Bruins lost in big loss

Gee, I was looking forward to the basketball season so I'd have something to look forward to. Guess I'm hosed. Maybe we do need Phil Jackson after all.

I think this is getting overblown. This is a good team. They just happen to be bad at shooting, defense, passing, and getting the ball inside to their big players. But other than that, they are good! I mean, they managed to inbound the ball without it getting stolen by the other team most of the time!

This is beyond pathetic! Dan Guerrero MUST be fired now! This is stickening. Completely unacceptable!!!

Just a few glaring points! This team has no game changing catch and dunk athletes. This team does not have a back breaking three point shooter. This team looks like the football team in a sense that they look like they're just trying to run the offense, where as the other team clearly looks like it's trying to win. Right now Zeke and Lamb couldn't even play with the womens team because neither one can shoot or play defense!!!

Sigh...

Team is unbalanced and one dimensional.

It's fine having big guys that can shoot, but ONLY as a change up to great post play. I want the guards to do the shooting.

We really need Tyler to step up this year. It took Malcolm a few years to figure it out. It's hard to be a scorer with all the demands Howland puts on his defensive stoppers.

Sorry Dean, but Tyler Trapani (though he can at least shoot and has great blood lines) would have to also learn to play defense, drop 10 pounds, increase his vertical by one foot AND get handles to be able to play major minutes. That's all.

Oh, you were refering to Tyler Lamb? Nope, that kid can't shoot.

This basically means I'm going to stop watching UCLA sports until 2012. Which also means I'm going to be reading your blog much less often. See you all in Fall 2012!!

why does the article state that this was the first game of the Maui Invitational? Did LA move to Hawaii and nobody told me?

The first game is Monday against Chaminade...and we better be worried!

I know sometimes guys have off nights shooting, but when you are not hitting from outside, you try something else. Our guards have no discipline and the team does not play smart.

So Howland needs to make them learn or not play.

THIS JUST IN.....Brick thrown up by Lamb....Brick thrown up By Zeke.....Another guard just blew by Tyler Lamb and Lazeric Jones for a score!!! two games-same results.

Jon repeats Check Out and Check It Out ... maybe he means the Bruins have checked out?

2 for 15 from 3-point range in each of their first two games is pathetic!! while the opposing team is shooting 75 percent from that same range is just poor defense. I know we have the athletes to compete against anyone, but when will the come around?

Ucla in for a long season. I've been ranting about Howland for a while, mostly to deaf ucla fans. Howland does not shoot bricks or commits stupid fouls or stands around while the opposition takes open threes, but he does supposedly coach the team. Coaching means you dictate what your players do out there and ultimately you're held accountable. What we've seen on the court the last 2 games is horse doo doo basketball and there is absolutely no excuses. Reeves would not have made a difference. Ucla is supposedly filled with skilled big men and yet we keep jacking up lame 3 pointers by guys who have no business jacking up that many (lamb, reeves, jones, etc). Pound the ball inside because these big guys are getting beat off the dribble on defense, the obvious weakness for bigger guys when defending. Problem is that our guards are also getting beat off the dribble, thus creating confusion on defense, allowing open looks and offensive rebounding opportunities. What a freaking mess. This is going to be potentially two losing seasons out of three. Any other coach would get fired, but a lot of ucla fans are still in love with Howland's 3 straight final 4s. To the point where he gets a lifetime free pass. Fans think that player success in NBA is due to Howland, and not the other way around. Howland has proven that when he doesn't have elite NBA talent his teams don't fare so well. He is not a magician, and he has been severely out coached the last 2 games.

Hey, Shades,

Those are the same points (even phrases) posted at Bruinsnation! At first I thought you were Tydides, Nestor's boy lover and congenital ass-kisser, but then you left out an article.

You're Nestor! Welcome, anonymous coward!

He forgot a linking verb, too!

Nope, not Nestor and haven't read what he has written lately. But perhaps ucla's deficiencies are painfully obvious. I just read some Bruingold posts and miraculously some readers have same view that I do. Howland will do just fine if he has the talent, but clearly we don't this year, especially guard play. I'm just tired of the how great howland is attitude we've had here. Even in the final 4 days, I argued at how he misused players and how bad his offense sets were. He got bailed out by extremely talented NBA players (Farmar, aa, dc, kl, jh, rw, etc) improvising on offense while also riding defensive players such as rw, luc, aa, etc. He can get back to that level, but he's going to need those caliber of players to do so. Not easy. Can he catch lightning in a bottle again? Supposedly a great recruiting class next year, but let's see how it shapes out after this joke of a season. Also, we've had howland chase away players and have plenty of highly recruited misses. Not a slam dunk.

The annoying excuse that I'm seeing the most right now is that LMU and mtsu just shot the lights out and no way ucla could have won. Bs. Bs. Bs. What did LMU shoot inthegame after beating ucla? Like crap. And yes they played mtsu. I understand that sometimes you just have an off night, but defense is a huge part of it. We've seen these guys shoot last year too, and they're terrible. Lambis atrocious, so is zeke and reeves. Me so should be under the basket rebounding too. Lastly, it doesn't matter that LMU and mtsu shot the lights out. Ucla just played like crap. So, time for these howled lovers to stop making stupid excuses.

I really hope that the school doesn't have to fire both the football coach and the basketball coach this offseason. Team needs to get their ish together ASAP. I was really looking forward to basketball season too.

Why is it that Coach K can still get top recruits to buy into a non-selfish style of basketball?

Whereas Howland can't seem to get that out his players anymore...he was able to do so in the past.

I miss players like Westbrook, Collison, Farmer, Afflalo, Mbah a Moute, Aboya, etc...

Also, doesn't it iritate you when people say things like the most storied programs of all-time: Kentucky, Kansas, UNC and Duke.

