The Official UCLA Basketball Thread~~>

["THE" MoSav]

Afflalo has to be the most clutch player in college basketball, hes got ice in his veins. Him and Collison will be the difference in the Tourney. Nobody has the grd combo we have. Durant this Durant that, Oden this Oden that. Afflalo never gets respect. At least his own confrence knows whats up. I guarantee Afflalo has a good NBA Career.

[Now_Im_Not_Banned]

I just wish the Lakers woulda' drafted him in the 2nd round last year, we had a great shot at it, if we woulda' guaranteed him a selection I'm pretty sure he woulda' stayed in the draft...But then again, we got Mo Evans with our 2nd round pick, so that worked out anyways...But yea, Afflalo is a half-court player, which is why I believe he'd excel in a system like the triangle. I say we take him in this years draft. Dude can play 3 positions, the only thing that I don't like is that his rebounding really digressed. But he looks like he'll be a very solid player with a lengthy career...Plus, picture Farmar & Afflalo reuniting in the back-court, back in LA. Would be nice...

["THE" MoSav]

I just wish the Lakers woulda' drafted him in the 2nd round last year, we had a great shot at it, if we woulda' guaranteed him a selection I'm pretty sure he woulda' stayed in the draft...But then again, we got Mo Evans with our 2nd round pick, so that worked out anyways...But yea, Afflalo is a half-court player, which is why I believe he'd excel in a system like the triangle. I say we take him in this years draft. Dude can play 3 positions, the only thing that I don't like is that his rebounding really digressed. But he looks like he'll be a very solid player with a lengthy career...Plus, picture Farmar & Afflalo reuniting in the back-court, back in LA. Would be nice...

^^I dont like that idea ONE BIT!!! haha. I think Afflalo's rebounding degressed tho, because without Farmar (not taking anything away from D.Coll) he has to take more of a load on offense, and always has to guard the other teams best player. But he is still phsyical and athletic, i think at the next level where he does have to be the leading scorer his defense will be even better and his rebounding will improve. BUT NAH NOT WITH THE LAKERS!! I cant root for the Lakers.

[LAKERS_FAN89]

UCLA Sets Out to Defend Pac-10 Tournament Title
Bruins await winner of California/Oregon State game



March 7, 2007

LOS ANGELES -




GAMEDAY CENTRAL
DATE: March 8, 2007
SITE: Staples Center (Los Angeles)
TIP-OFF: 2:50 p.m. PST
TV: FSN
TALENT: Barry Tompkins (play-by-play), Dan Belloumini (analyst)
RADIO: AM 570
TALENT: Chris Roberts (play-by-play), Don MacLean (analyst)
WEB: www.uclaBruins.com


#3 UCLA IN THE PAC-10 TOURNAMENT
The 29-time conference champion UCLA Bruins look to defend their 2006 Pacific Life Pac-10 Conference Tournament title, entering as the top seed in 2007. The two previous times UCLA entered the Pac-10 Tournament as the number one seed (1987 and 2006), it went on to win the title. The Bruins sport an all-time record of 10-7 (.588) in the Pac-10 Tournament. The Bruins are looking to become the first team to repeat as Pac-10 Tournament champions for the first time since Arizona pulled off the feat in 1990, after defeating the Bruins 94-78 to win their third-straight Pac-10 Tournament title. Last year, UCLA breezed to the title, posting three wins by an average of 21 points a game. The top-seeded Bruins opened with a 79-47 win over eighth-seeded Oregon State in the Quarterfinals, then posted a 71-59 victory over fourth-seeded Arizona in the Semifinals. The Bruins defeated third-seeded California 71-52 in the Championship game.


NATIONAL POLLS
UCLA is currently ranked third in the ESPN/USA Today poll and fourth in the Associated Press poll. Earlier this year, UCLA spent six weeks (Nov. 27-Jan. 1) ranked first in the AP poll and five weeks (Dec. 4-Jan. 1) atop the Coaches poll. UCLA has spent more time (134 weeks) at number one in the history of the AP poll than any other program.


