In what has been a never ending season of disappointment, the Bruins were swept by the Trojans, losing at the Galen Center 68-64.

Not much to say about this one, as it went about expected. USC’s athleticism and experience played a heavy factor against UCLA, forcing the Bruins to give up unwarranted turnovers.

A one-two scoring punch for the Trojans helped secure a victory. Senior guard Dwight Lewis led all scorers with 23 pts, while Junior reserve guard Donte Smith scored a career high 12 pts. UCLA was held to 39% FG, and surprisingly out-rebounded USC by a wide margin, 36 to 23. That was the only factor keeping them in the game.

The one positive Bruin fans can take from this was Coach Howland inserting Brendan Lane who logged 16 minutes of playing time. Fellow freshman Mike Moser saw limited action, notching four minutes. Could Howland finally be waiving the white flag, prepping his young guys for next season?

The answer is yes, and no.

Winning the Pac-10 outright is highly unlikely at this point, however winning the Pac-10 tournament still holds a flicker of hope. Now is the perfect opportunity to give some of the younger guys much needed game experience for next season. I expect to see Moser, J’Mison Morgan, and Lane continue to see minutes the rest of the way, especially with James Keefe out another game or two due to injury.

Official Boxscore

No recaps from around the net, as this was simply another tough one for Bruin fans to stomach. Let’s simply move on…

Random fact – This is the first time USC has beaten UCLA three times in a row (two during the regular season, and once in last season’s Pac-10 tournament) since the Wooden era. Yikes.

UCLA remained sharp knocking off Washington State at Pauley Pavilion, 74-62.

The zone defense is official now people. It looks like Coach Howland has come to grips with the fact this team is not athletic enough to stay in a man to man defense. Reeves Nelson and Tyler Honeycutt have become a formidable freshman duo on the boards, offensively and defensively. Nelson and Honeycutt combined for 27 points and 15 rebounds.

The Bruins pulled away in the second half, and never looked back. Sophomore standout Klay Thompson had an off game, going 5-17 from the field. I won’t jump to any conclusions and say this was a total result of the awesome zone defense by the Bruins, because it wasn’t. But did it contribute? Sure did.

Transfer freshman guard Reggie Moore kept the Cougars close, but simply couldn’t do it alone. Moore notched a career high24 points. (How many guys are going to put up career highs against us this year!? Sheesh!).

In the end, UCLA won a game they “should have” won. The Bruins must keep this momentum as they travel up north to face the Oregon schools on the road. We’ll know if they’ve turned a corner if they can come away 2-0.

Additional game notes:

1) Zone! 40 minutes of zone defense, looking better each game.

2) Nikola Dragovic maintained his solid offensive play, dropping 18pts, and connecting on 3-4 from beyond the arc.

3) Jerime Anderson continues to nurse his hip flexor. Mustafa Abdul-Hamid filled in admirably, chipping in 9 points, 2-3 from three point land.

4) The Bruins continue to struggle from the free throw line, going 16-28 for 58%.

5) This was UCLA’s first win on a Saturday all season long!

Official Boxscore

Additional reaction around the net:

LAtimes.com – Bruins roll at Pauley

Seattletimes.com – Zone diet helps UCLA get healthy

Seattlepi.com – Zoned out!

Bruinsnation.com – Finally a basketball “team” wearing those four letters shows up

Dailynews.com – UCLA beats Washington State for first Saturday win of the season

Slamonline.com (West Side Story – A Left Coast Perspective) – Game notes: Washington State at UCLA

Don’t count them out just yet.

On a cold, rainy night in southern California, it was only fitting UCLA would make a splash. Point guard Jerime Anderson was out due to injury (hip flexor), so former walk-on Mustafa Abdul-Hamid would have to step up. And step up he did.

