The Official UCLA Basketball Thread~~>

["THE" MoSav]

wow there after that 16-8 defecit was 
KEEP ROLLING BABY!!!! AT STANFORD SATURDAY!! Stan is def improving every game, but we should still handle bizness

[LAKERS_FAN89]

No. 2/3 UCLA Closes Out First Half of Pac-10 Play at Stanford
Bruins alone in first place in the Pac-10 race



Jan. 27, 2007

LOS ANGELES -





GAMEDAY CENTRAL
DATE: Jan. 28, 2007
SITE: Maples Pavilion (7,233)
TIP-OFF: 5:05 p.m. PST
TV: FSN Prime Ticket
TALENT: Steve Physioc (play-by-play), Marques Johnson (analyst)
RADIO: AM 570
TALENT: Chris Roberts (play-by-play), Don MacLean (analyst)
SIRIUS RADIO: Channel 107
WEB: www.uclaBruins.com
SERIES: UCLA leads 126-88


#2/3 UCLA vs. STANFORD
This is the 215th meeting between UCLA and Stanford with the Bruins leading the series 126-88, including sweeping the series last year for the first time since 1995. While the Bruins have won the last two, the Cardinal had won six in a row leading up to last year. The last six games have all been double-digit wins for the victor (four times by Stanford). Last year, the Bruins clinched the Pacific-10 Conference title outright, with a 75-54 victory at Stanford on March 4, 2006. Arron Afflalo led four Bruins in double figures with 16 points. Ryan Hollins had 13 points and eight rebounds while Luc Richard Mbah a Moute added 12 points and nine boards. Jordan Farmar contributed 13 points and seven assists against the Cardinal. In the earlier meeting at Pauley Pavilion, won by UCLA 71-54 on Dec. 29, 2005, the Bruins were again led by Afflalo with 23 points. Mbah a Moute had a double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds while Josh Shipp scored 11 points in one of his only four games of the year.


NATIONAL POLLS
UCLA is currently ranked second in the ESPN/USA Today poll (six first-place votes) and third in the Associated Press poll (six first-place votes). 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.


RISE AND SHINE ... YOU'RE BURNIN' DAYLIGHT
The Bruins are no strangers to early morning wake-up calls. UCLA is 3-1 this season in games that tip-off prior to noon. The Bruins handed then sixth-ranked Texas A&M a 65-62 loss in an 11:30 a.m. tip-off at Honda Center in the John R. Wooden Classic on Dec. 9. UCLA later crushed Michigan 92-55 with an 11:00 a.m. tip in Pauley Pavilion on Dec. 23. Then the Bruins lost an 11:00 a.m. game 68-66 at 16th-ranked Oregon on Jan. 6. But the Bruins won their last morning game, a 65-64 win at USC in an 11:30 a.m. tip-off at Galen Center on Jan. 13. UCLA still has two more early morning games. The Bruins will tip at 10:00 a.m. (PST) at West Virginia on CBS (Feb. 10) and again at 10:00 a.m. (PST) at Arizona on CBS (Feb. 17).


HOME SWEET HOME
UCLA has won the last 15 games at home, including the last nine Pacific-10 Conference games. The last Pac-10 team to beat the Bruins in Pauley Pavilion was 13th-ranked Washington, which defeated the 11th-ranked Bruins 69-65 on Jan. 14, 2005. The last team to beat UCLA at home was 12th-ranked West Virginia, which posted a 60-56 over the 18th-ranked Bruins on Jan. 21, 2006.


AFFLALO LEADS PAC-10 IN DOUBLE-FIGURE SCORING STREAK
UCLA junior Arron Afflalo has scored in double figures in 18 straight games, the longest streak on the team and in the Pacific-10 Conference. Sophomore Darren Collison (12 games) saw his streak come to an end with only four points in the win at Cal (Jan. 25). Sophomore Josh Shipp also saw a 12-game streak get snapped when he scored nine points in the win over Arizona (Jan. 20).