HOWLAND REACHES MILESTONE VICTORY
UCLA Head Coach Ben Howland won his 250th game in the 70-65 home win over 19th-ranked USC on Feb. 7, 2007. Howland, now in his 13th season as a Division I head coach, is averaging 19.6 wins per season with still more games to play in 2006-07. Equally impressive is the fact that he won his 200th victory just last year on Nov. 19 in a 56-37 home win over Delaware State.


WHAT'S BRUIN'
UCLA ...
• Has won its second-straight Pacific-10 title and earned the No. 1 seed in the Pac-10 Tournament.
• Has completed the first true undefeated home season (16-0) since 1974-75 (32 seasons). The 1994-95 squad was 15-0 at home, but it included a forfeit win over California (after the Bruins originally lost the game 100-93).
• Has made 207 three-point field goals, which is third on the season list while the 554 attempts are third and the .374 percentage is sixth.
• UCLA averages 34.0 points and shoots .461 from the floor, .333 from three and .581 from the line in the first half of games. In the second half, it averages 38.6 points and is shooting .512 from the floor, .416 from three and .706 from the line.
• Has won 26 or more games in back-to-back seasons for the first time since the 1974-75 (28-4, John Wooden's last season) and the 1975-76 season (28-3, Gene Bartow's first year).
• Is looking to become only the second school in Pac-10 Tournament history to win back-to-back Tournament titles (Arizona has done it twice, winning the 1988, 1989 and 1990 titles).


Arron Afflalo ...
• Junior guard Arron Afflalo has led the team in scoring in nine of the last 13 games and in 12 of the last 19 contests.
• Was the first Bruin since Ed O'Bannon (1995) to be named Pacific-10 Conference Player of the Year (just the sixth time overall for UCLA).
• Has been selected first-team All-America by the National Association of Basketball Coaches, ESPN.com and by Dick Vitale.
• Also named to All-District 9 team by USBWA and District 9 Player of the Year, as well as Pac-10 Player of the Year by CollegeInsider.com.
• Has scored at least 20 points in six of his last 13 games and 10 times overall this year.
• His 77 three-pointers are sixth on UCLA's season list (needs 11 to pass Jason Kapono's 87 in 2002) and his 198 attempts are second, only to his 227 attempts a year ago.
• His 199 career three-pointers rank second, behind Jason Kapono's 317 from 2000-03.


Darren Collison ...
• Sophomore point guard Darren Collison has registered 42 assists and just 10 turnovers in his last six games for an assist to turnover ratio of 4.2 to one and an assist average of 7.0 assists per game.
• Was a first team All-Pac-10 selection in 2007 and has been named to the All-District 9 team by the USBWA and to the first team All-District 15 by the NABC.
• His 65 steals on the year are fifth on UCLA's season list and are three shy of moving into fourth place (Baron Davis, 68, 1999).
• Has led the team in assists in 24 of his 29 games and is averaging 7.8 assists in the last five games.
• Has 14 games of at least six assists and UCLA is 14-0 in those contests. Has scored in double figures in 23 of his 29 games.


Josh Shipp ...
• Sophomore guard/forward Josh Shipp scored 24 points at Arizona and 22 points vs. California, marking the first time in his career he has scored 20 or more points in back-to-back games.
• Shipp was named to the honorable mention All-Pac-10 team in 2007.
• Shipp has shot 55.4 percent (31-for-46) from the field, 33.3 percent (5-for-15) from three-point range and 80.0 percent (12-for-15) from the free-throw line in the last five games while averaging 15.8 points, 4.4 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game during that span.


Lorenzo Mata ...
• Junior center Lorenzo Mata has shot 66.7 percent (14-for-21) from the free-throw line in the last eight games and 70.6 percent (12-for-17) in the last five contests. Prior to the last eight games, Mata was shooting just 27.4 percent (17-for-62).
• Mata has scored in double figures in four of the last six games, including a streak of three consecutive games, the longest double-figure scoring streak of his career. Prior to the streak, he had never scored in double figures in back-to-back games.
• Has made 22 of his last 30 field goal attempts (.733) in the last seven games.
• In the last six games, he is averaging 9.0 points (54 points), 5.7 rebounds (34 boards) and 1.7 blocks (10 blocks).
• His .654 field goal percentage is currently fifth on UCLA's season list.


