The Official UCLA Basketball Thread~~>

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UNDEFEATED SEASON? 
If we get beat it will be at ARI, AT ORE, or AT WASH

Our defense is disgusting, we create so many steals and make it such a struggle just for the opposing offense to score...

yeah no team will go undefeated in the pac this season.. but im excited for this season because its going to be really competitive.

[LAKERS_FAN89]

GAMEDAY CENTRAL
DATE: Dec. 28, 2006
SITE: Pauley Pavilion (12,800)
TIP-OFF: 7:34 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 (color)
SIRIUS RADIO: Channel 181
WEB: www.uclaBruins.com
SERIES: UCLA leads 89-13


UCLA vs. WASHINGTON STATE
This is the 103rd meeting between UCLA and Washington State with the Bruins leading the series 89-13, including winning the last four and 25 of the last 26 games. UCLA is 49-1 against the Cougars in Los Angeles, with the only loss coming in 2004 (48-55). UCLA has won the last two games in Pauley by two points (63-61 in 2006 and 58-56 in 2005 in overtime).


NATIONAL POLLS
UCLA was preseason rated No. 5 (tied with Pittsburgh) in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll and No. 6 in the Associated Press poll, marking the second straight season that the Bruins were ranked in the preseason polls. The Bruins are currently ranked first in both the Associated Press (unanimous, all 31 first-place votes) and ESPN/USA Today (71-of-72 first-place votes) polls.


BRUINS IN PACIFIC-10 OPENERS
UCLA is 18-10 (.643) all-time in Pacific-10 Conference openers (since 1978-79). UCLA is 24-4 (.857) all-time in Pac-10 home openers. The Bruins are 3-2 against Washington State in Pac-10 openers and 2-0 against the Cougars when opening Pac-10 play with WSU at home. The last time the Bruins opened Pac-10 play with Washington State was also the last time UCLA opened up with WSU at home, which resulted in an 84-56 Bruin win on Jan. 2, 1997. UCLA head coach Ben Howland is 3-0 in home Pac-10 openers and 2-1 in Pac-10 openers.

["THE" MoSav]

UCLA #1 the way college basketball should be! 

[LAKERS_FAN89]

UCLA #1 the way college basketball should be! 

fuck yea

["THE" MoSav]

Close win tonight vs Wash State 55-52

BIG BIG BIG game Saturday vs Washington
we better play better then we did tonight 

[LAKERS_FAN89]

As Darren Collison goes, so goes UCLA.

And the top-ranked Bruins were as bad as their point guard in the first half against Washington State. He had zero points, three turnovers, three fouls and his team trailed by 10.

Collison played like a man possessed in the final 20 minutes, scoring 13 points and hitting a 3-pointer that put UCLA ahead for good in a 55-52 victory Thursday night.

"I wasn't concerned with how bad I was doing, I just wanted to win," he said. "I wanted to pick up the intensity offensively and defensively."

Arron Afflalo added 13 points and Josh Shipp had 11 points playing on a sprained right ankle to keep the Bruins (12-0) as one of four undefeated Top 25 teams. Shipp injured himself at the end of practice Tuesday.

"Our offense was really inept," UCLA coach Ben Howland said. "To be able to win a game shooting 33 percent doesn't happen very often."

Washington State (11-2) dropped to 0-25 all-time against top-ranked teams, including 0-17 against the Bruins.

Derrick Low led the Cougars with 14 points and Nikola Koprivica added 12, but missed a tying 3-pointer as time expired that Collison got a fingertip on. Kyle Weaver had 10 rebounds.

"I thought we had them," Low said. "I felt like I let the team down."

The Bruins are 50-1 against the Cougars in Los Angeles.

"We're a little numb right now," first-year Cougars coach Tony Bennett said. "Some turnovers were really costly at crunch time."

UCLA's fifth consecutive win over Washington State didn't come easily against a team whose deliberate style frustrated the Bruins.

They survived despite shooting a season-worst 33 percent from the field. UCLA dominated the boards, 40-28, including 10 by Luc Richard Mbah a Moute.

Neither team led by more than two points during a 6-minute stretch late in the second half until Collison hit his second 3-pointer for a 48-45 lead.

Afflalo turned the ball over, then fouled Weaver, causing UCLA to lose possession with 4 1/2 minutes left clinging to a one-point lead. But the Bruins caught a break when the Cougars lost the ball out of bounds.

Shipp's ensuing steal and layup, followed by a 3-pointer from Michael Roll extended UCLA's lead to 53-47 - its largest of the game - with 3:29 remaining.

