UCLA vs. Indiana State: first half

The game itself obviously isn’t the news of the night, but it nonetheless continues. No. 13 UCLA looked very to start, getting abused on the boards by Indiana State, a Missouri Valley Conference team that lost four of its five starters from a year ago.

The Bruins couldn’t grab a lead until more than halfway through the period; low-lights include Kyle Anderson turning the ball over off Josh Smith’s feet, and Smith grabbing a defensive rebound only to toss it away on a bad pass and subsequently going “deer in headlights” as he got hit with a blocking foul. UCLA started shaking off the opening night jitters, and went on an 8-0 run to that helped stretch open a 36-27 halftime lead.

Jordan Adams, probably the least heralded of the four freshmen, has been a pleasant surprise so far. The 6-foot-5 guard was the first player off the bench and asserted himself quickly, shooting 3 of 7 to lead the game with 9 points.

As for Shabazz Muhammad, he continued to rock what looked like Ray Bans while sitting on the bench. Also, Red Hot Chili Peppers’ Flea played the national anthem and wore a “Free Shabazz Muhammad” T-shirt.