The Bruins led the Huskies 60-59 after a pair of free throws from Mike Roll, with 8 seconds remaining. Ben Howland makes a substitution, bringing in Abdul-Hamid to defend full court due to his speed. The Huskies inbound the ball to Venoy Overton who takes the ball coast to coast with Abdul-Hamid on his hip and converts a lay-up. A lay-up! Coast to coast! 8 seconds coast to coast, coverts a lay-up! Howland, what were you thinking when you brought in Abdul-Hamid?!

3.6 seconds remain, no timeouts left for UCLA. Roll is set to inbound the ball, Malcolm Lee struggles to separate from his defender, Abdul-Hamid is free around the half court line. The ball is heaved his way, he takes a few dribbles, bobs and weaves, stops just inside of the three point line, pump fakes, and releases with 0.02 left on the clock. SWISH. Ball game. This is why we write stories, and he’s the head coach.

The Bruins played with grit and heart. This couldn’t have been the same team that was mauled by USC less than a week ago, could it? The game plan was noticeably different. This team resembled the grind it out Howland teams of yesteryear with one huge exception. The Bruins were in a zone defense from tip off. We’ve seen them go to zone off and on throughout the season, but never from buzzer to buzzer. It may have been a different type of defense, but it was the Howland defense we’re accustomed to.

In a previous post, I listed my keys needed for a Bruin victory. Let’s see how I did.

1) Protect the ball. CHECK. The Bruins committed a few more than I’d like with 16, but it was far less than the 22 against Stanford.

2) Box out. HALF CHECK. UCLA and Washington tied in rebounding at 24 a piece, so they technically didn’t get outrebounded. However, Washington did have 12 offensive to UCLA’s 6.

3) Slow it down. CHECK CHECK CHECK. Final score 62-61. I said this game would need to be won in the 60’s and indeed it was. The Bruins lack the athleticism and offensive firepower to play in the 80’s. Slow it down, and grind out a victory.

4) Nikola Dragovic needs to show up. HALF CHECK. Dragovic converted some nice buckets on the block. More than anything, he didn’t force shots. All of his attempts were quality looks. He finished with 11pts and 5brds, going 50% from the floor and 75% from the FT line.

5) 6th man. CHECK CHECK CHECK. It may have  taken the fans longer to arrive due to the rain, but once they did, they made their presence felt. The crowd and student section were alive and loud. Per Coach Howland’s twitter - “The student section was awesome tonight! You guys have no idea how much you helped our team. We have the best student section in the Pac-10!”

Additional game notes:

1) The play of the night was clearly made by Mustafa Abdul-Hamid, but the PLAYER of the night, was freshman Tyler Honeycutt. Honeycutt filled up the stat sheet. He was perfect from the floor 4-4, and FT line 2-2, for 10 pts, grabbed 8 rebounds, 2 offensive, dished out 4 assists, to go along with 2 steals,  and 1 block. Stats can only tell half the story as Honeycutt made crisp passes, and grabbed key rebounds for the Bruins. Last night was his coming out party. He’s going to be scary good.

2) Reeves Nelson continues to be an offensive inside presence. 16 pts and 6brds.

3) Washington was held to under 30% FG in the second half.

4) Live by the three, die by the three. Washington was 7-19 from three point land. No inside game.

5) Only two players scored in double figures for Washington. Quincy Pondexter and Isaiah Thomas.

6) Free throws remain a huge concern for UCLA. The Bruins were 17-26 from the charity stripe, for 56%.

7) Jerime Anderson not playing may have been the best thing for the Bruins last night. The on ball defense by the Huskies was impressive. Anderson would have certainly upped the turnover count.

Let’s hope the momentum continues (for once!) against Washington State on Saturday.

Additional reaction around the net:

ESPN.com – UCLA’s Howland keeping the faith

ESPN.com – A star is born

ESPN.com (again!) – Mustafa Abdul-Hamid’s game winner prompts student frenzy

Foxsports.com – Bruins’ buzzer-beater leaves Washington in shock

LAtimes.com – Bruins pull out victory with buzzer-beater

SFgate.com – Unlikely hero hits a shot at buzzer for UCLA win

Seattletimes.com – UCLA post game analysis

USC 67 – UCLA 46

I needed a couple of days to digest this one.