Koprivica's 3-pointer got the Cougars to 53-50. The Bruins were called for a held ball, giving the Cougars possession and Ivory Clark dunked to make it 53-52.

Collison's layup rolled around the rim and out with 25 seconds left.

After a timeout, the Cougars worked the ball around to Low, whose 3-pointer fell short with 6 seconds left. Clark fouled Afflalo going for the rebound, and Afflalo made both to keep UCLA ahead 55-52 before Koprivica's long-range miss preserved the Bruins' winning streak.

"Derrick got a look," said Bennett, who has retained his father Dick's penchant for long possessions and smothering defense. "If he could have pump-faked, the guy would have sailed by him. Nikola had a good look, too, but it just didn't fall. We've been in some heartbreaking losses here."

A fastbreak layup by Low pushed the Cougars' lead to 35-26 early in the second half. But he soon picked up his third foul, and Afflalo and Collison teamed up to score 14 consecutive points for UCLA.

Mbah a Moute got the announced crowd of 11,102 into it with a blocked shot and Afflalo hit two 3-pointers. Collison added eight points, including a long-range basket that gave the Bruins their first lead since the opening minutes of the game, 40-39.

"The crowd was rooting us back into this game," Howland said. "If this game was in Pullman, we'd lose."

The Bruins were flustered into putting up quick shots, seven of which were blocked in the first half. Collison thrives on getting out on the break, but he sat down with his third foul late in the half.

The Bruins were 8-of-29 from the field in the first half, when they trailed 28-24. Their final possession indicated how things went: Afflalo's shot was blocked and Russell Westbrook grabbed the offensive rebound but missed.

UCLA improved to 19-10 in Pac-10 openers since 1978-79, while the Cougars fell to 11-18.

["THE" MoSav]

damn 33% shooting 
but a wins a win..and damn when u can win shooting like that..thats scary 

[Now_Im_Not_Banned]

Mbah a Moute will make a great prospect in the NBA...I hope the Lakers have a chance to get him.

["THE" MoSav]

Mbah a Moute will make a great prospect in the NBA...I hope the Lakers have a chance to get him.

great prospect!!
He can play defense, take it the hoop his shot is getting better everytime i see him play, he is just so damn athletic and can rebound like an animal

[LAKERS_FAN89]

UCLA's men's basketball game this Thursday night (Jan. 4) at Oregon State will be televised by FSN Prime Ticket it was announced today. It will also be televised in the state of Oregon on FSN Northwest. The game is scheduled to tip at 7:05 p.m.

UCLA is 13-0 and ranked No. 1 in the country.

"We thank Fox Sports Net and FSN Prime Ticket for deciding to show the fans in Los Angeles this important Pac-10 game," said associate athletic director Marc Dellins. "Even though FSN is televising another game on a national basis, they recognized the opportunity to showcase the nation's No. 1 team in the local marketplace and made the decisions necessary to make it happen. This is a great service to Bruin fans throughout southern California."

[LAKERS_FAN89]

GAMEDAY CENTRAL
DATE: Jan. 4, 2007
SITE: Gill Coliseum (10,400)
TIP-OFF: 7:00 p.m. PST
TV: FSN Prime Ticket
RADIO: AM 1150
TALENT: Chris Roberts (play-by-play), Don MacLean (color)
SIRIUS RADIO: Channel 107
WEB: www.uclaBruins.com
SERIES: UCLA leads 79-33
STREAK: UCLA has won the last three meetings
LAST MEETING: UCLA 79, OSU 47 (3/9/06)


#1 UCLA vs. OREGON STATE
This is the 113th meeting between UCLA and Oregon State with the Bruins leading the series 79-33, including winning 26 of the last 32 games. However, Oregon State has won four of the last 10 (the Beavers were swept last year 3-0). The Bruins posted a 63-54 victory in Corvallis, Ore., last year (Jan. 28, 2006) on the strength of Luc Richard Mbah a Moute's team-high 14 points. The win snapped a two-game losing streak to the Beavers in Gill Coliseum. UCLA also beat OSU last year in Pauley Pavilion (78-60, Feb. 23, 2006) and 79-47 in the first round of the Pac-10 Tournament (Mar. 9, 2006).The Bruins are 34-25 all-time against the Beavers in Corvallis, Ore., and 10-3 in the last 13 meetings (since 1994). Bruin head coach Ben Howland sports an overall record of 5-3 against Oregon State and 1-2 on the road against the Beavers. Oregon State's head coach Jay John, now in his fifth season, is 4-6 all-time against the Bruins, including a 2-2 mark at home against UCLA, a 1-3 record on the road and a 1-1 record in the Pac-10 Tournament.


