida.

I'm not saying the tournament is in need of a complete overhaul - though this "First Four" thing is complete idiocy - but what about a little common sense?

What do you think?

If UCLA beats Big Sky champion Montana in the first round, as it should, it will have to play the No. 6 Iowa (22-8)-No. 11 Gonzaga (28-4). That means UCLA, a No. 3 seed, could face Gonzaga in Spokane.

Don't think Nikki Caldwell is going to be happy about the Bruins' seeding since she figured the Bruins were a lock for No. 2.
No. 3 UCLA (27-4) will play No. 14 Montanta (18-14) in the Spokane region on Saturday.

North Carolina announced the intended transfer of defensive tackle Brandon Willis from UCLA today, and that he would be enrolling in time for the spring session in May.

Willis originally committed to Tennessee, flipped to UNC, participated in spring ball last year with the Tar Heels and transferred to UCLA in September. However his grandmothers health has taken a bad turn, and he and his father are returning to North Carolina to be closer.

 "Brandon lost his mother in high school and is very close with his grandmother, who lives in Burlington and is battling health issues," North Carolina coach Butch Davis said.  "He and his father wanted to move back to the East coast to be with her.  There were no hard feelings when Brandon originally left and when he inquired about the possibility of returning, we welcomed him back."

Matchup: No. 7 UCLA vs. No. 10 Michigan State

For Starters:

G Lazeric Jones 9.4 ppg/3.66 apg vs. G Kalin Lucas 17.2 ppg/2.1 rpg/ 3.3 apg
G Malcolm Lee 13 ppg/2.1 apg/2.9 rpg vs. G Durrell Summers 11.5 ppg/4.3 rpg
F Tyler Honeycutt 12.6 ppg/3.1 apg/7.4 rpg vs. G Mike Kebler 1.5 ppg/.9 rpg/.5 apg
F Reeves Nelson 13.9 ppg/9 rpg vs. F Draymond Green 12.3 ppg/8.6 rpg/4 apg
C Joshua Smith (Anthony Stover starts, Smith plays more minutes) 10.6 ppg/6.5 rpg/1.0 bpg vs. C Adreian Payne 2.7 ppg/2.4 rpg

Bench Press:
UCLA's bench has been very inconsistent, with sporadic production from Jerime Anderson, Brendan Lane, Tyler Lamb and Stover, who for posterity's sake is being placed here. Anderson has been the most reliable bench player, and probably makes an argument for starting, given Zeek Jones' decreased production since injuring his right middle finger and left wrist. UCLA gets roughly 11.5 points per game out of the bench, but Anderson has shown the ability to go off on some nights, and he seems to be able to rise to the occasion.
Michigan State, meanwhile, gets major production from backup forward, and Big Ten All-Defensive pick Delvon Roe (103 career blocks), and from guard Keith Appling, who started 18 games this season and has averaged 12 points in his last four games. Centers Garrick Sherman and Derrick Nix also give the Spartans size in the post, and they're good for a few fouls each, which could hurt the Bruins if foul-trouble becomes an issue.

Jeckyl and Hyde...squared:
Both UCLA and Michigan State have shown the ability to rise to the occasion and to play up to their opponents. But the results have been vastly different. Playing in the Pac-10 and with tough non-conference games against Kansas, BYU and St. John's, the Bruins have gone 22-10, 19-6 over the last 25 games. Against a tough Big Ten gauntlet and with non-conference tilts with UConn, Washington, Duke, Syracuse and Texas, the Spartans finished 19-14, but just 10-10 in their last 20 games.

Old vs. New:
As I wrote in my story yesterday, Michigan State is more than battle-tested. They're lifelong soldiers at this point. The Spartans have been to back-to-back Final Fours and that followed a Sweet 16 birth. Kalin Lucas alone has 322 NCAA Tournament minutes. UCLA's 14-man roster? Thirty-two, total.

Coach's Corner:

Undoubtedly, this matchup pits two of the preeminent minds in the game against each other: UCLA's Ben Howland and Michigan State's Tom Izzo. The two have combined for six straight Final Four berths and are very adept at handling the Tournament's ebbs and flows.
Izzo had a very public flirtation with the Cleveland Cavaliers during the offseason that seems to have caused a bit of a drag on his Spartans. Howland, meanwhile, has struggled to get his team motivated at times this season, evidenced by a shocking loss to Oregon in the Pac-10 Tournament.

What to Expect:
With UCLA, this is almost unanswerable. But we have seen the Bruins rise to the level of their opponents - wins over BYU, Arizona, St. John's and a one-point loss at Kansas that included a controversial last-minute call - and that bodes well for UCLA here and for the rest of the tournament, if they survive.
I expect them to (my prediction: a 67-61 UCLA win), but I also know that the team can both individually and collectively lay an egg. Ultimately, though, UCLA's balance and front-court strength outmatches Michigan State and sets up a matchup with Florida.

Fire away with questions for this week's Q&A. Please don't post new questions on the answers section, because I don't always check the comments. Save them for next week.

Thanks
Jon

UCLA junior guard Jerime Anderson on...

On what he was thinking UCLA's seed would be before and after the Oregon loss:
Jerime Anderson: "I was hearing 7-seed. That's the only thing I was hearing. After the Oregon game, maybe a little higher than that. I don't think its going to matter, our seeding. We're going to have to play good teams and play well to beat good teams anyways. I like our first game. We play our game, I do think we can beat any team."

On UCLA playing better against name opponents, and what Michigan State means to that:
JA: "I think it just lights a fire under all of us, knowing that we're playing against a team that is proven. Tom Izzo is a proven coach, one fo the best coaches in hte nation, if not the best. This game, we have to reappy prepare and really focus, and it will be alright."

On UCLA's region
JA: "That's another good thing about today; you get to see your road and the potential teams you can play. I like our road. I like the teams that are in our bracket on our side. I think it works out pretty well for us."

On what advice he can give those who haven't played in the tournament:
JA: "The only advice I can give is to be ready and be prepared. That's the only thing I really can give. I I only played spot minutes in those games. We're all going into it with a new feeling, just ready and excited to play."

On his first tournament in 2009:
JA: "It was pretty surreal. It was exciting to play, I was reeally excited at that time too. I just wish our team did a little bit better."

On rebounding from a 14-18 season:
JA: "It is a good season for us and we did do a lot of good things. But we didn't make the goals we wanted. We thought our team was good enough to win the Pac-10 and do those things. Of course, coming after last season, its a good turnaround season - we're above .500, we won 20 games, beat some good teams. We're trying to make some noise this year. We'll worry about next year, next year."

On the Oregon loss having a silver-lining in terms of rest and health:
JA: "It was almost like a good thing for us, that game, because just the attitude at our last practice was totally different. You could tell guys were going harder, playing harder. You have to play hard to prepare yoursleve sfor thises games. If we dont prepare the way we should, we're going to get blown out in the tourney."

On owning up to the Oregon loss:
JA: "It was easy to see we didn't play the way we should've played; we didn't play as hard as we should. That's something that the coaches, everybody can talk about, but it's all got to start with "me" first, individually. Individually, if we all take that upon ourselves, then collectively we'll come together."