Last night, I listened to just a little bit of Kentucky v. Kansas on ESPN radio and the announcers said that these are the two MOST storied college basketball programs. Since when did simply wins determine all-time status? I thought it was CHAMPIONSHIPS!!! Like with all other sports!

It should be UCLA first and foremost. Not only do they have the most titles...they also have the best winning % (by a longshot) in the Final Four!

I also read on another UCLA blog...that Bilas didn't even mention UCLA as one of the big schools involved in the Maui Classic.

Does DG want both UCLA football and basketball to be irrelevant???

Oh an Wooden is still #1 ever!

"So, time for these howled lovers to stop making stupid excuses."

Smells like Nestor.

The football and basketball program are in the dumps and Dan Guerrero is worried about Fatburger? Officially given up on UCLA sports. No more $ donations, no more going to games until the AD makes a change.

I agree, definitely sounds like a bruinsnation HACK. Not for the opinion or viewpoint, but for the insistence that everyone else is a "neub" or "howland lover". Their immaturity is so transparent. The inability to have a thoughtful discussion without falling right into "your either with us, or your against us". It is laughable and even more so considering that they fashion themselves as the "voice" of "rational" Bruin fans. LOL

@dodgerblue - I think that the problem is coach Howland isn't recruiting the same type of players. He seems to have fallen into the trap that you need to recruit blue-chips. Maybe it isn't him, but rather booster demands and so forth. Ultimately, it falls on Ben, though.

The simple fact is this team looks terrible. I mean, these two games weren't even competitive. There are a lot of issues. I hope Ben figures it out.

I had written a lengthy (or more lengthy, if you prefer) comment last night but my computer crashed so I will summarize in bullet points.

-First loss was obviously not a fluke.

-UCLA was outplayed and CBH outcoached by MTSU.

-Team needs to employ a zone pronto to take advantage of length and cover up for inability to stop ball penetration. Stover's absence is really hurting our ability to protect the rim.

-While I root for his success, Lamb (at this point in his development) is not starting off guard material. I think Parker and Powell should get more of Lamb's minutes. Parker is making some mistakes on defense but he has good court vision and can drive to the basket and create for others.

-Jones is not playing to the same level he played last year especially with decision-making, but I think he will bounce back. Fingers are crossed as we absolutely depend on him playing well.

-The team needs to push the ball as much as possible without relying on the half court offense, which frankly is often terrible. A big reason is that our outside shooting is terrible. These guys miss open perimeter shots that most high school teams will drain. We need to change our mindset in the halfcourt offense to playing inside-out.

-Against a 2-3 zone that MTSU played, we should look for DWear flashing at the high post for a jump shot or to pass to Smith as the interior defenders converge. We should also run pick-and-pops for him against M2M, as he is probably the best perimeter shooter on the team. We need to create situations to take advantage of his height and good shooting touch when the ball is not going inside to Smith.

-We are playing soft basketball. I re-watched the MTSU game 2 times, reviewing certain plays over and over to see what is going wrong. One thing that stood out is the lack of help defense especially in the lane. With all of the numerous times the opponent has gone to the basket, nobody has yet to step up to take a charge, not even a blocking foul. Guys are giving up and not even putting themselves in a position to sacrifice their bodies. This mentality has to change or else it will be a long season.

-We are not defending the high screen well. The on-ball defender is getting beat off the screen too consistently, so the screener's defender needs to hedge and change the path of ballhandler and buy the on-ball defender some time to recover.

-Many people are hitting the panic button, but even though I've been disgusted by the first two games I'm not there yet. We are missing a key player from our lineup (Stover) and the floor chemistry has been off due to injured or suspended players as well as the addition of four new players in the rotation. That's not an excuse for losing the first two games, as we simply got outplayed and outcoached, but it's part of the equation. Bottom line is that the guards have to play much better and we need to shift our strategy (more zone, more transition, more inside-out). And maybe knock down an outside shot or two, for goodness sake!

LBF: Appreciate your take, as I was not able to watch the games. I don't even like November hoops much, though they are obviously telling again for us. But I agree that though Stover's absence is surely felt, that would pale in comparison to playing minus Reeves Nelson vs. MTSU. Well, at least Reeves Nelson in say, a 50/50 mood day ... Did I miss something in a past post of yours?

UOTR: Thanks. I've actually always loved the early season games because I really enjoy seeing the new players and trying to project what they will add to the team, as well as seeing how the returning players have improved over the off-season.

Of course missing Nelson against MTSU was a minus, but honestly between his attitude and play I thought he was a negative force for us against LMU, especially in the second half. He took a number of ill-advised shots that disrupted on-court chemistry and any chance of building momentum in a game we were trailing. I am looking forward to him returning to the lineup with the right attitude because we certainly miss his rebounding and ability to score around the basket, not to mention his fiery spirit when he is in the right frame of mind.

Final aside: This is not meant to be an excuse for the team because we did not play well the first two games, but never mind that most people have never heard of them, MTSU in particular is a solid team. One of the reasons mid-majors have had unprecedented success in recent years is that these teams often have a core group of upperclassmen. Add good coaching and it's no wonder when they are able to compete even against teams in major conferences, especially those dealing with early departures and playing underclassmen. Against UCLA, MTSU's Laron Dendy was probably the best player and NBA prospect on the floor.

Everyone bringing up the fact that UCLA was without Reeves, please remember/realize that MTSU was without their leading scorer from last year (James Jones).

UCLA has some major issues that may not get worked out this year unless Jerime has a career year or the new guards develop fast. Not taking a shot at Zeke but I think everyone will agree, he is what he is...

Yes, I do believe UCLA needs guards that can keep their man in front of them and create on offense if they have any chance at a good season.