Kentucky-UCLA Among Awesome Friday Sweet 16 Match-Ups

NCAA Sweet 16 South and East Regions Previews

South Region

(1) North Carolina Tar Heels vs. (4) Butler Bulldogs
7:09 pm ET, CBS

North Carolina (29-7) is the last remnant of the ACC, the conference that was touted by many "in the know" analysts as the best in the nation. What we know now is that the "best" conference has a record of 7 wins and 8 losses, leaving the Tar Heels (who won the regular season but lost in the conference tournament final to Duke) as the lone representative. Thus, it's not a stretch to believe that North Carolina is not long for this tournament. The logic is that since every other team has from the ACC has been eliminated, how soon will the Tar Heels fall?

So far, they've had it relatively easy, dropping #16 Texas Southern in the opening round, 103-64, then disposing of a very game #8 Arkansas squad in the second round, 72-65. The Razorbacks had the Heels on their toes, leading 65-60 with under three minutes to play, but North Carolina closed out the game on a 12-0 run to survive and move forward. The Heels shot just 38.1%, the worst for a Carolina squad in the tournament since 1968.

If Carolina plays as poorly offensively as they did against the Razorbacks, Butler may make them pay dearly and send them home early. The bulldogs come out of the Big East, which sent seven teams and has only two remaining (the other, Xavier), so this could be rated as a meeting between survivors of the two most overrated conferences. If that's the case, 25-8 Butler (2nd in the Big East, 12-6), a 7 1/2-point underdog, has a very good chance of upending the Tar Heels.

Butler got through round one by defeating #13 Winthrop 76-64, and then took down a highly-touted #12 in Middle Tennessee State, 74-65. As far as tenacious is concerned, the Bulldogs are as fierce as they come. North Carolina should not expect an easy time, but this group may not be as talented as some previous NC tournament teams, and they are very young and inexperienced. Thus, anything can happen, and Butler could come out ahead.

(2) Kentucky Wildcats vs. (3) UCLA Bruins
9:39 pm ET, CBS

In what could be the best Elite Eight game of all, the Bruins and Wildcats take back seats to almost no teams in the tournament. Kentucky cruised through the SEC regular season, posting a 16-2 mark (31-5 overall), two games better than runner-up Florida, and they won the conference tournament handily as well.

What's a little disturbing about the Wildcats - other than their relative youth, though that's become a feature of most tourney teams of late - is the closeness of their two wins: 79-70 over #15 seed Norther Kentucky, a team the Wildcats should have beaten by 30; and, their 65-62 victory in the second round over #10 Wichita State, which almost pulled off a monumental upset. The Shockers, however, may have been vastly underrated, so Kentucky can get a pass on that one.

At 31-4 UCLA has the look of a team nobody really wants to be playing at this juncture, largely because of the presence of the presumptive #1 draft pick, freshman point guard Lonzo Ball, who led the nation in assists, at 7.6 per game. Scoring an average of 14.7 per outing, Ball leads a team with six double figure scorers, a rarity in the college ranks. Ball will match up against Kentucky's freshman sensation, De'Aaron Fox, who's no slouch at 4.6 assists and 14.1 points per game, but he'll have his hands full on defense against the crafty Ball. The line favors the Bruins by one, but they could win by more if Ball is all he's supposed to be.

Both conferences are well-represented. The SEC sent five teams and three are remaining (Kentucky, South Carolina, Florida). The PAC-12 holds the best record of any conference at 8-1, having sent just four teams. Only USC has bowed out, but they won two games (First Four and First Round). UCLA, Arizona and Oregon remain.

East Region

(3) Baylor Bears vs. (7) South Carolina Gamecocks
7:29 pm ET, TBS

Baylor had a very solid season, but fell short in the strong Big 12, finishing tied with West Virginia and Iowa State for second place at 12-6, behind champion Kansas. The Bears are 27-7 overall, after dusting #14 New Mexico State in the opening round, 91-73, and slipping by a better-than-advertised #11 USC, 82-78. Baylor is probably the tallest team by position in the tourney, with seven-footer, Jo Lual-Acuil Jr., and 6'10" Johnathan Motley anchoring the front line. While they may be long and lanky, the Baylor forwards are not exceptionally strong, and South Carolina brings plenty of muscle, which they used to upend undersized and heavily-favored #2 seed Duke, 88-82, after disposing of #10 Marquette, 93-73.