This is by far, the worst Bruin time I’ve seen in my lifetime. We thought the Lavin years were bleak, but this season has trumped that. A porous effort on both sides of the court. Coach Howland put the blame and embarrassment squarely on his shoulders, as it should be. With a week to prepare for a USC team in on down year, at Pauley Pavilion, this should never happen.

Normally I’d do a mini breakdown of the game, who did what, etc. I can’t even do that. It was ugly from the beginning and only got worse. There is nothing worth salvaging. It’s a complete bust of epic proportions, not worth revisiting.

UCLA and Bruin fans alike need to waive the white flag on this season. The talent is simply not there. Looking towards next season, we can all rejoice in the addition by subtraction factor. Seniors Nikola Dragovic, James Keefe, and Mike Roll will all be GONE! Thanks for your time fellas, but it’s time to move on! These three guys have never lived up to expectation, and lack the type of athleticism it takes to compete at a high level.

Coach, please stop recruiting players from Orange County, and Europe. We don’t need any more softies!

This post however, isn’t about next season. So I’ll let those masochists enjoy some good ole’ recaps around the net from this Trojan thrashing.

Official Boxscore

Insidesocal.com -  UCLA offense crumbles.

Bruinsnation.com – Howland’s words (of contrition and frustration) are meaningless

LAtimes.com – Trojans top Bruins, 67-46

Here we go again.

UCLA throws away a golden opportunity to go 2-0 on their Bay Area road trip, committing 22 turnovers, falling to the Cardinal 59-70.

It’s blatantly clear the Bruins lack leadership, and a go-t0 guy. No one stepped up. We keep hoping sophomore guard Malcolm Lee will grab this team by the throat and demand the ball, but it never happens. UCLA is fluttered with supporting characters pretending to be the lead. No one is buying it.

The score doesn’t reflect how close of a game it truly was. The Bruins could have snatched this one away and never looked back, but continued to shoot themselves in the foot with turnover after turnover, and too many empty offensive trips.

Center Reeves Nelson was in foul trouble most of the game, leaving UCLA with no inside presence, offensively or defensively. Nikola Dragovic led the team with 13 quiet points.

It’s back to the drawing board for coach Howland and the Bruins, where they face crosstown rival USC. It may finally be time to waive the white flag on this season, and seniors James Keefe, Nikola Dragovic, and Mike Roll. Thank you for your effort, but let’s give minutes to the freshman, particularly Brendan Lane and Mike Moser, and prepare for next season.

Official Boxscore

AP Photos

Additional Game Notes:

1) UCLA shot 54% from the field, Stanford 47%. 22 TO’s loses the game for UCLA.

2) The Bruins committed 22 personal fouls, Stanford 10. This wasn’t a case of bad officiating, just bad defense.

3) Another player scored a career high against UCLA. Sophomore guard Jeremy Green dropped 30 points, 5-8 from three.

4) Tyler Honeycutt continued his strong rebounding effort since becoming a starter, grabbing 8 boards in 26 minutes.

5) Malcolm Lee cannot hit a jump shot, especially from beyond the arc. 0-4 from three.

6) Reeves Nelson may receive a one game suspension for his intentional elbow late in the game to Andrew Zimmerman.

Additional reaction around the net:

ESPN.com - Stanford sweeps Los Angeles schools

LAtimes.com – Bruins let one slip away at Stanford

Bruinsnation.com – As expected Bruins implode & embarrass four letters against Stanford

Mercurynews.com – Stanford holds off UCLA in impressive 70-59 win

Insidesocal.com – Bruins fall to Stanford 70-59

And that’s why I’m not a gambling man.

Cal must be waking up this morning thinking “What the hell happened?!” The feeling is mutual, Bears fans. The Bruins came in at 16 point underdogs, and despite a sub par defensive performance, were able to steal an overtime win on the road, 76-75. Mike Roll hit the game winner on a broken play with 1.9 seconds left.