Around this time last year, Ben Howland was out on the road recruiting, Tyler Honeycutt and Jerime Anderson were in their rooms watching their opponents light it up on national television and Joshua Smith was in class at Kentwood High in Kent, Wash., contemplating the decision he'd made to attend UCLA just a handful of months before.

After a 14-18 season, the team's worse in a half-decade, March was a rather uneventful month for the Bruins. A time for players to catch up on some schoolwork, maybe hit the beach, relax, kick back. There certainly was not a lot of basketball for which to prepare.
UCLA was a scattered group after missing the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2003-04.

But there they were on Sunday, together once more, ready to find out where they were headed for this season's tournament, and the news came in late, in the bracket's last region: Tampa, Florida, as the Southeast Region's No. 7 seed, a date with No. 10 seed Michigan State looming on Thursday at 6:20 p.m. (PST).

"The seeding is about what we expected," Howland said during a press conference with reporters, after players and family cleared out, fresh off watching the Selection Sunday special. "A seven, that's no surprise. Every team is tough in the tournament, there's no easy out, but when you get to those seedings - 7-10, 8-9 - you have very tough opponents.
Michigan State in particular. They were in the Final Four last year with the majority of guys being on that team. They are very much an NCAA-tournament-battled team and program, with (head coach Tom) Izzo probably having the most success in the NCAA tournament with Michigan State over the past 12 years more than anybody."

And ultimately that's what this game is about, a matchup of two hallowed coaches and two programs who have been in vastly different places the last two years.

UCLA redshirt freshman center Anthony Stover on...

Opening Thoughts
"We're happy we made it. We're excited we made it, to get the chance to go out there and play some basketball."

On how the team was feeling about seeding before the Oregon game and after.
AS: "Thursday I think we were a little too confident. We had a lot of thoughts thinking we'd be a five-, or a six-seed going into this. We were thinking we'd have an easy road. Then we came out and lost that game to Oregon - which was a bad game - and we lived to see another day. Now we made the tournament, and we have to go out a great team in Michigan State, which I think is much better than seeded at the 10-spot, talent-wise at least. They have some great players on the team, a Final Four team last year."

On playing a name opponent:
AS: "It's a great thing; as you've seen when we'ved played BYU this year or the Arizona game at home, we step up to the big games. To have a big game in the first game of the tournament is great for us. We'll have to step up right away, and it's not going to get any easier."

On not being in the tournament last season:
AS: "Us not making the tournament last year was something unheard of for UCLA. For us to make it now is really exciting; it just puts us back into the position to get UCLA's name back to where it was. With the three final fours a couple of years ago, just making a name in the tournamnet - just being UCLA, just the four letters across the chest - that's huge for us. We're doing a lot of things for the school."

On playing in Tampa:
AS: "I actually have some family out in Florida; I have some family who've never been able to come to a game before who can come to watch me in Tampa."

No. 7-seed UCLA will tip-off against No. 10-seed Michigan State around 6:20 p.m. on Thursday night in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. The game will be televised on TBS, roughly 30 minutes after the completion of No. 2 Florida vs. No. 15 UC Santa Barbara

UCLA junior guard Malcolm Lee on...

On the thought that it is a good thing UCLA is playing a "name" opponent like Michigan State, after the Bruins have taken lesser teams lightly:
Malcolm Lee: "Oh yeah, most definitely. That's probably going to work in our favor, especially given that they're a Final Four team last year. They're a team not to take lightly. I'm sure we all know that."

On looking at the bracket, even ahead to Florida:
ML: "Florida is a really good team, but we can't look past any game. We have to worry about Michigan State right now. We know what road is ahead of us, and that's more motivation that's going to fuel our fire. I think everyone is going to be on the right track."

On the idea that this season was supposed to be a rebuilding season, and that the big leap would be next year:
ML: "We expected it this year. Although we didn't have a good start, we knew we had the talent and the potential to be a legit team this year. We weren't really surprised at the big leap we had in one year. We also feel that because a good leap, that leap could've been better. We let some games go. But that's just a learning experience, and I think it will help in the future."

More on the idea of being "just happy to be there":
ML: "We're coming into this tournament with the mindset to win it all, just one game at a time. It would be wrong on our behalf if we were just excited that we got back in the tournament."

This, from Malcolm Lee today:

"I've been doing rehab every day and it's starting to feel a lot better. I'm just getting used to the pain, playing and walking on it with the different feeling. ... The Oregon game was the first game I went up and down - I was still practicing but doing half-court stuff - and yesterday I had a really good practice going up and down, a lot more confidence."

UCLA was just announced as a 7-seed in the NCAA Tournament, with a second-round matchup against 10-seed Michigan State. The winner will play the winner of 2 Florida and 15 UCSB.

I'll have a detailed preview of UCLA's bracket and tournament prospects tomorrow, with some reactions from coach Ben Howland and his players later today.

The UCLA women's basketball team lost to Stanford for a third time this season, even though the Bruins had a 30-21 halftime lead. Stanford won the Pac-10 Tournament with a 64-55 win over UCLA. UCLA has just four losses this year, and three of those were to the Cardinal. The other was LSU. Selection Show is Monday for the women's team. UCLA, ranked 7th in the AP poll, will still get a very high seed, likely No. 2.

By Jon Gold
Staff Writer

All pretenses aside, the UCLA women's basketball team's Pac-10 Tournament semifinal matchup with Cal on Friday afternoon was little more than an appetizer for the main course that is the championship game.

It was not even a filling meal, at that, a miniature pig in a miniature blanket.

With big, bad Stanford looming in the tournament final, head coach Nikki Caldwell's toughest job on Friday was not calling the perfect back-pick or the ideal screen-and-roll, but simply getting her Bruins to play with effort and emotion against the Bears. They did, coasting past Cal with a 63-50 win, setting up the tournament final everyone expected, a matchup with the top-seeded and No. 2-ranked Cardinal.

"You can't just look ahead of games," UCLA senior guard Darxis Morris said. "You have to look at what's in front of you. You take a game day by day, you don't look ahead. We just did a good job performing for this game."

The Bruins own a 37-23 lead over Cal at halftime of the Pac-10 Women's Tournament Semifinals, using their frenetic defensive gameplan to fluster the Bears into nine first-half turnovers and 9-of-29 shooting.

Playing with max effort and pure fundamentals - haven't seen much of that lately in my regular gig - UCLA simply blitzed Cal early, getting off to an 11-1 lead and not letting up. Methodically, the Bruins kept building the lead, to 23-7 then to 35-18 and the eventual 14-point halftime lead.

With a balanced lineup that featured 10 players with more than three minutes, UCLA shot 14-for-29 in the first half and made 8-of-10 free throws. Doreena Campbell (12 points) Darxia Morris (10) led the way offensively, but Atonye Nyingifa has been crucial with five points, six rebounds and two steals.