NATIONAL POLLS
UCLA was preseason rated No. 5 (tied with Pittsburgh) in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll and No. 6 in the Associated Press poll, marking the second straight season that the Bruins were ranked in the preseason polls. The Bruins are currently ranked first in both the Associated Press (unanimous, all 31 first-place votes) and ESPN/USA Today (71-of-72 first-place votes) polls.

[LAKERS_FAN89]

Dec. 31, 2006

UCLA-Washington Post Game Recap

Coach Ben Howland, junior guard Arron Afflalo, sophomore point guard Darren Collison, and sophomore guard Michael Roll address the media following the Bruins' 96-74 victory over Washington Sunday afternoon at Pauley Pavilion. Click the link below to view this UCLA All-Acess post game video package.

 Post Game Media Conference and recap


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LOS ANGELES (AP) - UCLA took it to No. 14 Washington from the tip and when the Huskies dared hint at a comeback, the top-ranked Bruins thrashed them.

Arron Afflalo equaled his career high with 27 points and tied a season high with five 3-pointers in the 96-74 victory Sunday.

"I'd love to do this again, maybe in the (NCAA) tournament," he said.

UCLA shot a sizzling 72 percent in the second half, when its 12-0 run sucked the life out of the Huskies, whose 22 turnovers led to 34 points for the Bruins.

"When you're going up against the No. 1 team in the country, you have to be the one that throws the first punch, and we didn't do that," Washington freshman center Spencer Hawes said.

UCLA dictated an aggressive tone from the start, which launched a dominating 16-6 spurt that thrilled the season's largest crowd of 12,042 at Pauley Pavilion.

"We knew how explosive of a team they were and their ability to really jump on you," said Hawes, who fought through double-teams most of the game. "You can't really practice against that."

The Bruins (13-0, 2-0) concluded a sweep of their opening Pac-10 games after surviving a three-point scare against Washington State on Thursday.

UCLA coach Ben Howland's first priority is defense, and the Bruins played that, too, in between their offensive fireworks.

"Arron Afflalo played the best game of his career," Howland said. "We really answered the bell. That was a very good team we beat."

Darren Collison added 15 points and a career-high 12 assists for UCLA, which faces its first major road trip next week to Oregon since winning the Maui Invitational on Nov. 22.

Michael Roll added 15 points and Josh Shipp 13 for the Bruins.

The Huskies (10-3, 0-2) have yet to win in three road games this season. They fell to 0-11 against top-ranked teams on the road, and 2-27 all-time against a No. 1 team.

"They basically picked us apart and there was not a whole lot we could do," said Washington coach Lorenzo Romar, an assistant on UCLA's 1995 national championship team. "They beat us in every way you could."

UCLA had a season-high 29 assists, with Afflalo chipping in eight.

The Bruins opened the game with eight straight points, starting with Luc Richard Mbah a Moute scoring over Hawes, then dunking off his own steal. Afflalo scored, then stole the ball and fed Shipp for a fastbreak layup.

Washington failed to get off a shot in the spurt.

The theatrics continued when Collison stole an inbounds pass from Justin Dentmon and dunked on a fastbreak. Then Afflalo hit consecutive 3-pointers to send the crowd into a frenzy.

"It was great," Collison said. "It's going to be hard to beat us if we have that kind of intensity."

Washington was led by 21 points from Hawes, the 7-foot center who recently ended the double-digit scoring streak of LSU's Glen Davis at 48 games. Jon Brockman added 13 points.

After UCLA's opening rush, the teams traded baskets before Washington scored six straight to close within four. But the Bruins pushed their lead to 47-33 at halftime with part of a 15-0 run that extended over both halves, with Hawes picking up his third foul early in the second.

Trailing by 20 points, Washington went to a zone that stymied the Bruins for a time. The Huskies used a 16-5 run to get to 66-55, with Ryan Appleby hitting consecutive 3-pointers and Brockman adding four points.

"We were getting right back in the game, but they stopped that," Hawes said.

UCLA suddenly recovered, running off 12 straight points for a 78-55 lead with eight minutes left. Roll had consecutive 3-pointers and another basket for eight points.

"It's our best game by far, but we can definitely improve," Collison said.

[LAKERS_FAN89]

Bruins Show Balance In Win Over Beavers
All five starters score double-figures in a 71-56 win.

 
Lakers Won UCLA Won


Jan. 4, 2007

Final Stats

CORVALLIS, Ore. (AP) - Josh Shipp had 18 points and all five UCLA starters scored in double figures and the top-ranked Bruins beat Oregon State 71-56 on Thursday night.