The Bears had plenty of chances to bury the Bruins but could never get it going from the outside, especially Jerome Randle who shot 5-16 from the field, and 1-8 from beyond the arc. If Cal any inside presence whatsoever, this game wouldn’t have been close. This is definitely an area of concern for them going forward.

UCLA reverted back to zone, which at times looked solid, but again showed the glaring weakness on defense that is Nikola Dragovic. He was constantly beaten on backdoor cuts, but did provide a spark offensively to start the second half, knocking down back to back tre’s. Dragovic ended up with 18 points, and 4 three’s.

Coach Howland’s experiment to start Tyler Honeycutt paid off, as the freshman grabbed 10 rebounds, 4 offensive. Jerime Anderson played solid, but his decision making continues to be a problem, committing 4 turnovers off the bench.

Free throw shooting remains a thorn in the side of the Bruins, going 15-26 for 57%. Center Reeves Nelson was a presence inside, but gave a “Shaq-like” performance at the line, going 7-14.

Despite all of the shortcomings by UCLA, they came out victorious. It’s a credit to Howland and his staff for drawing up a game plan and executing it. This was a major confidence builder, but let’s hope the excitement wears off in time for the Stanford Cardinal on Saturday.

Official Boxscore

AP Photos

Additional Game Notes:

1) UCLA shot 45% from three, going 9-20.

2) Malcolm Lee was 1-7 from the field, but dished out 7 assists starting at point guard. He cramped up late in the game, unable to return.

3) Remember that lack of inside presence I mentioned? UCLA had 7 blks, Cal only 3.

4) Cal has four good starting seniors, but zero bench.

5) The return of the zone!

6) Theo Robertson matched a career high with 24 points. 9-10 from the free throw line.

Additional reaction around the net:

LATimes.com – Game notes from a close victory

Insidesocal.com – Thoughts on the UCLA hoops victory

Bruinsnation.com – Bruins scratch, claw, and clank their way to an ugly, but welcome win

Mercurynews.com – UCLA beats Cal in overtime

OCregister.com – Roll hits the winner for Bruins

UCLA showed their lack of athleticism losing to the Arizona Wildcats 77-63 Saturday morning at Pauley Pavilion. It was a poor effort to say the least, as the Bruins were beaten in every aspect of the game. UCLA shot a horrendous 20% from the field in the first half. Malcolm Lee and Michael Roll were a combined 1-14 during that span.

Jerime Anderson continued to struggle, allowing sophomore guard Kyle Fogg to score a career best 25 points, while chipping in with only 4 points. Nikola Dragovic was a non-factor offensively going 2-7 from the field with 11 points, while playing typical poor defense down low.

The zone defense that seemed to work so well against Arizona State wasn’t in Coach Howland’s arsenal today, implemented a handful of times only to be switched to man on the following possession.

This was a winnable game on paper as both teams came in with identical records (6-7), but there in lies the problem for UCLA. These games aren’t played on paper. It was apparent the Bruins simply could not match the athleticism the Wildcats possessed. A problem they will face all season.

Official Boxscore

AP Photos

Additional Game Notes:

1) UCLA shot 40% FG and 20% from 3pt. Not going to win many ball games throwing up bricks.

2) Zone defense disappeared.

3) Nikola Dragovic returned to earth.

4) Jerime Anderson should not be playing division 1 college basketball.

5) 10:00am game times should be removed from all future schedules.

Additional reaction around the net:

LAtimes.com – Bruins lose to Arizona

Bruinsnation.com – Bruins can’t shoot early, or defend, get clawed by Cats

SGVtribune.com – Bruins don’t answer wake up call

Tucsoncitizen.com – For struggling Bruins there is no quick fix

PressEnterprise.com – UCLA can’t catch up after digging big hole

OCregister.com – Bad start buries Bruins

Now we’re talking.

UCLA and senior forward Nikola Dragovic were in the zone today, literally, as Drago notched 23 points (six from beyond the arc) and the Bruins finally showed off a zone defense. Both were effective weapons in the first half, as UCLA secured an early 16 point lead.