From UCLA, an updated spring football schedule:

Week One - March 29 (4:00 - 6:00 pm), March 31 (4:00 - 6:00 pm) and April 2 (TBD).

Week Two - April 4 (4:00 - 6:00 pm), April 5 (4:00 - 6:00 pm), April 7 (4:00 - 6:00 pm) and April 9 (TBD).

Week Three - April 11 (4:00 - 6:00 pm), April 12 (4:00 - 6:00 pm), April 14 (4:00 - 6:00 pm), April 15 (4:00 - 6:00 pm) and April 17 (TBD).

Week Four - April 19 (4:00 - 6:00 pm), April 21 (4:00 - 6:00 pm) and April 23 (5:00 pm Spring Scrimmage at Drake Stadium on UCLA campus).

I know the seeding isn't out, and we'll have a new one up early next week. But how far does everyone think UCLA will advance in the NCAA Tournament?

There were no huge blowups, but then an outward display of emotion would have required premium effort.

Ben Howland did not race onto the floor in utter disgust. Reeves Nelson did not throw a chair into the Staples Center crowd. Tyler Honeycutt barely even shrugged.

No, seventh-seeded Oregon's 76-59 win over No.2-seed UCLA in the quarterfinals of the Pac-10 Tournament featured little hysterics.

Aside from a running, bank 3-pointer by Oregon's Garrett Sim to beat the first-half buzzer, there was little out of the ordinary.

The better team won.

The only thing surprising?

The better team on Thursday night was the 16-16 Ducks, 0-4 to close the regular season, and not the Bruins, who entered the game on a 13-3 streak.

"Bottom line, it starts right here," Howland said. "Obviously we did not do a good job of getting our team focused - I did not - focused and understanding. I'm really disappointed in that because we had a lot of opportunity here to help ourselves."

FROM UCLA:

Three UCLA football players have been granted a substitute season of eligibility due to injuries suffered during the 2010 season. The waivers were granted by the Pac-10 Conference Faculty Athletic Representatives Committee.

Defensive end Iuta Tepa played in only the first three games prior to his season-ending shoulder injury. He will again be a sophomore for the 2011 season.

Linebacker Jarad Koster played in the first three games prior to his shoulder injury. He will be a second-year freshman in 2011.

Cornerback Anthony Jefferson played in just three games before breaking his ankle during the California game and will also be a second-year freshman in 2011.

In order to qualify for the substitute year of eligibility for medical reasons, a player cannot have appeared in more than four games during the first half of the schedule and the injury must sideline the player for the remainder of the season.

The jerseys might be different, but the Oregon Ducks are pretty much doing exactly what Washington State did to UCLA next Saturday at Beasley Coliseum.

Only under the bright lights of the Staples Center, it looks much worth.

The Bruins have been utterly lethargic in slinking to a 38-24 halftime deficit.

If a buzzer-beating, running bank 3-pointer by Garrett Sim seemed like the dagger, it was only one of many. The Ducks were sly with their sharp weapons, though, striking directly into the heart of the UCLA defense. Oregon, like the Cougars on Saturday, penetrated with ease, breaking down the Bruin backcourt, which looked slow-footed and feeble.

Sim and EJ Singler have led the Ducks, Singler's 11 points a game-high so far, but seven players have three or more points.

UCLA does not have a similar issue. The Bruins were led by Tyler Honeycutt's 11 points, but only five players have scored, and Joshua Smith (five points) is the only other Bruin with more than three points.

That's what a six-for-24 start, with eight turnovers, will do for a team. The worst sequence? A shot-clock violation that immediately followed a technical for too many men on the court.

In a season full of highs-and-lows, that might have been the lowest.

Check out the latest batch of weekly answers...

Just jumped off a conference call with Dick Vitale and Jay Bilas, and both had glowing things to say about Ben Howland

Dick Vitate on Ben Howland:
"I wrote a story about Ben on my website, and I think the world of him. Great disciplinarian, great teacher, a guy who's been maligned. When you think about who they lost early. Come on, it's phenomenal. You think about what he's lost and the job he's done, he got the team to regroup this year. Theyre a club who really started to play well defensively, execute better offensively. Ben Howland is a terrific, not a good, leader of student athletes. Unfortunately at UCLA, there is only one standard that exists. Sweet 16s at all dont make it my friend. Just as Steve Lavin. But Ben is a flatout, if I put in Vitalism, super, sensational, scintillating coach. He is terrific."

Jay Bilas on UCLA:
"I agree 100 percent. I grew up in LA, I understnad the UCLA culture, and I think it's unfortunate the way the summer basketball culture has taken root in LA and the way Ben has been maligned in those circles. There have been a lot of people in those circles who say Ben holds his players back or players don't like his system. Every player should long to be held back like Kevin Love was held back or Russell Westbrook was held back or Arron Afflalo was held back or Luc Mbah a Moute was held back. All that holding back is maybe a factor in the checks theyre cashing in the NBA. Ben Howland has a terrific system, and they will on unto the future. I've been really impressed by the way they fought back. I had them in a game at Arizona and they did not look good, they did not play well. They did not look like a tournament team. He's made them in to one, and look, they're cabale of winning when they get there."

Bilas on the challenges of recruiting in the early-entry age:
"It happens with everybody. You have to make recruiting decisions every, and those are predicated on who's staying and who's leaving. Players are looking at it to. If this guy leaves, I'll go here. If this guy stays, I'll go there. There's no question that's a factor. I was talking to a coach, and he said the hardest thing to do right now is to keep his team from one year to the next. It's no longer like it was 15 years ago. You could bring in a class and be confident that they would be seniors together. Now the nucleus of your team is going to change every year."

Vitale on the challenges of recruiting:
"Absolutely. Take a look at UNC - with transfers and etc. - and I as talking to Roy Williams, and he said about a dozen players over the last three/four years have left. That' a way of life. You have to really understand and deal with it. You have to make solid decisions and really know."

Junior guard Jerime Anderson has a viral illness but practiced today and is expected to be available for tomorrow's game against Oregon/Arizona State. Likewise, freshman guard Tyler lamb (strep throat) also practiced and also is expected to play tomorrow.

Junior guard Malcolm Lee, who suffered a small cartilage tear in his left knee against Washington State on Saturday, was very limited in practice but he and Ben Howland said they expected him to play tomorrow.

From UCLA:

The following players will not be participating in Spring Practice while rehabbing from surgery/injuries. All are expected back for Fall camp.

QB Darius Bell: Off-season surgery on left shoulder (labrum).
DE Keenan Graham: Off-season surgery on left hip.
OG Casey Griffiths: Back issues.
S Dalton Hilliard: Off-season surgery on right knee to remove loose body.
CB Anthony Jefferson: 2010 surgery broken left foot.
WR Jerry Johnson: 2010 surgery on left ankle fracture.
LB Patrick Larimore: 2010 surgery on left shoulder (labrum).
P Jeff Locke: Off-season surgery on right hip (labrum).

Here are the players who will be limited to non-contact participation. All are expected back for Fall camp.

