UCLA update

[Russ Smith]

Smith cleared to play, full practice on Wed. Nelson not cleared, limited practice, gametime decision tonight.

I think if Nelson doesn't start you can assume he won't play very much, anybody who's ever rolled an ankle knows when you play on it the worst thing is to play a bit, get warm, and then go sit and let the ankle stiffen on you. So if you're going to play him you probably start him, if you don't start him you probably only plan on giving him limited minutes.

 

[Russ Smith]

Man if you could just replay the game from that stupid sequence by Zeke with the elbow it might be a decent game.

You can see what I mean about Nelson though, great offensive game, but his defense is atrocious. That 1 on 3 where Perry scored Nelson literally ran down the middle of the court stride for stride with Perry and watched him lay it in instead of trying to help Zeke.

That and the watching Hill shoot a 3 while never moving.

Great gameplan by Miller, exploit UCLA's terrible on ball defense with either that simple screen or just iso the bigs. Why Ben didn't go zone I'll never know, Stover and Smith just can't guard anybody in UA's regular lineup.

You also see what I mean about Smith, he missed 5-6 shots tonight within 2 feet of the rim. If and when he gets in good shape he's going to be unstoppable but right now he just flips the ball at the basket.

Horrible game from Zeke and he's been playing so well, really fell apart tonight.

I think Mayes was showing UCLA they should have recruited him he was terrific.

I didn't expect to win but I didn't expect a horrible defensive effort and tons of turnovers either.

 

[Lefty]

Man if you could just replay the game from that stupid sequence by Zeke with the elbow it might be a decent game.

You can see what I mean about Nelson though, great offensive game, but his defense is atrocious. That 1 on 3 where Perry scored Nelson literally ran down the middle of the court stride for stride with Perry and watched him lay it in instead of trying to help Zeke.

That and the watching Hill shoot a 3 while never moving.

Great gameplan by Miller, exploit UCLA's terrible on ball defense with either that simple screen or just iso the bigs. Why Ben didn't go zone I'll never know, Stover and Smith just can't guard anybody in UA's regular lineup.

You also see what I mean about Smith, he missed 5-6 shots tonight within 2 feet of the rim. If and when he gets in good shape he's going to be unstoppable but right now he just flips the ball at the basket.

Horrible game from Zeke and he's been playing so well, really fell apart tonight.

I think Mayes was showing UCLA they should have recruited him he was terrific.

I didn't expect to win but I didn't expect a horrible defensive effort and tons of turnovers either.

Miller did have a great game plan. Derrick Williams should make the highlights on ESPN.

As for Smith, he has the potential to be very good but I don't see him dedicating himself to be that player. I could be wrong but he seems to be a lazy player. Also, the Bruins are not a good defensive team. It must drive Howland insane.

The game in LA should be a better game. The Bruins need to find another scorer because it will be hard for them to stay in a game when the other team is scoring at will.

 

[Russ Smith]

Miller did have a great game plan. Derrick Williams should make the highlights on ESPN.

As for Smith, he has the potential to be very good but I don't see him dedicating himself to be that player. I could be wrong but he seems to be a lazy player. Also, the Bruins are not a good defensive team. It must drive Howland insane.

The game in LA should be a better game. The Bruins need to find another scorer because it will be hard for them to stay in a game when the other team is scoring at will.

Smith hurt his thumb on his right hand in the first exhibition and was taping it for a long time. For ages we all thought the thumb was injured worse than they let on because he misses so many easy shots. I finally decided it's just conditioning, he can't keep his legs under him. He's lost a lot of weight but now that school is in he can't work out 3 times a day so he's sort of plateaued, really needs the offseason.

He is lazy though, at least once a game he appears to foul on purpose because he either wants a stoppage or wants to come out, last night he just grabbed his man on one play doing that. he has this incredibly annoying habit of playing with his mouthpiece chewing it like gum, last night he actually dropped it out of his mouth during play and stopped to pick it up wipe it on his shirt and put it back in his mouth. He literally stopped playing to get his mouthpiece!

I don't think the problem is scoring, last night Zeke was terrible but that's really unusual he has been UCLA's leader much of the year. The problem is defense, neither team played good defense last night the difference was UA made the wide open shots, UCLA didn't, Lee and Honeycutt each missed 2-3 wide open 3's but UA made theirs. So you can say that's offense but to me the issue is don't allow so many open shots.

I think Ben has a real issue with Nelson and Honeycutt they can be so good but right now they only play when they feel like it and it's just a huge issue.