Arron Afflalo scored 14 points for the Bruins (14-0, 3-0 Pac-10), while Darren Collison had 11 points and six assists. Luc Richard Mbah a Moute had 11 points and nine rebounds, and Lorenzo Mata added 10 points for UCLA, which won its first road game of the season. All of the Bruins' previous games were either at home or on a neutral court.

Sasa Cuic had 13 points and seven rebounds for Oregon State (8-7, 0-2) and Marcel Jones added 13 points and five rebounds.

UCLA and Clemson are the only unbeaten teams in Division I. Oregon, which hosts the Bruins on Saturday, lost to Southern California on Thursday night.

The Bruins shot 47 percent from the field (23-for-48) despite missing eight of their first 10 shots.

The poor start from the field allowed Oregon State lead 19-17, but the Bruins went on a 10-0 run to take the lead for good.

The Beavers did answer with a 9-2 run that McGillis capped with a 3-pointer that got the within 29-28 with 3:00 left in the half. The Bruins led 36-30 at halftime.

An 11-4 run put UCLA ahead 51-38 with 12:46 to go and the lead never got below double digits again.

The Bruins were the first No. 1 team to visit Corvallis since Arizona on Jan. 14, 1988, a 77-62 victory by the Wildcats.

Oregon State has played two unbeaten teams in the span of six days as the Beavers lost 76-73 to Oregon last Saturday.

The Beavers are at the end of a nine-game home streak that kept them in Corvallis for the entire month of December.

Point guard Josh Tarver, the Beavers' third-leading scorer at 10.7 points, was 2-of-11 from the field and finished with six points.

Oregon State did not attempt a free throw in the second half.

["THE" MoSav]

Another NICE WIN!
the Game Sat at OREGON will be a HUGE test..

[LAKERS_FAN89]

No. 1 Bruins Drop First Game of Season at No. 16 Ducks
Josh Shipp and Arron Afflalo each score 14 points to lead the Bruins in 68-66 loss.

 


Jan. 6, 2007


Final Stats



EUGENE, Ore. (AP) - Aaron Brooks scored 25 points, including the game-winning jumper with 13 seconds left, and No. 16 Oregon handed No. 1 UCLA its first loss of the season, 68-66 on Saturday.

Darren Collison hit a 3-pointer to bring the Bruins (14-1, 3-1 Pac-10) into a 66-66 tie. Brooks, who had 31 points on Thursday night when the Ducks (14-1, 2-1) lost for the first time this season, hit the baseline jumper to give Oregon the lead.

UCLA worked the ball around over the final seconds and instead of going toward the basket for a chance at tying it, Josh Shipp's 3-point attempt at the buzzer was shot was short, setting off a celebration on McArthur Court.

Oregon beat UCLA when it was ranked No. 1 in 1974, when current Ducks coach Ernie Kent was a player.

Oregon, which lost 84-82 to Southern California on Thursday, led 40-30 at halftime.

The Bruins had not opened 15-0 since 1972-73, when they went 30-0 and won the national championship.

Shipp and Arron Afflalo both finished with 14 points for the Bruins, while Collison had 11.

Maarty Luenen had 18 points and seven rebounds for the Ducks.

The last time the Bruins visited McArthur Court as the nation's top-ranked team was Feb. 16, 1974. The Ducks stunned UCLA 56-51 in that game, earning the cover of Sports Illustrated. That upset also followed an Oregon loss to the Trojans.

The Bruins, who had won four straight against the Ducks, were coming off a 71-56 victory over Oregon State on Thursday.

As UCLA struggled with its outside shooting - the Bruins were 1-for-9 from 3-point range in the first half - Bryce Taylor had a dunk and a 10-foot jumper to give the Ducks the 40-30 halftime lead. Oregon shot 70 percent from the field (14-for-20) in the first half, while the Bruins shot 36.4 percent (12-for-33).

Afflalo, UCLA's top scorer, missed all five of his shots in the first half, but his 3-pointer made it 40-36 early in the second half.

Oregon took a 53-44 lead midway through the second half on a layup by Brooks.

The Bruins closed within 64-61 on Afflalo's 3-pointer with 2:49 left. Luc Richard Mbah a Moute missed a key shot for the Bruins with 1:28 left, and the game was halted momentarily when someone in the building pulled a fire alarm.

The Ducks were without forward Malik Hairston, who was averaging 13.4 points and 6.2 rebounds, because of a heel injury. Hairston dressed, but did not play.

Among those who attended the sellout game were Nike founder Phil Knight, an Oregon alum, and former Ducks quarterback Joey Harrington, now with the Miami Dolphins.