QB Nate Crissman: 2010 right shoulder surgery (labrum)
WR Shaquelle Evans: 2010 season surgery on left shoulder.
LB Jared Koster: 2010 season surgery on right shoulder
QB Kevin Prince: 2010 right knee surgery (individual drills only)

Here are injured players from last season who have been cleared to participate in Spring Practice.

DE Derrick Bryant: Right shoulder
F-back Robert Franco: Left shoulder
LB Todd Golper: Back
DE Datone Jones: Foot
C Kai Maiava: Left ankle
DB Brandon Sermons: Leg
DE Iuta Tepa: Right shoulder
F-back Damiem Thigpen: Right shoulder
TE John Young: Left shoulder.

Check out the first batch of weekly answers...

I keep getting questions about this, so I'll answer the best I can:

Malcolm Lee has a small cartilage tear in his left knee. Those types of injuries are typically one-off, in that there isn't a huge fear of him aggravating or "increasing" the injury. If you play on a small cartilage tear, it's not like one wrong twist and your knee explodes.

Now, obviously there is/was a concern about the extent of the injuries, and that's what took so long to diagnose it and make it public. Lee quite obviously would be risking a lot by hurrying back. Howland and Lee himself said today that is not the case, that doctors have assured them that there is not a risk of further injury.

Howland did say, however, that Lee's minutes would be monitored and possibly altered, given the wear-and-tear of potentially three games in three days.

But this should answer most of those questions.

UCLA head coach Ben Howland said junior guard Malcolm Lee with what's being described as a cartilage tear in his left knee, suffered at the end of the Washington State game.

He had the MRI in Spokane, and when he arrived, doctors ordered a second one. The instrumentation was much more powerful here. It provides a much clearer picture. Bottom line is he has a small tear of the cartilage. That's why he had some mild swelling; the swelling has since dissipated. He should be good to go. He's not going to practice today."

"The key to is it we've been assured he's not in any danger of injuring it worse. This kind of thing has happened mutliple times."

In other news, Tyler Lamb has strep throat but is expected to practice - doctors need to determine if it's contagious - and Jerime Anderson is battling an undetermined sickness.

I've been told by reliable sources that UCLA junior guard Malcolm Lee has a small tear in his left knee, and his family is weighing the options of surgery or playing through it. I haven't been able to reach UCLA to confirm, but there is the weekly press conference scheduled for 1:30, so I'm sure we'll find out official news then.

For an injury like this, depending on the severity, it is possible to continue playing without a major risk of further injury, but obviously with the NBA potentially beckoning, the decision is a tough one.

It is quite clearly a major blow to the Bruins, coming on the eve of the Pac-10 Tournament, which UCLA opens against the winner of Oregon/Arizona State on Thursday at 6:10 p.m.

FROM UCLA:

WALNUT CREEK, Calif. - UCLA junior right-hander Trevor Bauer has earned Pac-10 Pitcher of the Week honors for the fourth time in his career, as announced by the conference office on Tuesday. Bauer logged career highs with 17 strikeouts in 10 innings last Saturday in a 2-1, 12-inning loss at Nebraska.

Bauer limited Nebraska to one run and four hits through 10 innings and did not record a decision. He eclipsed his previous career-high 15 strikeouts, notching his 11th career game with at least 10 strikeouts. Bauer's 17-strikeout effort came in 33-degree weather at Nebraska's Haymarket Park in Lincoln, Neb.

Last season, he secured Pac-10 Pitcher of the Week honors after setting a then-career-high with 15 strikeouts in UCLA's 5-2 win over Mississippi State at the Whataburger College Classic in Corpus Christi, Texas (March 13, 2010). As a freshman in 2009, he was named Pac-10 Pitcher of the week after a complete game shutout against Washington (April 18, 2009) and after earning two victories in one week (March 31, 2009).

Defensive tackle Brandon Willis has been given his release from UCLA, the school confirmed today, and appears headed back to North Carolina. I've been told nothing is certain, but it looks like it's leaning that way.

Scout.com's North Carolina site is reporting that he will be heading back to the Tar Heels because of the health of his grandmother. I've reached out to him, but haven't heard back yet.

Obviously, a pretty stunning turn of events, and it leaves the Bruins thinner at the defensive tackle spot, but still returning Cassius Marsh, Nate Chandler, Seali'i Epenesa, Donovan Carter and Justin Edison.

UCLA junior guard Malcolm Lee will have an MRI on his left knee around 3 p.m. today, with the results likely made available after 6 p.m.

Lee injured his knee in the closing minutes of regulation in the Bruins' 58-54 overtime win over Washington State on Saturday.

UCLA landed three players on the official Pac-10 first team today - the only team in the conference with three - as Reeves Nelson, Tyler Honeycutt and Malcolm Lee all picking up the honor.

Joshua Smith was named to the All-Freshman Team and Lee to the All-Defensive Team, but it was a slight surprise that Lee did not win conference defensive player of the year honors, which went to USC's Marcus Simmons.

ESPN's Joe Lunardi moved UCLA up to a seven-seed in the East in his latest Bracketology, facing Saint Mary's in the first round. Really, it looks like a dream scenario for the Bruins, with that region looking the worst of the four, aside from supposed overall No. 1 Ohio State.

More importantly for the Bruins, he has them trending up, which is a pretty good indication of the national pulse of the team right about now. I still think UCLA needs at least one win in the Pac-10 Tournament to get a seven. That would put them at 23 wins, which I think is good enough for a seven seed.

Fire away with questions for this week's Q&A. Please don't post new questions on the answers section, because I don't always check the comments. Save them for next week.

Thanks
Jon

Because of a long travel day, UCLA junior guard Malcolm Lee was not evaluated today after injuring his left knee late in the team's overtime win over Washington State on Saturday.

Also, the team is waiting for some swelling to go down before he'll have an MRI. Should have some results tomorrow.

A head's up: This is super, super long, and an abridged version will appear in the Daily News tomorrow, and I'll link to that. But, well, my thoughts on the kiss. Working on three hours of sleep, so if this turns out a little more like this, forgive me. Oh, and I'm still blushing.

THOUSAND OAKS (thank God) -

I'm as giddy as a school girl right about now, only 200 pounds heavier and much hairier.
But what can I say?

I feel like the belle of the ball, the homecoming queen, Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany's.
Does anyone else hear the angels singing?

Ben Howland kissed me on Saturday night, and my forehead will never be the same.

Some background, while I pause as you lose your lunch: A few months back, with the UCLA basketball team about to embark on its Pac-10 Conference schedule, I sat down for a one-on-one interview with the head coach in his plush office, surrounded by all of the icons of his coaching past.

The pictures of Howland with John Wooden, the mammoth awards from his tenures at Northern Arizona, Pittsburgh and UCLA, the mementos from the Bruins' run of three straight Final Four berths in the mid 2000's.

The Bruins were 8-4 when we met on Dec. 28, a day before the team opened conference play against Washington State. Coming off an uninspiring 74-73 win over UC Irvine at Pauley Pavilion, the team's fifth straight win, Howland was a cocktail of emotions. Somewhat pleased by the recent success, somewhat frustrated by the team's uneven play despite the winning.