The logical matchup was Nelson on Williams, he's the only Bruin both strong enough and athletic enough, but Ben knows if he does that Williams will get 30 plus because Nelson is a bad defender, so he hides him on perry who is the guy you can sort of cheat off to help with UA. So all night the one guy who can actually afford to help off his man is the one guy on UCLA that never helps, so time after time UA blows by and Nelson stands there hugging Perry as the guy lays it in. He finally put Smith on Perry and Nelson on Williams and then Ben starts doubling Williams and eventually Miller just rested him because the game was double digits.

If Ben can put stover or Smith on Perry and Nelson on Williams it's a much better matchup, but he knows Nelson won't play hard on defense so he has to hide him. He was great on offense but he's a horrible defender and that crap at the end with the stand up sit down then laugh stuff that really ticked me off you just got beaten down on national tv and you do that?

He can be so good when he wants to be but I'm more and more getting to the point where I can't wait for the Wears and if you know me you know I'm not a big fan of theirs.

 

[MaoTosiFanClub]

Reeves Nelson is extremely unlikable, with his attitude you'll never be a good team when he's your best player. And Josh Smith is unwatchable with how fat he is. Such a terrible example to set. UCLA is in big trouble if Honeycutt leaves.

And not to toot my own horn here but how prophetic was my call that ASU should've hired Randy Bennett or Mark Turgeon over Sendek. I recall getting laughed at for suggesting that when Lisa Love brought him in.

 

[Arizona's Finest]

Last nights game was like a 3 hour recruiting pitch for the University. Everything from showing the locker room, to the crowd, to the dunks was just picture perfect.

I hope alot of prospective recruits for both football and basketball were watching because I can't imagine they watched that game and came away no impressed.

The names and pics on the lockers was awesome too. Little stuff like that goes a LOOOOOONG way.

 

[MaoTosiFanClub]

Are you really worried about basketball recruiting? We're going to be ridiculously good starting next year for the foreseeable future.

Football? Eh, not so much.

 

[Arizona's Finest]

Are you really worried about basketball recruiting? We're going to be ridiculously good starting next year for the foreseeable future.

Football? Eh, not so much.

No I am not at all. But when you have guys on the fence, Thursday goes a long way to toppling them to our side.

Just nice to have it be cool and special to be a Wildcat again. That was one of the better national perfomances we have had in awhile.

 

[Russ Smith]

Reeves Nelson is extremely unlikable, with his attitude you'll never be a good team when he's your best player. And Josh Smith is unwatchable with how fat he is. Such a terrible example to set. UCLA is in big trouble if Honeycutt leaves.

And not to toot my own horn here but how prophetic was my call that ASU should've hired Randy Bennett or Mark Turgeon over Sendek. I recall getting laughed at for suggesting that when Lisa Love brought him in.

I actually think in a lot of ways if honeycutt left UCLA would be better. he's the most talented guy on the team but like Nelson he plays when he feels like it. The next time he bends his knees on defense will be the first, and after the KU game he fell in love with the 3 pointer and again last night 0-4 from 3 and passing up open 12-15 footers all game.

I almost think he read that LA Times article a month ago where an unnamed NBA scout said he's a lottery pick because it's a weak draft and he said ok my work is done and is coasting waiting to turn pro.


I think Lamb and Powell at the 3 next year with Zeke, Lee and Anderson as the guards in a lot of ways would be better.

I hope everyone comes back but they have to change their attitude or they won't help by coming back.

the thing with Smith is that he could have had 25 points in 19 minutes last night easily if he makes those easy shots he missed. That's what is so tempting it's so obvious UA couldn't stop him but his lack of conditioning stopped himself. he hadn't played in a week, one full practice so maybe some rust but it's basically no legs because of the weight. If he works as hard in the offseason this year as he did coming in(lost like 40 pounds) I think he'll be first team all conference next year. He does need to focus more though.

I don't know what you do with Nelson it's almost the for every 2 he scores he costs you 2 at the other end.

 

[MaoTosiFanClub]

UCLA just has some of the worst body language I've seen since some of Lute's later teams. It's going to be interesting what happens going forward with Howland. UCLA has a ton of talent but it's not really going anywhere. The Lavin Bowl on Saturday is a must watch.

 

[Russ Smith]

UCLA just has some of the worst body language I've seen since some of Lute's later teams. It's going to be interesting what happens going forward with Howland. UCLA has a ton of talent but it's not really going anywhere. The Lavin Bowl on Saturday is a must watch.

Yep there are some issues there for sure.

Howland benched Smith quite a bit in the 2nd half against ASU. After the game he said Smith stopped to argue a foul he thought should have been called and so he pulled him out for not running back on defense. UCLA fans wonder why Nelson and Honeycutt don't get pulled for the same stuff, my guess is because Ben knows they're already lost, he doesn't want to lose Smith so he's trying to squash it now.