UCLA TO HONOR 1967 CHAMPIONSHIP TEAM
UCLA will celebrate the 40th anniversary of its 1967 NCAA Championship team on Saturday, Feb. 24, when the Bruins host Stanford. The team will have a pregame reception and be honored at halftime. Led by legendary Bruin head coach John Wooden, the '67 National Champions were 30-0 overall (the second time in school history UCLA recorded a perfect 30-0 record, matching the Bruins' first NCAA title team in 1964) and it was the Bruins' third NCAA title under Wooden (1964-65-67) in four years. UCLA was led by sophomore center Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (Lew Alcindor), who earned All-American honors. He averaged 29.0 points a game, set an NCAA record by shooting .667 from the field and set the school single-game scoring record with 61 points in a 100-78 victory over Washington State on Feb. 25, 1967 in Pauley Pavilion. He also recorded UCLA's second-best (56) and third-best (45) single-game scoring marks that season. Joining Abdul-Jabbar in the starting lineup were - at guards, junior captain Michael Warren (12.7 ppg) and sophomore All-Conference Lucius Allen (15.5 ppg), and at the forwards, sophomores, Ken Heitz (6.1 ppg) and Lynn Shackelford (11.4 ppg). Also on the coaching staff were varsity assistant Jerry Norman, head freshman coach Gary Cunningham and the trainer was Bruin Hall of Famer Ducky Drake. Like this year's Bruin squad, there was not a senior on the 1966-67 roster.

[LAKERS_FAN89]

No. 3 Bruins Fall To Stanford Onslaught
UCLA couldn't weather Stanford's strong second half in 75-68 defeat.



Jan. 28, 2007


Final Stats


STANFORD, Calif. - (AP) Lawrence Hill rattled in a 14-footer to tie the game. His go-ahead 3-pointer was only slightly prettier: It banked in.

"Honestly, I just black out," he said. "I know when the play is designed for scoring and I have an opportunity to get it in. That's my focus. Whatever works."

Stanford made nearly everything work in the second half.

Hill scored seven straight points - including those two key baskets - and the Cardinal rallied in the final 20 minutes to stun No. 3 UCLA 75-68 on Sunday night, handing the Bruins just their second loss of the season.

Hill finished with 22 points for the Cardinal, who are making quite the case for being a contender after all.

Arron Afflalo had 22 points, six rebounds and five assists for the Bruins. But even he had trouble as the Bruins were thoroughly outplayed in the second half and had their four-game winning streak snapped. Their only other loss came Jan. 6 at Oregon, 68-66.

Stanford's students rushed the court in a wild celebration at the final buzzer.

"It's awesome," guard Anthony Goods said. "We knew it would be a critical game. We all got our share of bruises today, but we kept fighting and never gave up."

Goods scored 17 of his 20 points in the second half when the coaches kept saying to calmly chip away. He hit four of the team's seven 3-pointers as Stanford won its third straight and sixth in seven to complete a sweep of the ranked Los Angeles schools after a 65-50 victory over No. 25 USC on Thursday night.

Maybe now it's the Cardinal's turn to earn a ranking. Stanford (14-5, 6-3 Pac-10) was picked to finish seventh in the surprisingly even Pac-10.

They have another tough one at home Wednesday night against Gonzaga.

"Obviously we're pretty happy and we have a lot to be happy about," said coach Trent Johnson, who went to a smaller lineup after halftime. "We'll enjoy it tonight and then at 3 o'clock tomorrow get ready for another good team."

Fred Washington's three-point play with 6:27 remaining capped a 15-0 run and a stretch in which Stanford outscored UCLA 39-14 spanning back to late in the first half.

Afflalo scored at 6:21 to end a four-minute drought for the Bruins, but they couldn't get the key stops or rebounds in crunch time.

"We just didn't come out with the intensity we needed to in the second half," Afflalo said. "We didn't capitalize on the little things. We missed a few layups and one or two shots we normally make. We have to be a little more mature in the way we close things out."

UCLA (18-2, 7-2), which won both meetings last season for the first time since 1995 after losing the previous six matchups, shot 35 percent in the second half. This marked the first time in seven meetings the game was decided by single digits.

Darren Collison added 17 points and Josh Shipp had nine points, six steals and five assists for the Bruins.

Stanford made 8 of its first 11 second-half baskets while UCLA went 6-for-19. Hill hit 8 of 10 shots and Stanford went 14-for-20 for 70 percent from the field after trailing 37-25 at halftime.

Hill and Goods hit back-to-back 3s to get the Cardinal to 49-44 with 10:38 left and Robin Lopez scored at 9:15 to cut UCLA's lead to 51-49, much to the delight of the fans at packed Maples Pavilion. A sellout crowd of 7,334 turned out for the nationally televised game on the same court where the Bruins clinched sole possession of their first conference title in nine years with a 75-54 victory last March.