The Gamecocks went through the regular season in and out of the Top 25, slipping up as the regular season ended with five losses in their final eight games and then losing to Alabama in the opening round of the SEC tournament, 64-53.

But, South Carolina has rebounded well and they will hit the boards hard against Baylor. If this turns into a front court scrum, look for South Carolina to at least cover the 3 1/2-point spread and possibly win outright. Sindarius Thornwell and Chris Silva will lead the charge, but the Gamecocks are not particularly deep.

(8) Wisconsin Badgers vs. (4) Florida Gators
9:59 pm ET, TBS

The elite Eight ends with a couple of rank outsiders matching up in what should be an exciting contest. Wisconsin's main claim to fame is beating #1 seed in the East, Villanova, 65-62, in the second round, marking them as giant-killers and raising all kinds of rancor from pundits who thought the Badgers were under-seeded as a #8. While that may be true - because they did go 26-9 and were runners-up in the Big Ten to Purdue, at 12-6 - they did tie with Maryland in second, and the Terps were shuffled off in the first round by Xavier. So, there are arguments either way, but the reality is that the Badgers are big and bad and disciplined, probably moreso than the Gators, who lost consistently to Kentucky this season, but were otherwise well-regarded, also ranked in the Top 25 throughout the season.

The Gators grabbed a #4 seed and it appears to be well-deserved. In the first round, they took care of #13 East Tennessee State handily, 80-64. In the second round, the Gators chomped down on #5 Virginia, holding the Cavaliers to 29.6% shooting (16-54) in a 65-39 rout. While Virginia was not regarded by anyone as a team of sharpshooters, the Florida defense was strangulating and the same kind of effort might turn this meeting against Wisconsin into a game of first-to-50.

That kind of grinding atmosphere might be right up Badger alley, but all indication are that the two-point favorite Gators are going to advance here.

NCAA Tournament Conference Scoreboard
Through Sunday (3/19) Games

Conference (# of teams)	Record	Winners (# of Wins)
ACC (9)	7-8	Notre Dame (1), Florida St. (1), Virginia (1), Louisville (1), Duke (1), North Carolina (2)
Big East (7)	5-5	Villanova (1), Butler (2), Xavier (2)
Big Ten (7)	8-4	Purdue (2), Wisconsin (2), Northwestern (1), Michigan (2), Michigan State (1)
Big 12 (6)	8-3	Kansas State (1), West Virginia (2), Iowa St. (1), Kansas (2), Baylor (2)
SEC (5)	7-2	Florida (2), Arkansas (1), Kentucky (2), South Carolina (2)
PAC 12 (4)	8-1	USC (2), Arizona (2), Oregon (2), UCLA (2)
Atlantic 10 (3)	1-3	Rhode Island (1)
American (2)	1-2	Cincinnati (1)
West Coast (2)	3-1	Gonzaga (2), St. Mary's (1)
All Others (23)	(4-23)	Mt. St. Mary's (1), UC Davis (1), Middle Tennessee (1), Wichita State (1)

ESPN updated NCAA tournament bracket

First And Second Round NCAA Tournament Post-Mortems

With the ACC decimated over the previous weekend, leaving North Carolina as the only representative, four conferences - the PAC-12, SEC, Big 12, and Big Ten - have emerged as the best in the nation, each represented in the Sweet 16 by three teams, replete with mountains of egg splashed across the collective faces of the tournament selection committee.

Remember when there was talk of 11 teams from the "elite" ACC headed to the NCAA tourney? Yes, there was madness circulating even before March. Now that Duke, Wake Forest, Virginia, Florida State, etc. have all been embarrassed and kicked to the collegiate curb, perhaps the genii which operates the tournament might consider smaller conferences or, perish the thought, more teams from the other power conferences.

Along with the ACC, the Big East took it on the chin pretty hard as well. After Villanova was bounced in the second round by Wisconsin (Big Ten strikes again), only Butler and Xavier remained of the seven teams originally offered bids to the tournament. The other four - Creighton, Seton Hall, Marquette and Providence - didn't win a single game. Another blunder by the almighty committee. Providence, which finished with a positive, 10-8, record in the conference, was awarded a play-in proposition, but couldn't muster past USC, from the PAC-12, which sent only four teams.