A little more background, and hopefully you're all cleaned up now: I began covering the UCLA basketball team last season, and my relationship with Howland got off to, well, a slow start, a broken-neck pace. Howland's Bruins slogged through a 14-18 season, my first year as a beat writer since my college days, which mainly consisted of me being yelled at by San Diego State head baseball coach Tony Gwynn and trying to spark some pizzazz into stories about a then-lifeless San Diego State basketball team. As a precocious young beat writer (says this still-precocious young beat writer), I had to dissecteverydetail of the team's success, or lack thereof. I asked emotional questions because I'm an emotional guy, and they were met sometimes with true reflection, but more often with icy stares. I wasn't sure if Howland wanted to eat me alive or the entire media contingency.

PULLMAN -
It was a jubilant scene for the UCLA basketball team after its 58-54 overtime win at Washington State on Saturday afternoon, a victory that locked up a second-place finish in the Pac-10 conference.

The locker room was raucous, a chorus of hoots and hollers, chairs crashing to the ground, the cacophony of noise audible far down the hall.

Before boarding the team bus that would take them to Spokane, the players tossed snowballs at each other.

Normally reserved head coach Ben Howland was all wide smiles, talking a mile a minute, clearly fired up after his team rebounded from a 15-point deficit, its biggest comeback of the season.

Howland even kissed a reporter on the forehead. Read that again.

It was quite a different scene at halftime.

A morgue, though that might be an affront to the grim reaper.

Washington State was down its two best players - Pac-10 leading scorer Klay Thompson suspended indefinitely after being caught with marijuana during a traffic stop on Thursday night; point guard Reggie Moore out with an ankle injury - and yet it managed a 32-19 lead at the half.

The Cougars, unveiling a variation of the Oregon offense and taking the Bruins by surprise with backdoor layup after backdoor layup, sprinted to the 26-13 lead, swallowing UCLA's offense whole. The Bruins started two-for-12 from the field, finished the half seven-of-25 - including zero-for-eight from 3-point range - and the walk back to the locker room wasn't a jaunt so much as a full-on sprint.

"It was one of those games where we weren't prepared; they had just put in Oregon's offense," UCLA junior forward Tyler Honeycutt said. "Same thing with Cal - we weren't able to adapt. We just wanted to get out of the first half and be able to come into the locker room and talk about it."

Howland's halftime speech must have been a dandy.

Reverting back to the inside-outside game that has served the team well during a 13-3 regular-season finish, UCLA tied the game at 35 on a Honeycutt 3-pointer with just more than 12 minutes left in regulation. Every other basket during the 16-3 run was either a dunk or a layup, though, the Bruins finally finding Reeves Nelson, the bread, and Joshua Smith, the 6-foot-10, 300-plus butterball.

Nelson had a game-high 23 points, including 11 in the second half, and Smith finished with 10 and added five rebounds and three blocks.

"We didn't attack the zone well at all in the first half," Howland said. "They came out in man and we missed some open shots too in the first half. About everything that could go wrong was going wrong for us. When we got stops in the second half, we were able to fast break out of those stops. That was the key thing for us, the ability to fast-break by getting stops at the other end."

Ultimately, it was two crucial stops at the end of the game that lifted the Bruins (22-9, 13-5) over Washington State (19-11, 9-9).

After an early UCLA five-point lead in overtime dissipated, Cougar guard Faizel Aden tying the game at 54 on a 3-pointer with one minute, 21 seconds left, the two teams could not manufacture a point for more than a minute.

But with nine seconds left, Honeycutt forced a turnover by Washington State's Brock Motum, the ball bouncing to Nelson for the steal and advanced to junior guard Malcolm Lee, who was fouled and hit both free throws to give UCLA the 56-54 lead.

Then Cougar forward Abe Lodwick corralled and inbounded the ball with six seconds left to guard Marcus Capers, but Bruin point guard Jerime Anderson cut in front and deflected the ball off Capers. UCLA got the ball to Lee once more on the inbound pass, he was fouled and once more hit two free throws, finishing seven-for-seven from the line for the day, as he also hit two free throws with eight seconds left in regulation and the Bruins down 48-46, sending the game into overtime.

"I wanted the ball in that situation," said Lee, who scored 11 points but suffered a knee injury that will require an MRI today when the team arrives back from Washington. "I knew I could knock them down. I was just focused on making the first one and then getting into a rhythm. I didn't even hear the crowd."

The Bruins certainly heard it early from a loud Beasley Coliseum audience that served as sixth man - and maybe seventh - with Thompson and Moore out. When Thompson addressed the crowd after introductions to apologize for his indiscretion, they screamed words of support. When the Cougars harassed the Bruins early, they screeched. When Aden hit his game-tying 3-pointer, they exploded.

By the time Lee hit his four clutch free throws, they were silent, a fan walking by press row exclaiming, "I'm so sad right now."

And then there was UCLA, and Howland, happier than ever.

"I've seen him excited, but I've never seen him that excited," Smith said. "It's just the emotion of the game. How the game went, how we fought back took it to overtime, dominated the first three minutes, they came back and we just prevailed."

But he kissed a reporter...

"That's a first," Smith laughed. "I've never seen that."

From UCLA:

Malcolm Lee injured his left knee on the Bruins' final offensive possession of regulation when he took a hard landing after being fouled. He will have an MRI and will be reevaluated when the team returns to Los Angeles tomorrow.

With Pac-10 leading scorer Klay Thompson suspended and reliable point guard Reggie Moore sidelined with an ankle injury, Washington State had no one to turn to at the end.

UCLA had Malcolm Lee.

Lee hit four free throws and Tyler Honeycutt and Jerime Anderson came up with crucial steals in the last minute of overtime as the Bruins came all the way back from a 15-point deficit to beat the Cougars, 58-54, at Beasley Coliseum.

A sluggish start seemingly doomed the Bruins, who couldn't hit anywhere on the barn, much less the broadside, for the entire first half. UCLA shot 7-of-25 in the first frame, 0-from-8 from 3-point range, and looked simply lethargic.

The Bruins mounted a slow and steady comeback, however, relying on the inside game of Joshua Smith and Reeves Nelson. Nelson had 23 points, Lee had 11 and Nelson and Honeycutt added 10 each.

More to follow shortly...

Playing with the energy of a water buffalo after a Thanksgiving dinner, the UCLA basketball team did not sleepwalk through the first half. They Bruins were downright in a coma.

UCLA started the half 5-of-16 shooting, finished 7-of-25, including 0-for-8 from 3-point range, and Washington State hit the backdoor cut like a layup line, taking a 32-19 lead into halftime. The Bruins' 19 points were their second lowest halftime total of the season, better only than the loss at Cal, when they had 18.

After Joshua Smith picked up his second foul early in the half, the UCLA offense looked completely lost, settling for meek 3-point attempts, unwilling to draw contact.

UCLa's Malcolm Lee, Tyler Honeycutt, Jerime Anderson and Lazeric Jones went a combined 2-of-15 from the field, and most of the time, settled for perimeter passing.