Hill made the tying shot at 8:28 and made the 3 at 7:29.

Goods' baseline 3-pointer at 16:33 pulled Stanford within 41-33 and he then made another basket at 13:25 to make it a seven-point game.

Stanford made 18-of-25 free throws after the break, while UCLA only got to the line six times and 15 overall. The Bruins blew it after a 17-point lead in the first half.

"No excuses. We had a golden opportunity with a 17-point lead," UCLA coach Ben Howland said. "We've got to do a better job keeping the killer instinct."

Afflalo scored 11 points in his first 12 minutes. His three free throws at 10:22 sparked a 13-4 UCLA run capped by Russell Westbrook's transition dunk off a steal that made it 28-16. Johnson quickly used a timeout.

Afflalo had eight points as UCLA outscored Stanford 15-9 to close the first half for a 37-25 lead at halftime. The Cardinal were held without a field goal for 7 1/2 minutes - going 0-for-8 in that span - before Carlton Weatherby's putback 44 seconds before halftime. Kenny Brown hit a 3-pointer to beat the halftime buzzer.

Howland considered that a huge momentum swing for Stanford. So did the Cardinal.

"I was pretty positive - 12 sounds so much better than 17," Washington said of the deficit.

Brook Lopez had eight rebounds and seven points after getting a school-record 12 blocks on Thursday night against USC and the first triple-double in school history. His twin brother Robin picked up two first-half fouls, as did Washington, but both played a smart second half.

Ryan Wright, a 6-8 forward, appeared for the first time in four games for the Bruins to help handle the load of the Lopezes and Stanford's other bigmen inside.

["THE" MoSav]

 

Tough Loss. But Damn Stanford is imprving every game, they could be a nice little spoiler in the NCAA's

[LAKERS_FAN89]

Top 10 Teams Collide in Pauley Pavilion
Pac-10 co-leaders #5 UCLA and #9 Oregon square off on Thursday



Jan. 30, 2007

LOS ANGELES -





GAMEDAY CENTRAL
DATE: Feb. 1, 2007
SITE: Pauley Pavilion (12,800)
TIP-OFF: 7:34:30 p.m. PST
TV: FSN Prime Ticket
TALENT: Steve Physioc (play-by-play), Marques Johnson (analyst)
RADIO: AM 570
TALENT: Chris Roberts (play-by-play), Don MacLean (analyst)
SIRIUS RADIO: Channel 107
WEB: www.uclaBruins.com
SERIES: UCLA leads 76-25


#5 UCLA vs. #9 OREGON
This is the 102nd meeting between UCLA and Oregon with the Bruins leading the series 76-25. UCLA has won 45 of 50 games in Los Angeles against the Ducks, including the last three in Pauley Pavilion. Oregon's last win in Los Angeles was a 96-91 overtime victory on Jan. 30, 2003. Last year, UCLA posted a 70-53 home win on Feb. 26, 2006. The Bruins were led by Arron Afflalo's 14 points and Luc Richard Mbah a Moute's double-double performance of 14 points and 10 rebounds. The Bruins are looking to avenge one of their two losses on the season as the then-16th ranked Ducks stunned No. 1 UCLA 68-66 in Eugene, Ore., on Jan. 6, 2007. Aaron Brooks led Oregon in the win with 25 points, including the game-winning jumper with 13 seconds remaining, ending the Bruins' 14-game winning streak. Only five Ducks scored in the game. Maarty Leunen had 18 points and seven rebounds for Oregon. Afflalo and Josh Shipp each scored 14 points for UCLA, which outrebounded Oregon 35-22 (15 offensive rebounds) but committed 17 turnovers (to Oregon's 14).


NATIONAL POLLS
UCLA is currently ranked fifth in both the ESPN/USA Today and Associated Press polls. 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.


RISE AND SHINE ... YOU'RE BURNIN' DAYLIGHT
The Bruins are no strangers to early morning wake-up calls. UCLA is 3-1 this season in games that tip-off prior to noon. The Bruins handed then sixth-ranked Texas A&M a 65-62 loss in an 11:30 a.m. tip-off at Honda Center in the John R. Wooden Classic on Dec. 9. UCLA later crushed Michigan 92-55 with an 11:00 a.m. tip in Pauley Pavilion on Dec. 23. Then the Bruins lost an 11:00 a.m. game 68-66 at 16th-ranked Oregon on Jan. 6. But the Bruins won their last morning game, a 65-64 win at USC in an 11:30 a.m. tip-off at Galen Center on Jan. 13. UCLA still has two more early morning games. The Bruins will tip at 10:00 a.m. (PST) at West Virginia on CBS (Feb. 10) and again at 10:00 a.m. (PST) at Arizona on CBS (Feb. 17).