Luc Richard Mbah a Moute ...
• Sophomore forward Luc Richard Mbah a Moute has hauled in seven or more rebounds in eight of his last 10 games. He has led UCLA in rebounding in 19 games this season and in 52 contests in his young Bruin career.
• Mbah a Moute was named honorable mention All-Pac-10 in 2007 after being selected the Pac-10 Freshman of the Year in 2006.
• Has led the team in rebounding in seven of the last 10 games and in 19 of his 29 games this season. In two years, he has led the team in rebounding in 52 of 68 games.
• Has grabbed at least eight rebounds in 14 games and at least seven on 20 occasions this season.


Alfred Aboya ...
• Sophomore forward/center Alfred Aboya has made 20 of his last 27 field goal attempts (.741) in the last seven games.
• Is averaging 6.6 points (46) and 5.0 rebounds (35) in his last seven games and has at least five rebounds in four of those contests.

["THE" MoSav]

2:50 PST tomorrow vs CAL!! 

[LAKERS_FAN89]

UCLA Stunned By Cal In Overtime, 76-69
Collison leads Bruins with 20 points, but can't prevent Bears from opening up lead in extra period.









March 8, 2007

LOS ANGELES (AP) - On the losing end twice against UCLA after owning first-half leads, California nearly let it happen again. This time, the Golden Bears got an extra five minutes and finished off the Bruins.

Ayinde Ubaka scored eight of his career-high 29 points in overtime and California stunned fourth-ranked UCLA 76-69 in the Pac-10 tournament quarterfinals Thursday night.

"We fought too hard to give this one back," Cal coach Ben Braun said. "We were frustrated that we had two games with pretty good leads and lost."

UCLA's second straight defeat dealt a serious blow to its hopes of being a No. 1 seed in next week's NCAA tournament.

"I don't even care," UCLA coach Ben Howland said. "If we don't play better than we're playing right now, anyone in the field of 64 teams will beat us."

Overtime turned into a blowout, with Cal outscoring the Bruins 15-8.

The game was a rematch of last year's Pac-10 title game, won by UCLA on its way to a runner-up finish in the national championship game.

Ryan Anderson added 18 points for the eighth-seeded Bears (16-16), who gave up a 16-point first-half lead.

"This is what I'm going to remember (from) my freshman year," said Anderson, who had a career-high 27 points in a 70-51 opening-round win over Oregon State.

Ubaka, a senior guard, encouraged his teammates to keep the upset in perspective, with No. 16 Oregon waiting in Friday's semifinals. The teams split their two meetings this season.

"This is great, but we have another game tomorrow," he said. "Oregon doesn't care that we won this game."

Darren Collison had 20 points, Josh Shipp 19 and Luc Richard Mbah a Moute 13 for the top-seeded Bruins (26-5), who lost their regular-season finale at Washington.

"It's a definitely disappointing way to end the season," said a glum-looking Shipp, who hit five 3-pointers in the first half. "We had a couple of mental mistakes."

UCLA's Arron Afflalo, the Pac-10's player of the year, had his worst offensive performance of the season with three points, ending a streak of 29 games in double figures.

"It's hard to swallow, that's for sure," he said. "It's going to be a long week. The way I played tonight was a majority of the reason why we lost."

Free-throw shooting, a persistent problem for the Bruins, did them in, too. They were 15-of-29 from the line, while Cal hit 20-of-25.

Ubaka tied the game at 59 on a 3-pointer after a wild scramble with 54 seconds left in regulation. Collison drove the lane and scored to put the Bruins in front until Ubaka's floater with 15 seconds left forced overtime.

"We know he goes right, the scouting report says he goes right and he did exactly that and made a great shot," Howland said. "Ubaka absolutely dominated the game."