Meanwhile, Washington State, missing its two best players in the suspended Klay Thompson - who addressed the crowd after introductions and apologized - and the injured Reggie Moore, looked like they were playing for their NCAA Tournament lives, which they are.

Backup forward Brock Motum had nine points, including a big 3-pointer, and Faisel Aden, DeAngelo Casto and Abe Lodwick combined for 18 more.

Every year, Jeff Faraudo of the Oakland Tribune puts together a survey with the writers of the Pac-10, with all-conference picks, etc. Here's mine:

Who is your choice for Pac-10 Player of the Year and why?
Derrick Williams, Arizona
Only Wildcat in double-figures (19 ppg), top-five in the conference in several categories, but more importantly, Arizona would be just average without him.

Name your five-man all-Pac-10 team (roughly by position: in other words, don't give us four power forwards or five point guards):
Washington G Isaiah Thomas
Washington State G Klay Thompson
Arizona F Derrick Williams
UCLA F Reeves Nelson
USC F Nikola Vucevic

Who is the league's most underrated player? Why?
Cal G Jorge Gutierrez
One of the league's best defenders, plays with incredible hustle for entire game, underrated offensive player.

The most overrated? Why?
UCLA F Tyler Honeycutt
Has the potential to be the best player in the league, but plays recklessly and casually too often.

Which Pac-10 player is most fun to watch? Why?
Derrick Williams, Arizona

Who will eventually be the best NBA player?
Joshua Smith, UCLA

It's a little after midnight, and I just got off the phone with new UCLA commit De'End Parker. Quite frankly...wow. What an interview, what a bright, energetic kid. Little did I know, my mom lived a block from him in San Francisco for the last five years, so we probably ran into each other once or twice. You'll enjoy this interview. Here's part two...

JG: You come to UCLA next season to pretty much fill out the roster, depending if a couple guys go to the NBA, but you'll be a junior; do you expect to come in and try to produce right away?
DP: "I've been battle-tested all my life. I've clearly never been in a situation like UCLA, but I'm definitely up for the challenge. That's the kind of person I am. The kind of player I am. I'm always going to try to rise to the occasion. As far as being able to come in and produce right away, they wouldn't have recruited if they didn't think I could. I mean, they don't even recuit junior college players. Pretty much just Jones, now. I'm feeling pretty comforable with my decision. I'm going to be happy. I know I'm going to be happy."

JG: There's a lot of talk about what position you'll play at UCLA. You play point guard now, but do you anticipate a move to the wing?
DP: "In high school I played wing and I was the primary scorer. It flipped the script when I went to City College; a lot of national JCs wanted to keep me at that position (wing). When I went to City they wanted me to play point guard, because they said my basketball IQ is great. I really know what's going on on the floor. It's been working out; people have been able to see more parts of my game. It bettered me. It expanded my game. People are being able to see, "He's a great passer, he can defend the position." I'll be happy if they want me to play the one, two or three."

It's a little after midnight, and I just got off the phone with new UCLA commit De'End Parker. Quite frankly...wow. What an interview, what a bright, energetic kid. Little did I know, my mom lived a block from him in San Francisco for the last five years, so we probably ran into each other once or twice. You'll enjoy this interview. Part two coming up...

Jon Gold: So today is your birthday and you commit to UCLA. Pretty big day...
De'End Parker: "Wow, I commited to UCLA on my birthday (laughing). I'm really excited. I talked to the coaches, after going to my family for information, for support, and everybody is all in with this one. When I committed to Cal, a lot of people were like, "Weeeell..." Once I said UCLA, though, everyone was just going crazy. They love it."

JG: You committed to Cal only recently, how did the process change so quickly for you?
DP: "I didnt have all the information on the whole situation with UCLA. Cal was recruiting me since the beginning of the summer, and when UCLA came in the picture, I was talking to my uncle - he's the one who helped with the process - and I said if UCLA offers, I'm definitely picking them. Then Arizona State comes to a game, and they offer me, and I'm stuck between ASU and Cal, because UCLA didn't offer. There was a miscommunication; I told them I was going to wait until the end of the season, and they thought they had time. When I committed, it was in the sense that UCLA wasn't going to offer me. Once they did, for me, it was kind of a no-brainer."

JG: What made it a no-brainer? The 11 championships? The Final Four run? Wooden? Kevin Love, Russell Westbrook? Coach Howland?
DP: "You kind of sumed it all up right there. With Coach Howland and the history of the program, producing, getting people to the pros - I dont know a lot of people in D1 trying to play basketball for fun. I'm trying to make it a career. I think Coach Howland is a great coach, a great person, a great person to be around. I talked to him and Coach Matthews, and they're good people. There's nothing wrong with Cal or the coaches at all, I really like them and they're good people, too."

Here's a couple videos of new UCLA verbal commit De'End Parker. He's jersey No. 21, and, well, he looks pretty good.

*Thanks to Lifelong Bruin Fan for the link.

The San Francisco Chronicle is reporting that City College of San Francisco guard and former Cal commit De'End Parker has flipped to UCLA, becoming the Bruins' second junior college commit in two years.

A year after tabbing Lazeric Jones, the Bruins are once again dipping into the JuCo ranks, filling a need for a senior guard when Jerime Anderson and Jones depart after 2012.

Parker has a lot of potential after having solidified his jump shot over the last couple years, and considering UCLA's desperate need for a shooter, perhaps he could make an impact next season.

UCLA junior pitcher Gerrit Cole retired the first 20 batters he faced at Nebraska today, and all he had to show for it was a sweaty forehead as the Bruins could not even muster a run.

Until the 11th inning, that is.

Dean Espy singled in Tyler Rahmatulla in the top of the 11th inning, freshman Nick Vander Tuig threw two innings of shutout relief - striking out three - and the Bruins picked up the 1-0 win.

Cole was masterful against the Huskers, striking out eight and allowing just two hits and two intentional walks while using just 101 pitches. His perfect game bid was shattered with a Cody Asche single in the seventh inning, but he went on to pitch two more innings.

Then Vander Tuig, one of UCLA's sensational freshmen, came in and completed the team's third shutout in nine games.

UCLA's bats are still mostly silent, as the Bruins are batting just .257 for the season, with only Cody Keefer - who went 2-for-4 on Friday - and Beau Amaral hitting above .300.

But with the absolutely ludicrous pitching so far, it's no wonder the team is off to a solid start at 7-2. The Bruins team ERA - that's team ERA, to be sure - is 1.41. Team ERA. Thirteen runs allowed in 83 innings.

I had hoped to start a weekly recap of the team's games with head coach John Savage, but I haven't been able to get that going yet. Hopefully we'll talk Monday, after the three-game set at Nebraska, and in advance of the Dodgertown Classic, which starts with games against Georgia and St. Mary's at Jackie Robinson Stadium, and concludes Sunday at Dodger Stadium against USC.