HOME SWEET HOME
UCLA has won the last 15 games at home, including the last nine Pacific-10 Conference games. The last Pac-10 team to beat the Bruins in Pauley Pavilion was 13th-ranked Washington, which defeated the 11th-ranked Bruins 69-65 on Jan. 14, 2005. The last team to beat UCLA at home was 12th-ranked West Virginia, which posted a 60-56 over the 18th-ranked Bruins on Jan. 21, 2006.


AFFLALO LEADS PAC-10 IN DOUBLE-FIGURE SCORING STREAK
UCLA junior Arron Afflalo has scored in double figures in 19 straight games, the longest streak of his career, on the team and in the Pacific-10 Conference. Sophomore Darren Collison (12 games) saw his streak come to an end with only four points in the win at Cal (Jan. 25). Sophomore Josh Shipp also saw a 12-game streak get snapped when he scored nine points in the win over Arizona (Jan. 20).


UCLA TO HONOR 1967 CHAMPIONSHIP TEAM
UCLA will celebrate the 40th anniversary of its 1967 NCAA Championship team on Saturday, Feb. 24, when the Bruins host Stanford. The team will have a pregame reception and be honored at halftime. Led by legendary Bruin head coach John Wooden, the '67 National Champions were 30-0 overall (the second time in school history UCLA recorded a perfect 30-0 record, matching the Bruins' first NCAA title team in 1964) and it was the Bruins' third NCAA title under Wooden (1964-65-67) in four years. UCLA was led by sophomore center Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (Lew Alcindor), who earned All-American honors. He averaged 29.0 points a game, set an NCAA record by shooting .667 from the field and set the school single-game scoring record with 61 points in a 100-78 victory over Washington State on Feb. 25, 1967 in Pauley Pavilion. He also recorded UCLA's second-best (56) and third-best (45) single-game scoring marks that season. Joining Abdul-Jabbar in the starting lineup were - at guards, junior captain Michael Warren (12.7 ppg) and sophomore All-Conference Lucius Allen (15.5 ppg), and at the forwards, sophomores, Ken Heitz (6.1 ppg) and Lynn Shackelford (11.4 ppg). Also on the coaching staff were varsity assistant Jerry Norman, head freshman coach Gary Cunningham and the trainer was Bruin Hall of Famer Ducky Drake. Like this year's Bruin squad, there was not a senior on the 1966-67 roster.

["THE" MoSav]

IMO this is a must win, if we want to win the pac ten

[LAKERS_FAN89]

Darren Collison Finalist For Bob Cousy Award for Top Point Guard
Bruin sophomore one of two Pac-10 players on list



Feb. 1, 2007

The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in conjunction with The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE: HIG) are pleased to announce this years Finalists for the Bob Cousy Award presented by The Hartford, an honor presented annually to the nation's top collegiate point guard.

The tightest Finalist voting in Cousy Award history yielded an unprecedented seventeen Finalists, who were chosen from a pool of over fifty top candidates from NCAA Division I, II and III institutions across the country. A tie in the voting of eligible candidates created a total of 17 Finalists, one more than the expected list of 16. The 2007 Finalists were selected by screening committees comprised of members of the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) representing all three divisions of collegiate basketball.

Beginning today, college basketball fans nationwide will have the opportunity to vote for their favorite candidate online at www.cousyaward.com and also enter a drawing to receive two tickets to a 2007 Men's NCAA First, Second or Regional Round game. The top vote-getter from the on-line poll will receive the "Fan Vote", representing one vote to be cast by the Blue Ribbon committee selecting the Award winner.

The committee is comprised of Hall of Famers including Bob Cousy, Lute Olson and Jim Calhoun, college coaches from Divisions I, II and III, members of the media and additional college basketball experts and celebrities. The 2007 Bob Cousy Award presented by The Hartford winner will be announced at the NCAA Men's Final Four in Atlanta , Georgia on Monday April 2.