Collison couldn't answer again when his 3-pointer missed in the closing seconds.

"I thought we had momentum going into overtime," he said. "We spent so much energy coming back."

Afflalo scored his only field goal of the game to open overtime, but he never connected again. The Bruins watched as shots hit the rim and the Bears' offensive momentum continued unabated.

Afflalo, who prides himself on being UCLA's top defensive player, guarded Ubaka.

"What did he get, 29 points? That's unacceptable," Afflalo said. "It was my guy who was going above and beyond. I don't want to make an excuse for it. I'll make the adjustments."

Omar Wilkes, the son of former UCLA star Jamaal Wilkes, scored on a one-handed scoop to tie the game at 63. Ubaka hit a jumper that gave Cal the lead for good. Eric Vierneisel made four consecutive free throws as the Bears pulled away.

"Ayinde is a winner. In every game that goes into overtime or is close down the stretch, he has his fingerprints on it," Braun said. "He's willing to take big shots, he's willing to have the ball in his hands. It's nice to have a senior and a four-year starter like Ayinde who's been in the trenches."

Down by 12, the Bruins opened the second half with a scoring burst nearly identical to the one Cal generated in the first 20 minutes. Their 20-4 run helped them take the lead, 45-41, for the first time since the game's opening moments.

Collison had nine points, including a steal and fastbreak dunk, and Mbah a Moute added six.

The Bears struggled on 1-of-8 field-goal shooting against UCLA's increased defensive pressure.

Mostly though, the Bruins went to the line as Cal was called for 10 fouls in 8 1/2 minutes after having six in the first half. The Bruins were only 7-of-17 from the line in that stretch.

Neither team led by more than four points over the final 8 1/2 minutes of regulation.

Ubaka's 3-pointer went in as the shot clock expired, putting Cal ahead 56-53. The Bruins scored six straight points for a 59-56 lead before Ubaka's two straight baskets ensured overtime.

The Bears outscored UCLA 23-5 in the first half for a 16-point lead. Afflalo had zero points and three fouls, while Collison was scoreless with five of UCLA's 11 turnovers.

["THE" MoSav]

This loss could be a blessing in disguise, gives them time to rest. But i still think theyd rather be playing staying in that zone. Losing 2 in a row isnt good going into the tournament. They should still get a number 1 seed, but if they would have won the pac ten tourney i think they would have won the #1 seed overall

[LAKERS_FAN89]

Arron Afflalo Named First-Team All-American by The Sporting News
Guard also selected second-team AA by USBWA

 



March 12, 2007

UCLA junior guard Arron Afflalo has been selected first-team All-America by The Sporting News, it was announced today.

He was also named to the second team of the United States Basketball Writers Association.

Afflalo has already been named a first-team All-American by the National Association of Basketball Coaches, ESPN.com and SI.com. He has also been selected first-team All-America by Dick Vitale and will be featured on a Vitale special to air on ABC on March 31.

Afflalo, who last week was named Pac-10 and USBWA District IX Player of the Year, leads the Bruins and is fourth in the Pac-10 in scoring, averaging 16.7 points per game.

He's currently the Pac-10's active scoring leader with 1,450 career points, which ranks 20th on UCLA's all-time scoring list. In addition, his 199 career three-pointers rank second all-time in Bruin history.

In the last two years, he has led the Bruins to a record of 58-12, two Pac-10 championships, the 2006 Pac-10 Tournament championship, two No. 2 seeds in the NCAA Tournament and a trip to the 2006 NCAA title game.

Joining Afflalo on The Sporting News first team are Freshman Kevin Durant of Texas, senior Alando Tucker of Wisconsin, senior Acie Law IV of Texas A&M and sophomore Tyler Hansbrough of North Carolina.

[Now_Im_Not_Banned]

^Wow...Hansbrough made it over Greg Oden?

["THE" MoSav]

^Wow...Hansbrough made it over Greg Oden?