Nelson has his own issues, I'm told he'll do an apology to the press on Monday for his actions on Saturday after the ASU game. I don't know exactly what he did/said to the media but at least one member literally got up and left during the interview because of Nelson so it must have been fairly obvious.

Honeycutt was sick against ASU but again his effort was terrible.

I'm almost to the point of if both of them leave I'm somewhat happy, I think their attitudes are starting to spread to other players who see them get away with it.

2 big games now USC(4 straight wins over UCLA) and St. JOhns, Lavin, 2 wins would be huge, 2 losses would be a problem.

 

[MaoTosiFanClub]

Howland might not get out of Westwood alive if he loses both this week.

 

[Russ Smith]

Howland might not get out of Westwood alive if he loses both this week.

I think Ben survives this season because Guerrero has already said there's no way he's going to do anything. My guess is if the season goes South it's more likely Ben would leave on his own rather than be asked to leave.

Remember the reports not that long ago he talked to DePaul. I think there's the difference between him and Lavin, Steve was willing to take the money and do a half assed job as long as they let him, so they finally had to fire him. Ben is working much harder than Lavin did but I think he has integrity, if he feels he literally can't get the program back on track, I think he'd step down rather than just keep cashing the paychecks.

I hope it doesn't come to that he hasn't forgotten how to coach, it's just tougher and tougher to get kids to buy in.

I have a friend who coaches HS he calls it the AAU effect, kids play so many games in AAU now that they don't "hate to lose" anymore. when you play a couple of hundred "games" in the summer most of which the score is totally irrelevant, you learn to accept losing. So when you get to college and it's not coming easily, kids just slack off, look for their points, try to impress scouts and if they lose oh well.

I think UCLA has 2-3 kids on the current roster who do that regularly and it hurts the overall team.

 

[MaoTosiFanClub]

Yeah, he'll survive the season but it won't go over well losing both games this week at Pauley. First to your hated rival and then to your hated former coach.

 

[Russ Smith]

Yeah, he'll survive the season but it won't go over well losing both games this week at Pauley. First to your hated rival and then to your hated former coach.

Oh absolutely if they lose both there will be people calling for howland's firing.

It would be 5 straight losses to USC, and losing to Lavin would be tough.

I actually worry the pressure on the team for Saturday is going to be immense, the kids must know how bad it would look for howland to lose to Lavin.

Nobody is going to draw and quarter Coach K for getting blown out on the road but if it happens to Ben at Pauley nobody is going to care that St. Johns has 9 seniors and has beaten West Virginia, Georgetown, Notre Dame and Duke, they're going to say you ran this guy out of town and he just beat you.

It's a huge 2 game stretch for UCLA.

 

[MaoTosiFanClub]

I'll give the Bruins credit: since their completely uninspiring trip to the desert they have been playing good ball. Should be a fun one in Pauley next weekend, I'll be in the house too.

 

[Russ Smith]

I'll give the Bruins credit: since their completely uninspiring trip to the desert they have been playing good ball. Should be a fun one in Pauley next weekend, I'll be in the house too.

We'll see, I'm still skeptical if Crabbe plays Sunday night they might lose to Cal. The defense has gotten better, I hope it's because they were embarassed with how they defended in the loss to UA.

the main issue UCLA has is the hand injuries to Zeke jones. Right hand has a torn tendon on a finger he's been dealing with since the UW loss, left hand he has a sprained wrist, the LA TImes said the MRI actually showed torn tendons in the wrist, I haven't seen confirmation. So he's got this splint on it, heavily taped, and he's not allowed to bend the wrist at all except when playing in games. So he's limited in practice and he's at times playing one handed.

That puts Jerime Anderson on the floor more and while he's much improved, he's still a bit scary with the ball.

UA's guards dominated the first game and Zeke was relatively healthy then(only one injury) so hopefully Lee and Jerime play better this time because I think it's unreasonable to expect Zeke to do much more than he is playing one handed.

I think the game will be closer this time since it's at UCLA, but they still gotta figure out who does Josh Smith guard and how do they take away that mismatch that UA exploited a lot the first time around.


now if UW takes out UA before then it's a game for 1st place so then it's anybody's guess. 19-7 is sure a lot better than 14-18 that's for sure.

But gotta beat Cal first.

 

[Russ Smith]

FYI the rematch will be interesting. First time UA unveiled the new unis, this time UCLA is doing a "blue out". The fans are all supposed to wear blue because it's the last game at pauley before they do the one year closure to finish the "remodel".

Still don't know where they will play games next year, they actually polled the fans and included San Diego and Bakersfield as possible alternate locations but I'm assuming those won't get too many votes.

 

[Mr. Boldin]

Id love to see UA play UCLA at Valley View Casino Arena whatever (Sports Arena) 2 miles from my house.

Where can I vote Russ?