"The Bob Cousy Award presented by The Hartford has established itself as one of college basketball's premier awards" said John L. Doleva, Hall of Fame President & CEO. "Mr. Cousy had a vision for this award when it was created - to recognize winning traits like leadership, vision and integrity. When you review the credentials of the student-athletes who are Finalists for the 2007 Award, it is clear there are a number of talented players who are striving to achieve the standard set by Mr. Cousy. "

"Just like these players demonstrate on the basketball court, The Hartford and its network of independent agents represent leadership, vision, teamwork and integrity in the insurance industry," said David Moore, assistant vice president of marketing for The Hartford's Property & Casualty operations. "We're honored to be part of a growing tradition that supports these values, and we wish the best of luck to all the finalists for this year's award."

Cousy, also known as "Mr. Basketball," is considered the prototype of point guards and was a freshman on the Holy Cross team that won the NCAA Championship in 1947. He was a pioneer in the NBA, famous for bringing a `flashy' style of passing and showmanship to the game. Named one of the Top 50 Players in NBA History, Cousy led the Boston Celtics to championships in 1957 and 1959 through 1963. Cousy led the NBA in assists for eight consecutive years (1953-1960) and played in 13 straight All-Star games. After his retirement from professional basketball he was a successful coach at Boston College from 1963 to 1969, with an overall record of 117 wins and 38 losses.

"If basketball is an art form," noted Cousy, "it primarily resides in the artistry, creativity, imagination and development of the nuances of the position by a genuine point guard such as John Stockton or Jason Kidd." Cousy was enshrined in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1971.

About The Hartford :

The Hartford, a Fortune 100 company, is one of the nation's largest financial services and insurance companies, with 2006 revenues of $26.5 billion. The Hartford is a leading provider of investment products, life insurance and group benefits; automobile and homeowners products; and business property and casualty insurance. International operations are located in Japan, Brazil and the United Kingdom. The Hartford's Internet address is www.thehartford.com

About the Bob Cousy Award presented by The Hartford :

Nominees for the Bob Cousy Award presented by The Hartford were solicited through the College Sports Information Directors of America (COSIDA) and the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC). A committee comprised of CoSIDA members narrowed the field to 17 student athletes from all three divisions of men's NCAA college basketball. The group of 17 will be reviewed and a winner chosen by a Blue Ribbon selection committee comprised of Hall of Famers, Mr. Cousy, college coaches, media members, and a vote representing the top vote getter in the on-line poll at www.cousyaward.com.

Previous winners of the award include Dee Brown of Illinois (2006), Raymond Felton from the University of North Carolina , Chapel Hill (2005) and Jameer Nelson from St. Joseph 's University (2004).

2007 BOB COUSY AWARD PRESENTED BY THE HARTFORD

FINALISTS

DIVISION I

Bobby Brown Cal State Fullerton

Darren Collison UCLA

Levance Fields Pittsburgh

Taurean Green Florida

Dominic James Marquette

Jared Jordan Marist

Acie Law Texas A&M

Ty Lawson North Carolina

Russell Robinson Kansas

Ramon Sessions Nevada

Sean Singletary Virginia

Mustafa Shakur Arizona

Ronald Steele Alabama

DIVISION II

Anthony Atkinson Barton College

Zach Whiting Chaminade University

DIVISION III

Andrew Olson Amherst College

David Arsenault Grinnell College

["THE" MoSav]

Good for Collison! 

["THE" MoSav]

huge win tonight 69-57 vs oregon. REVENGE IS SWEET!! 
19-2 first place AGAIN!!!

[LAKERS_FAN89]

yessssssssss sir

[LAKERS_FAN89]

No. 5 UCLA Downs No. 9 Oregon 69-57
Afflalo scored 17 points in victory effort



Feb. 2, 2007


Box Score



LOS ANGELES (AP) - UCLA put together two strong halves and avoided the kind of collapse that cost the fifth-ranked Bruins in their previous game.

Arron Afflalo scored 17 points and the Bruins shot 57 percent in beating ninth-ranked Oregon 69-57 Thursday night to gain sole possession of first place in the Pac-10.

The Bruins (19-2, 8-2) have won 16 consecutive games at Pauley Pavilion, dating to last season. UCLA and the Ducks (19-3, 7-3) came in tied atop the conference standings.

"They had a lot of fight in them," Ducks coach Ernie Kent said. "It was a physical game. The biggest difference in the game is they shot the ball a little bit better than we did. I counted maybe eight layups that we missed and that's tough to do when you're getting them point-blank at the rim and they're not going in for you."