JOKE! Hansborough gets a lil 2 much credit IMO

[LAKERS_FAN89]

Bruins Bury Weber State In NCAA Opener, 70-42
Afflalo's 22 points and eight boards lead UCLA into second round.

 





March 15, 2007







SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) - UCLA coach Ben Howland thinks he already saw the worst of Arron Afflalo last week.

Afflalo's performance in the first round of the NCAA tournament was among his best - yet Howland knows the Bruins will need something even better from their top scorer in the next few days and weeks if they hope to duplicate last season's run to the title game.

Shaking off a terrible performance in last week's Pac-10 tournament, Afflalo had 22 points and eight rebounds to lead the second-seeded Bruins to a 70-42 victory over Weber State on Thursday night in the West Regional.

"I think he's had one poor game that I can remember in the last three years," Howland said after Afflalo hit three 3-pointers and keyed a lengthy surge against the 15th-seeded Wildcats.

"Thank goodness he had it in our last game instead of today. He's a great competitor, and he'll play even better on Saturday."

After spending six weeks of this season ranked No. 1, UCLA lost its previous two games before traveling to Arco Arena - including a humiliating loss to mediocre California in the conference tournament, costing it a likely No. 1 seed.

Afflalo, the conference player of the year, was particularly stung by the last loss because of the way he played: scoring a season-low three points on 1-of-7 shooting, and later hanging his head in the locker room.

But Afflalo was back on his game as soon as he stepped on the floor where he led his Compton high school to a state title. He scored 15 points in the first half as UCLA rolled to an 18-point halftime lead on the overmatched Wildcats (20-12) of the Big Sky Conference.

"I had put that game behind me (already)," Afflalo said of the Bruins' loss to Cal. "We have been struggling a little bit to get off to good starts in the past few games, so it was important within our team to play intense and very competitive."

Darren Collison had 14 points and eight assists while playing on a sprained ankle, and Josh Shipp added 12 for Howland's Bruins (27-5), who reached last season's national championship game before Florida ended hopes of their 12th NCAA title.

One year after reaching the NCAA title game, UCLA again is a No. 2 seed out west - and once again, the Bruins won't have to leave California to reach the Final Four.

They'll face the winner of Indiana's game against Gonzaga - UCLA's foe in the West Regional final last year - on Saturday.

Dezmon Harris led Weber State with 10 points, but top big man David Patten managed just nine points on 1-of-6 shooting. The Wildcats kept it close until Juan Pablo Silveira hit a 3-pointer with 7:57 left in the first half, trimming UCLA's lead to 15-14.

The Bruins then scored 12 straight points and finished the half on a 22-5 run, holding Weber State without a field goal for the rest of the half. Afflalo hit two 3-pointers on consecutive possessions before Michael Roll hit him under the basket for a layup 1 second before halftime.

"I don't think we came out with the right mind-set," said Harris, who had the Wildcats' only field goal in a 14-minute stretch spanning halftime. "I tried to get them to keep their heads up, but it looked like they just fell off. UCLA is a pretty good team, but we beat ourselves."

Though Weber State has a history of NCAA upsets, Howland wouldn't allow his alma mater to even get a taste of another. Howland played for the Wildcats in two NCAA tournaments back when he sported short-shorts and a full head of hair.

Collison sprained his ankle during practice this week, but didn't seem affected by his injury - particularly while stripping Weber State's point guards to set up easy baskets on a handful of occasions.

Weber State won the Big Sky tournament to earn its first NCAA tournament berth since 2003 despite having 10 new players on first-year coach Randy Rahe's roster. The purple-clad Wildcats of Ogden, Utah, have two notable first-round wins in their recent history, knocking off Michigan State in 1995 and stunning North Carolina in 1999.

Rahe hoped to keep the score in the 50s to give his Wildcats a chance - but UCLA had 37 points by halftime and surpassed 50 in the opening minutes of the second half.

"It's easy to see why this team made the national championship game," Rahe said. "I think they're built for tournament success. ... But I'm proud of our guys. To accomplish what they accomplished with what we started with back in August, it's a tremendous achievement."