The Sun Devils clawed back towards the end of the game as senior point guard Derek Glasser finally began to assert himself. The Bruins didn’t help the cause with a healthy dose of missed free throws in crunch time. With less than five seconds left, Arizona State forward Jerren Shipp (younger brother of former Bruin Josh Shipp) attempted a wide open three pointer for the win, only to be partially blocked by a flying Jerime Anderson as time ran out.

UCLA needed one of two things to happen for any hope of a successful season, and both took place. Dragovic finally woke up from his horrid shooting slump, and the defense showed giant leaps of improvement switching to a zone. Coach Howland has been a stickler for man defense, but the proof was in the pudding as the Bruins pulled away once the zone was implemented. If Nikola can continue to be a threat from beyond the arc, while the defense builds off this showing, the Pac-10 better watch out.

It’s only one game, but that may be all the Bruins needed to turn this season around.

Addtional Game Notes:

1) All UCLA starters scored in double figures

2) Nikola Dragovic tied a career high in points (23) and 3-pointers made (6)

3) Jerime Anderson had a solid game: 10 pts, 6 rebs, 6 assts, with only 2 to’s and a game saving block

4) James Keefe returned to action, playing 12 mins

5) The Bruins shot 17-28 from FT for 60.7%. Not going to cut it.

Official Boxscore

AP Photos

Additional reaction around the net:

ESPN.com – UCLA wins, apocalypse upon us?

LATimes.com – Bruins hang on to defeat Arizona State 72-70

Bruinsnation.com – Heart stopper: Bruins start the Pac-10 season with a victory…

Mercurynews.com – Dragovic, UCLA hold off Arizona State 72-70

AZcentral.com – ASU basketball comes up short at UCLA

UCLA finished off its out of conference schedule with a win over Delaware State 66-49, Sunday afternoon at Pauley Pavilion.

Center Reeves Nelson led all scorers with 21 points in 28 minutes, while fellow freshman Tyler Honeycutt added 11 points and 4 rebounds. Senior shooting guard Mike Roll, unexpectedly was the leading rebounder with 7 boards.

It was a balanced attack for the Bruins, as they were clearly the more talented team, which is something we haven’t said much this season. Point guard Jerime Anderson struggled once again, netting 6 assists to go with 6 turnovers, most coming against the press where he seemed confused on how to break. Anderson was in and out of the lineup for most of the  game, but did end up playing 27 minutes by default. Help is on the way with the recent verbal commit of  point guard Lazeric Jones, considered the #1 junior college PG in the nation.

Official Boxscore

AP Photos

Additional reaction around the net:

LATimes.com: UCLA finds the fun in 66-49 win over Delaware State

SGVtribune.com: Bruins pick up momentum heading into Pac-10 play

Bruinsnation.com: Bruins end out of conference season on a winning note, take care of Delaware State.

The  Bruins toughed out a win against lesser opponent Colorado State Tuesday night 75-63. In what appeared to be a clear cupcake on paper, it wasn’t until the 11 minute mark in the second half when UCLA woke up, going on a 27-9 run in the final nine minutes.

Senior forward Nikola Dragovic snapped out of a season long funk leading all scorers with 17 points, and tied for leading rebounder with 7 boards (Malcolm Lee also had 7). Sophomore point guard Jerime Anderson took one step forward and two steps back in his development, dishing out 7 assists to 5 turnovers, while continuing to get beat defensively off the dribble. He chipped in with 12 points in 33 minutes.

Junior College point guard prospect Lazeric Jones was in attendance on an official visit. The 6′1 200lbs guard from Illinois was said to have a “nice frame”. UCLA has extended Jones a scholarship offer.

Official Boxscore

AP Photos

Additional reaction around the  net:

LATimes.com – Nikola Dragovic Comes to Bruins’ Rescue

SGVtribune.com – Bruins Find Their Rhythm Late

Bruinsnation.com – UCLA Plays Vintage Howland Defense in Crunch Time