The victory avenged UCLA's 68-66 loss at Oregon - its first of the season - on Jan. 6 that knocked the Bruins out of the nation's No. 1 ranking. Aaron Brooks hit the game-winning jumper with 13 seconds left in that one.

"They gave us our first loss, so we had that feeling in our gut," said Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, who added 15 points and 12 rebounds.

Bryce Taylor scored 17 points to lead Oregon, off to its best record in 80 years. The Ducks' five starters came in averaging double figures, but Brooks was the only other player to do so with 14.

"We came out flat," Taylor said. "It's such a big game, so it's hard to understand."

Darren Collison had 12 points and Josh Shipp 11 for the Bruins, who were coming off a 75-68 loss at Stanford in which they blew a 17-point lead.

"We definitely learned from our mistakes," Collison said. "The first time (against Oregon) we came out really sluggish. Today, we played great team defense."

In all three of their losses, the Ducks have allowed opponents to shoot better than 50 percent from the floor.

UCLA opened both halves strong. The Bruins started the second half with a 12-2 run that produced their largest lead of 19 points. Afflalo had five points and Lorenzo Mata scored three in a row.

The Bruins' defense repeatedly shut down Oregon, with the Ducks coming up empty on field-goal attempts to start the second half. Maarty Leunen's 3-pointer at 14:18 was their first.

"Their bigs played great and got after us," said Brooks, who was dogged by Afflalo much of the game. "We didn't match the energy at all. I don't know what it was."

UCLA shot at a 61 percent clip during one stretch while keeping the Ducks down by 13.

With 4 1/2 minutes to go, Oregon ran off seven points in a row to close to 60-51. Taylor crashed the offensive boards for a basket, Brooks scored and Malik Hairston completed a three-point play.

But that proved to be Oregon's last gasp as the Bruins ended the game on a 9-6 run. UCLA's 57 percent 3-point shooting matched its field-goal percentage.

"It's tough to always be fighting back," Leunen said. "They played great defense on us, definitely stepped up and put it at another notch."

The Bruins raced to a 29-14 lead to start the game, helped by four 3-pointers from as many different players. They shot 56 percent in the half.

Taking a cue from UCLA, the Ducks erased their double-digit deficit on four consecutive 3-pointers to close the half trailing 35-26. Brooks had three of the long-range baskets and Tajuan Porter added the other. The Ducks shot better from 3-point range - 60 percent - than the floor, where they hit 36 percent.

["THE" MoSav]

Oregon State on Saturday 20-2 here we come 

[LAKERS_FAN89]

Bruins Host Oregon State Today in Pauley
Pac-10 leader UCLA puts undefeated home record on the line



Feb. 3, 2007

LOS ANGELES -

Complete Release in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader




GAMEDAY CENTRAL
DATE: Feb. 3, 2007
SITE: Pauley Pavilion (12,800)
TIP-OFF: 2:33 p.m. PST
TV: FSN Prime Ticket
TALENT: Bill Macdonald (play-by-play), Don MacLean (analyst)
RADIO: AM 1150
TALENT: Chris Roberts (play-by-play)
SIRIUS RADIO: Channel 107
WEB: www.uclaBruins.com
SERIES: UCLA leads 80-33


#5 UCLA vs. OREGON STATE
This is the 114th meeting between UCLA and Oregon State with the Bruins leading the series 80-33, including winning 27 of the last 33 games. Oregon State had won 4-of-7 games before the Bruins posted wins in the last four contests. The Bruins posted a 71-56 victory in Corvallis, Ore., earlier in the year (Jan. 4, 2007) on the strength of Josh Shipp's game-high 18 points. It was the only time this season that the Bruins had five players in double figures. Arron Afflalo added 14 points while Darren Collison and Luc Richard Mbah a Moute each chipped in 11 points to go along with Lorenzo Mata's 10 points. The Beavers were led by Sasa Cuic and Marcel Jones, who each scored 13 points. UCLA defeated OSU last year in Pauley Pavilion 78-60 (Feb. 23, 2006) thanks to Jordan Farmar's game-high 21 points. Bruin head coach Ben Howland sports an overall record of 6-3 against Oregon State (3-0 in Pauley Pavilion). OSU's head coach Jay John, now in his fifth season, is 4-7 all-time against the Bruins, including a 1-3 record in Los Angeles.