["THE" MoSav]

Indiana will be tuff next rd

[LAKERS_FAN89]

Kevin Love Named Naismith Boys High School Player of the Year
Bruin signee named nation's No. 1 prep player

 





March 16, 2007

Future Bruin Kevin Love from Lake Oswego High School in Lake Oswego, Ore., has been named the 2007 Naismith Trophy Male High School Player of the Year, the Atlanta Tipoff Club announced today.

The Naismith Trophy, presented annually to the male and female high school players of the year, is the most prestigious national award in high school basketball. Love will be honored at the Naismith Awards banquet on April 5, 2007 in Atlanta.

Love was selected by the Atlanta Tipoff Club's Board of Selectors, a collection of leading basketball journalists, coaches and administrators from around the country, based on his performance this season.

"Kevin has been a consistent performer throughout his entire career, culminating with a tremendous run through the playoffs as a senior and a state record for points scored," said Gary Stokan, Atlanta Tipoff Club president. "That underscores the kind of leadership he provides to his team."

During his senior campaign, the 6-10 center averaged 33 points, 17 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 blocks per game, leading the Lakers to the state final. For his career, in which he broke a 50-year-old state record for points scored (finishing with 2,628), he averaged 26.8 points and 14.5 rebounds per game. Love was a first-team Parade All-American Team selection in 2006, and the player of the year in Oregon for three straight seasons (2005, 2006, 2007).

"The entire Lake Oswego community is extremely excited and proud of Kevin Love for winning the prestigious Naismith Award," said Mark Shoff, head basketball coach at Lake Oswego High School. "This validates him being named the top high school player in the country and clearly he has been rewarded for his hard work and commitment to excellence."

Love, the son of former NBA player and Oregon Duck Stan Love, has signed a letter of intent to play basketball at UCLA.

Past Naismith Trophy winners have set a precedent for excellence at the college and professional levels. Notable past winners include LeBron James (2003), Dwight Howard (2004) and, most recently, Greg Oden (2006).

For more information, visit www.naismithawards.com.

ABOUT THE ATLANTA TIPOFF CLUB

The Atlanta Tipoff Club, an Atlanta Sports Council property, is committed to promoting the game of basketball and recognizing the outstanding accomplishments of those who make the game so exciting. The Atlanta Tipoff Club has presented the Naismith Trophy since UCLA's Lew Alcindor first won the award in 1969.

The Naismith Awards program has become an emblem of excellence for the game, recognizing the Men's and Women's College Player of the Year, Men's and Women's Coach of the Year, as well as awards for outstanding achievement in high school basketball, officiating, and overall contribution to the game.

[Now_Im_Not_Banned]

We took care of Indiana.

[LAKERS_FAN89]

UCLA To Face Pittsburgh in Sweet 16
Bruins-Panthers meet at 6:40 p.m. Thursday night in San Jose

 



March 17, 2007






SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) - Indiana's game plan hearkened back to the days of Four Corners offenses and set shots, and it nearly worked - until UCLA punched a hole in its peach basket and squeaked into the next round of the NCAA tournament.

Darren Collison scored 15 points, hit two late free throws and made the game-deciding steal as UCLA survived both the Hoosiers' stifling defense and their frantic tying rally for a 54-49 second-round victory Saturday night in the West Regional.

Arron Afflalo managed just 10 points for second-seeded UCLA (28-5), which led 20-13 after a first half dominated by defensive hustle - and downright offensive ineptitude by both teams. Indiana tied it at 49 with a minute left after a 16-3 rally, but Afflalo and Collison finished it off with free throws.

The Bruins are headed to the round of 16 for the fifth time in eight years - and the second straight campaign under coach Ben Howland, whose team lost the national championship game to Florida last season.

Awaiting Howland in the next round is a matchup with his old team, the Pitt Panthers.

D.J. White and Earl Calloway scored 12 points apiece for Indiana (21-11), which finished its encouraging first season under coach Kelvin Sampson with a tournament game that should have a place in the schools' rich history, which includes five championships. UCLA has 11 titles.