On how C.J. Wilcox was able to get his shots:
BH: "The first play of the second half, we were helping off the roll off and we were just late getting back to him and it was a nice pass from (Isaiah) Thomas. The second one, we didn't go with the body, Zeek tried to go underneath the screen, and he was able to get separation that way. He made a really big shot where he got fouled that was at the end of the shot clock. A possession where we made the mistake of not switching the dribble handoff. Reaching for the ball instead of getting our hands up. One time in transition we closed out short instead of making him shoot. We made a bunch of mental errors. The one he got open in the left area was really disappointing. We had two guys guarding the same guy. It really was not good."

On second-guessing his use of timeouts:
BH: "Two of our timeouts were timeouts that I didn't really want to use. One was an out-of-bounds play we didnt execute. Smartly Jerime used that. End of first half, I had to use one to get Reeves (Nelson) out of game. I burned that one, which I second-guess a little bit. I should've just forced him to play through it. There's always second-guessing when you lose. That's every time."

From Ben Howland's conference call with the media today:

On Klay Thompson:
Ben Howland: "When we arrived at the airport we were told he's being suspended. I know he'll miss this game tomorrow, and obviously he's a great player. I know him, he's a great kid. We wish him nothing but the best. Wonderful family, a good kid. I'm disappointed for him and his family that he won't be able to play tomorrow."

On how he expects Washington State to respond:
BH: "I've also seen teams like ourselves - who were without Josh Smith for the Cal/Stanford games - and sometimes things happen where it inspires them even more. We know with or without him, it'll be a difficult game for us."

Washington State star forward and leading scorer Klay Thompson - a shoe-in for all-conference honors - was suspended for Saturday's game against UCLA, the team's regular-season finale, after being cited for marijuana possession during a routine traffic stop.

Obviously, with UCLA needing a win to stay a game ahead of Washington in the standings - and potentially a tie for the conference title, if Arizona somehow lost to Oregon on Saturday - this bolsters the Bruins' chances.

Thompson scored 26 points in UCLA's win over the Cougars on Dec. 29 at Pauley Pavilion, and he is far and away the team's best player, and primary scoring option. UCLA, meanwhile, is coming off a loss at Washington in which they led by four with 5:55 to play, only to watch the Huskies roll off a 14-0 run.

SEATTLE -

Shot after shot, dagger after dagger, C.J. Wilcox was getting harder to miss.

With every subsequent game-saving basket, the Washington Huskies guard's star grew brighter and brighter, all the eyes of Hec Pavilion tracking him down the court.

All but UCLA's, it seems.

There he was, tucked into the left corner for a wide-open 3-pointer, shrinking the late UCLA lead to one.

There he was at the top of the key less than three minutes later for a shot-clock-beating three-point play, the deepest cut in a 14-0 Washington run.

Wilcox was here, there, everywhere, pouring in 24 second-half points as a late surge gave the Huskies the 70-63 win at Hec Pavilion.

"We had a great opportunity to win on the road in a very tough environment," UCLA head coach Ben Howland said. "Our defense was really good tonight, especially in the first half, with the exception of Wilcox. He had 24 points in the second half. We had a one-point lead with the ball going in, we missed a decent shot and he came down and got them going in a hurry and never stopped."

UCLA led 53-49 with 5:55 left following a 3-pointer by Jerime Anderson, who led the team with 16 points. The Bruins were soaring, a 13-5 run lifting the team ahead of the balanced Huskies.

And then the bleeding started.

And it poured and poured and poured, UCLA needing either a timeout or a tourniquet. They had neither. Howland used all of his timeouts by the 12-minute mark in the second half, trying to stop earlier runs. And there wasn't a bandage in Seattle big enough to stop Wilcox.

Certainly not one readily available, not with UCLA junior guard Malcolm Lee nursing cramps for a big stretch in the second quarter.

Led by Wilcox, who hit seven-of-10 shots, including four-of-seven 3-pointers in his career best performance, the Huskies simply blitzed the Bruins.

"It definitely seemed out of nowhere," Anderson said. "I really don't know what was going on at that time. It was such a scrambled situation. They got a lot of easy buckets, easy open shots. At that time, our defensive intensity wasn't to where it should've been. That run hurt us."

The turnovers stung a little bit more, the hydrogen peroxide in the gaping wound.

Despite facing a harrying perimeter defense that flustered the backcourt and caused 10 turnovers, the Bruins went into halftime at Hec Pavilion up 25-24.

How?

UCLA held Washington to 7-of-33 shooting (21.2 percent) and picked up five blocks, as the Huskies had trouble converting in the post. Talented big man Matthew Bryan-Amaning is shooting just 2-for-8 and has two fouls and center Aziz N'Diaye is 1-for-5.

But it's not just UCLA's interior defense that has done wonders: Washington's Isaiah Thomas is 0-for-6 with zero points.

Reeves Nelson is leading the way for the Bruins offensively with 10 points, and Joshua Smith - who entered the game with 16:51 left to a chorus of boos - has four points and nine rebounds.

Of particular worry for the UCLA: Washington's Venoy Overton and Thomas have just been sensational on the perimeter, twice forcing three-turnover streaks for the Bruins. Both have drawn offensive fouls from Jerime Anderson and Lazeric Jones, who each have two fouls. Smith also has two fouls, but Bryan-Amaning does, too.

I am quite fascinated by what's gone on with Reeves Nelson this season, and how he has handled his detractors, of which there are many. He has been consistently poked and prodded for his defensive skill and effort, all the while leading the team in scoring and rebounding, and that's just not very typical. Quite frankly, most times players who are as prolific as Nelson has been this season (14 ppg, 9 RPG, .586 FG%) get free passes for the deficiencies in their game.

When Nelson responded the way he did after the Arizona game - calling out a reporter by name for questioning his defense - I was struck by the fact that this is a 19-year old kid, with 19-year-old kid emotions, and I wanted to get some time with him. We couldn't spend too much time together because of the throng of reporters, but he did answer a handful of questions.

Here's what he had to say:

JG: It seems to me that most of the criticism of your defense hasn't really been about your ability, per se, but your effort. Do you distinguish between the two? Do you think performance and effort go hand-in-hand?
Reeves Nelson: "I understand that. But I think a lot of people who aren't really familiar with the game, don't really understand the difference between on-ball defense and help defense. Obviously, they're two different things. Like I've said, I've been very confident in my man-up defense - I pride myself, it hurts when people score on me one-on-one. At the same time, I do admit that I haven't been as good as I could be on help-side defense. I'm still working on it. I'm not great at it. Last year, I didn't really play much man-to-man at all in this system. I'm still trying to work on it. Everyone has weaknesses and that's definitely one of mine."

JG: Coach Howland said something interesting today about the zone defense of last year really stunting some of the players from learning man-to-man?
RN: "Playing zone the majority of the year, for everybody, we didn't really get a chance to learn coach's principles. This year, I was a freshman on the defensive side of the ball. That definitely contributes."