NATIONAL POLLS
UCLA is currently ranked fifth in both the ESPN/USA Today and Associated Press polls. 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.


RISE AND SHINE ... YOU'RE BURNIN' DAYLIGHT
The Bruins are no strangers to early morning wake-up calls. UCLA is 3-1 this season in games that tip-off prior to noon. The Bruins handed then sixth-ranked Texas A&M a 65-62 loss in an 11:30 a.m. tip-off at Honda Center in the John R. Wooden Classic on Dec. 9. UCLA later crushed Michigan 92-55 with an 11:00 a.m. tip in Pauley Pavilion on Dec. 23. Then the Bruins lost an 11:00 a.m. game 68-66 at 16th-ranked Oregon on Jan. 6. But the Bruins won their last morning game, a 65-64 win at USC in an 11:30 a.m. tip-off at Galen Center on Jan. 13. UCLA still has two more early morning games. The Bruins will tip at 10:00 a.m. (PST) at West Virginia on CBS (Feb. 10) and again at 10:00 a.m. (PST) at Arizona on CBS (Feb. 17).


HOME SWEET HOME
UCLA has won the last 16 games at home, including the last 10 Pacific-10 Conference games. The last Pac-10 team to beat the Bruins in Pauley Pavilion was 13th-ranked Washington, which defeated the 11th-ranked Bruins 69-65 on Jan. 14, 2005. The last team to beat UCLA at home was 12th-ranked West Virginia, which posted a 60-56 over the 18th-ranked Bruins on Jan. 21, 2006.


AFFLALO LEADS PAC-10 IN DOUBLE-FIGURE SCORING STREAK
UCLA junior Arron Afflalo has scored in double figures in 20 straight games, the longest streak of his career, on the team and in the Pacific-10 Conference. Sophomore Darren Collison (12 games) saw his streak come to an end with only four points in the win at Cal (Jan. 25). Sophomore Josh Shipp also saw a 12-game streak get snapped when he scored nine points in the win over Arizona (Jan. 20).


JOHN R. WOODEN AWARD ANNOUNCES MIDSEASON TOP 30 CANDIDATES
UCLA junior Arron Afflalo has been named to the John R. Wooden Award Midseason All-American team. Composed of the top 30 players who will compete for this season's player of the year award, the midseason list is based on individual player performance and team records during the first half of the season.


COLLISON NAMED AS A BOB COUSY AWARD FINALIST
Sophomore point guard Darren Collison is one of 17 finalists for the Bob Cousy Award, as announced by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in conjunction with The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc., on Feb. 1, 2007. The Bob Cousy Award is an honor presented annually to the nation's top collegiate point guard. Nominees for the Bob Cousy Award presented by The Hartford were solicited through the College Sports Information Directors of America (COSIDA) and the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC). A committee comprised of CoSIDA members narrowed the field to 17 student athletes from all three divisions of men's NCAA college basketball. The group of 17 will be reviewed and a winner chosen by a Blue Ribbon selection committee comprised of Hall of Famers, Mr. Cousy, college coaches, media members, and a vote representing the top vote getter in the on-line poll at www.cousyaward.com. The committee is comprised of Hall of Famers including Bob Cousy, Lute Olson and Jim Calhoun, college coaches from Divisions I, II and III, members of the media and additional college basketball experts and celebrities. The 2007 Bob Cousy Award presented by The Hartford winner will be announced at the NCAA Men's Final Four in Atlanta on April 2. Previous winners of the award include Dee Brown of Illinois (2006), Raymond Felton from North Carolina (2005) and Jameer Nelson from St. Joseph's University (2004).