JG: This team really is still very young; do you think the team knows all of those little nuances of the game? The tricks? The team doesn't even have a senior...
RN: "I still haven't really sat down and thought about it because we've just been focused on preparing for games, but when you do think about it, it is pretty crazy to think about how we don't have a senior. I said at the beginig of the year, with more and more game experience we're going to keep improving. We have a lot of talent and we like working together. We ahve a good coach who knows what he's doing. I'm not surprised we've seen continued improvement."

Hey guys,

Just a reminder to follow me on Twitter and Facebook during the game, if interested. I post more often there than on here, so you can stay up to date easier.

Twitter: @thecoolsub
Facebook: Inside UCLA page

Check out the latest batch of weekly answers...

Check out the latest batch of weekly answers...

Joshua Smith may be big and tall and loveable, the Panda Express, still smiling a shy smile at the tender age of 18, but that does not make him immune to pain.

He has grown even thicker skin because of the torrents of taunts that have been tossed his way, but it is a constant battle, and it's about to get worse.

The UCLA freshman center, who hails from Kent, Wash., heads to Washington's Hec Arena for the first time tomorow night. He's anticipating a downpour of hatred from Husky fans who still think that the hulking center spurned them for the hated Bruins.

He's seen it before, many times, especially the treatment of Seattle-born point guard Aaron Brooks, who became a star for the Oregon Ducks. UCLA fans have seen it before, too, in the accosting of Oregon-bred Kevin Love, who was vilified in his lone appearance in Eugene.

"I remember going to Oregon games when Aaron (Brooks) used to come back up and just how tough it was for him," Smith said. "But it's nothing to be scared of. ... In their opinion, I'm a traitor, I'm this and I'm that. I made the decision that I thought was best for me, and I'm still sticking to it. I love it down here."

Smith has grown accustomed to the heckling of opposing fans, but it's taken some time.
Earlier this season he was roasted by USC fans at the Galen Center, heard chants of "Jenny Craig!" at Arizona and felt the brunt of criticism at Cal and Stanford.

Shylock had the right idea: If you prick him, does he not bleed? If you tickle him, does he not laugh? If you poison him, does he not die? And if you wrong him, shall he not revenge?

And revenge he has.

Smith has learned to channel the anger into production, as he has become one of the Pac-10's most dominant big men in recent weeks.

ESPN draft guru Mel Kiper was not impressed by former UCLA linebacker Akeem Ayers' NFL combine performance, and not only dropped him off his Big Board, but listed him as one of his Combine "losers", after Ayers ran unofficial times of 4.80 and 4.83 in the 40-yard dash.

However, both Kiper and Todd McShay have Ayers still at No. 21 to the Kansas City Chiefs, which would be a pretty good spot for Ayers.

Ultimately, I think Ayers does stay in the first round, as his production and potential is just too much to ignore.

Check out the first batch of weekly answers...

Former UCLA safety Rahim Moore impressed a lot of people at the NFL combine with both his numbers - he ran 4.53 and 4.61 40s and performed well in the other measurables - and his work ethic.

Check this article to see how he may have locked himself into a solid draft ranking: Read here

On Joshua Smith learning the nuances of defense:
"He's understanding it. He was making some mistakes where he was over-aggressive, reaching, reaching from behind. It's hard for a 300-pound guy not to stand out. Our schemes have changed, he's not hedging. He had a turning point in his year at ASU, when he turned around and dunked the ball on (No. 13). I thought that was really a turning point for him. He became more aggressive. Then he came back and had a couple big-time dunks in the next game. I think he's really taken off from that point."

On the Smith dunk:
"It was exciting, it was powerful, it was authoritative. That's how he should be playing. I thought he was great for us on Saturday in the low-post. Just a force in there."

On becoming emotional after the Arizona win:
"Not so much bottled up. It just means so much to me. I grew up a UCLA bruin fan. I grew up watching coach wooden's team. To have the '71 team here... I was a kid at the boys club pretending I was Sidney Wicks. To have Tyler Trapani make that last basket it was so meaningful to me. I know how much it means to his family, to everyone who gets the tradition of UCLA. What it means to people who've been at Pauley for 46 years. It was just really special. There have been instances in my coaching career where unbelievable emotional things have happened, and that's definitely one of them."

* On how Washington has changed since Abdul Gaddy's season-ending injury:
"I actually thought that in some ways they really grew. (Isaiah) Thomas' natural position is the point, and he's the best PG in our league, there's no question. Isaiah Thomas is the best PG in the Pac-10. I'm watching the Arizona game down there, and some of the passes he makes. The more you get it in his hands, the better he is".

* On how Gaddy changes the team:
"It takes away some depth from him. Gaddy was having a good year and shooting the ball pretty well, but it would've been different if it would've been Thomas or Bryan-Amaning."

* On Hec Arena:
"The venue is a great venue because they're right on tip of you, but bottom line, they've been really good. Our first final four run, we lost to them twice that year. They've been very, very good. It's been a hard place for a lot of teams to win over the last few years.

* On rising to the occasion against Arizona State and Arizona after a loss at Cal:
"Its one game at a time. We're coming off a loss, we're disappointed. But we were down 21-9 Thursday and they were coming off a win. I was pleased how we bounced back from a disappointing start. And Saturday was a really special environment. That games over now, and now we need two good practices before we leave for Seattle."

On defensive improvement:
Some of our schemes changed and that's helped us improve. But some of our execution has helped us improve."

* Team didn't practice on Monday, just had a team dinner.

* On Reeves Nelson's comments about his criticism on message boards:
"I don't know that he needed it to play well. I'll be sure to tell him not to respond to anything that's being written about him. I read those quotes. I don't know if its something he read or people talking. He's improved in that area. A lot of that responsibility goes on me; we went zone really early on last season. If that's motivating him, you need to write more stuff."

* On Joshua Smith playing at Washington:
"I've talked to him a little bit already. He's had some inappropriate things hurled at him on teh road already at a number of places we've been to. This is the last two regular season games of the year, and he's going home. He's got a lot of friends and family in the Seattle area. He's a big deal both figuratively and literally."

* On taunting affecting Smith:
"Early on it was bothersome for him. We saw that at USC. Even at Arizona a little bit. But my whole talk is - and this is really true - I don't hear what any people say. They're trying to get you to focus on something they're saying as opposed to what you're trying to accomplish."

* On reflecting about this season:
"I knew it wasn't going to be easy because we're so young. Our team has continued to improve, and that's what you want to do as a team. I think we're doing that. I read one of the articles that nine of our last 14 have shot less than 40 percent. That's great."

* On reflection:
"We are what we are. 21-8, tied for first with two games to go. I'm not looking at this as a reflective point. I'm trying to get ready for a very good Washington team."

Former UCLA safety Rahim Moore tested at the NFL Combine today, and he had a pretty good showing with times of 4.53 and 4.61 on his 40-yard dash. Moore really is on the precipice of the first round, and this could be the day that pushes him over the top. Scouts have been raving about his agility and speed for the position - his strength was not on showcase, as he put up 11 reps in the bench press - and obviously people are gushing about his character and confidence.

Like Akeem Ayers, who registered two poor times in his 40-yard performances, Moore will have a chance to improve on his numbers at UCLA's pro day.