UCLA TO HONOR 1967 CHAMPIONSHIP TEAM
UCLA will celebrate the 40th anniversary of its 1967 NCAA Championship team on Saturday, Feb. 24, when the Bruins host Stanford. The team will have a pregame reception and be honored at halftime. Led by legendary Bruin head coach John Wooden, the '67 National Champions were 30-0 overall (the second time in school history UCLA recorded a perfect 30-0 record, matching the Bruins' first NCAA title team in 1964) and it was the Bruins' third NCAA title under Wooden (1964-65-67) in four years. UCLA was led by sophomore center Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (Lew Alcindor), who earned All-American honors. He averaged 29.0 points a game, set an NCAA record by shooting .667 from the field and set the school single-game scoring record with 61 points in a 100-78 victory over Washington State on Feb. 25, 1967 in Pauley Pavilion. He also recorded UCLA's second-best (56) and third-best (45) single-game scoring marks that season. Joining Abdul-Jabbar in the starting lineup were - at guards, junior captain Michael Warren (12.7 ppg) and sophomore All-Conference Lucius Allen (15.5 ppg), and at the forwards, sophomores, Ken Heitz (6.1 ppg) and Lynn Shackelford (11.4 ppg). Also on the coaching staff were varsity assistant Jerry Norman, head freshman coach Gary Cunningham and the trainer was Bruin Hall of Famer Ducky Drake. Like this year's Bruin squad, there was not a senior on the 1966-67 roster.

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No. 5 Bruins Blast Beavers, 82-35
UCLA led wire-to-wire in a convincing Pac-10 win.



Feb. 3, 2007


Box Score |  Photo Gallery 



LOS ANGELES (AP) - UCLA coach Ben Howland likes to remind everyone there's no easy games in the Pac-10. For one day anyway, his team made a mockery of that thought.

Arron Afflalo scored 16 points, Luc Richard Mbah a Moute added 14 and the fifth-ranked Bruins led all the way in beating Oregon State 82-35 on Saturday for their 17th consecutive home victory.

"We want to come out and play as hard as we can every night, no matter who the opponent is," Howland said. "It shows a maturing level on our team."

The Bruins (20-2, 9-2 Pac-10) maintained a one-game lead over Southern California in the conference standings going into Wednesday's game between the crosstown rivals.

UCLA built a season-high 30-point lead in the first half, when it shot 70 percent from the floor, and held the Beavers to a season-low 18 points. The Bruins are 13-0 at Pauley Pavilion this season after winning their final four home games last season.

"We wanted to come out with the same intensity as we did against Oregon," said Darren Collison, referring to his team's two strong halves in a 69-57 victory Thursday. "If we want to get where we want to go, we got to have games like we did today."

Oregon State (9-15, 1-10) lost its sixth in a row and got swept by the Bruins for the second year in a row. Marcel Jones was the only player in double figures with 16.

"We were exposed in every possible way," Beavers coach Jay John said. "We all go through this outcome every once in a while. It is a risk you take when you come into Pauley."

The Beavers scored a season-worst 35 points - six fewer than their previous low against Hawaii on Nov. 19. They shot 31 percent from the floor, had 21 turnovers, got outrebounded 37-29 and had nine assists to 24 for UCLA.

"I love all the unselfishness," Howland said. "That's fun to see."

Oregon State was out of contention from the opening tip, when the Bruins opened with a 20-5 burst and kept on going.

"In early December, we watched a very good University of Michigan team come in here and not look very good," John said. "UCLA can do that to anybody they play. Tonight it was us."

Leading by 37 midway through the second half, Howland cleared the floor of his starters, giving major minutes to benchwarmers Nikola Dragovic, James Keefe and Ryan Wright.

Dragovic finished as UCLA's top reserve with eight points in a season-high 12 minutes.

"I was working hard and waiting for my chance," said Dragovic, a Serbia native who sheepishly admitted he was winded by game's end.

Freshman Mustafa Abdul-Hamid got into his second Pac-10 game of the season, hitting a 3-pointer that pushed UCLA's lead to 45 points. That began an exodus by fans eager to escape outside into a warm winter's day.

"You got to see guys have the opportunity to score," Collison said. "The players on the bench are the ones who get us better every day."

Collison had 10 assists before leaving early and giving Russell Westbrook a lengthy turn at running the offense. Westbrook scored eight of his 11 points during a 17-3 run that ended the first half.

"Everybody was getting involved, everybody was unselfish, so it felt good," Westbrook said.

With 2 minutes left, the student section perked up as never seen DeAndre Robinson, Joey Ellis and Matt Lee came off the bench. Robinson scored with a 1 minute to go, drawing raucous cheers.

"It's great to see them get rewarded like that," starter Josh Shipp said.

The Bruins scored 29 points off Oregon State's turnovers. By game's end, their shooting had cooled to 58 percent.

Hardly needing to talk strategy, the Bruins came out of their locker room four minutes early to start the second half. The Beavers emerged with 1 1/2 minutes remaining.

WHAT GOT THEY ASS WHOPPPPPPPPPPPP GO UCLA

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