Of those, three remain: UCLA, Oregon, and Arizona, seeded 3, 3 and 2, respectively. Incidentally, the USC Trojans not only defeated Providence, but they also slipped by everybody's "sleeper" pick, #6 SMU in the East region, so the four teams from the PAC-12 have conspired against the tournament elitists to an 8-1 record, clearly the best of any conference. Maybe Utah (11-7 conf., 20-12) or Cal (10-8, 21-13) might have had a case, rather than the harping and crying over Syracuse, bounced out of the NIT by Ole Miss at the Carrier Dome?

There was much crying and griping in Philadelphia (Been there lately? You'd complain, too.) after sweetheart Villanova went down in disgrace to the #8 seed in the East, Wisconsin. The complaints generally questioned how a team that was ranked in the Top 25 almost all season could end up a #8, upsetting the path to the championship for the beloved Wildcats. One could lay the blame for that squarely on the selection committee's head again, which is why committees, whether they be in the corporate, political or sporting world, just plain suck. Next year, the NCAA might think about using computers to make up the 68 team field, rather than obviously flawed humans. But, I digress, because, after all, I'm a human, too. (I love my computer. Really, I do.)

Let's not forget the Atlantic-10 and American conferences when it comes to epic fails, though. The A-10 sent Dayton, VCU and Rhode Island to the tourney, none remain. VCU, in case anybody hasn't noticed, isn't the same kind of team since Shaka Smart left, and Dayton, despite winning the conference regular season with a 15-3 mark, lost their final game to George Washington and opened the conference tourney with an embarrassing 73-67 loss to Davidson.

The Flyers got whacked by Wichita State, 64-58. The Shockers were a solid team that took Kentucky, the #2 seed in the South, right to the final buzzer, losing 65-62. Not bad for a #10 seed. The Shockers made the case for Illinois State, as it were.

Rhode Island was the only team from the A-10 with a win, over Big East blowhard, Creighton, but the Rams were eliminated in the next round by Oregon. Boo-f-ing-hoo.

Out of the American conference came SMU (we already know what happened to them) and Cincinnati, which won its perfunctory one game, downing Kansas State, 75-61 in the opening round. Honestly, the Wildcats of K-State should have gone to the NIT. They were 8-10 in the Big 12. They got stomped, but, proving that the American conference is anything but red-blooded, the Bearcats were easily handled by UCLA, 79-67, in the second round.

If anything is clear, it's that the PAC-12, SEC, Big Ten and Big 12 have the best teams remaining and those two "Big" conferences were fairly represented, with the possible exclusion of Kansas State, though the Wildcats did beat up wake Forest in the play-in game. Of the seven Big Ten schools, only two - Maryland and Minnesota - lost in the opening round, and from the Big 12, only the Cowboys of Oklahoma State failed to win a single game.

The SEC sent five teams, and three of them, Kentucky, Florida and South Carolina are still alive. Arkansas won one game, dumping Seton Hall (Big East) in the opening round before scaring the bejeezus out of Narth Carolina, losing to the Tar Heels, 72-65. Nobody was convinced Vanderbilt belonged, and those skeptical were rewarded with a first round loss to Northwestern, by a mere deuce. Speaking of Northwestern, since it was their first ever appearance in the tournament, they deserved to win, but they probably should not have been picked.

So, Purdue, Wisconsin, and Michigan will soldier on for the Big Ten and the Big 12 teams remaining are Kansas (overrated), Baylor and West Virginia.

All the excuses in the world cannot lift the veils of stupidity and bias from the selection committee. The NCAA tournament has become like everything else in America, too complex, over-hyped and flawed by excessive media attention, the same media that has polluted our politics, our prime time viewing and entire generations of formerly sensible people (Baby Boomers and GenXers, and Millenials).

If the United States of America is ever to rise from the ashes in which it currently smoulders, East coast bias must be trampled forever into dust. There's a real world out there in the hinterlands of Minnesota, Nebraska, Utah and elsewhere, and yes, some of those people can play hoops. When media powerhouses like CBS and TNT readily share blame for egregious lapses of sanity such as the NCAA seeding process, perhaps the country can move ahead again.

Of course, there might still be the circus known as the US congress in Washington, DC, with which to contend, but that's a story for another day, in another place.

Tomorrow: Match-up Madness in the West and Midwest Regions
Wednesday: South and East Sweet 16 Match-ups

NCAA Tournament Conference Scoreboard
Through Sunday (3/19) Games

Conference (# of teams)	Record	Winners (# of Wins)
ACC (9)	7-8	Notre Dame (1), Florida St. (1), Virginia (1), Louisville (1), Duke (1), North Carolina (2)
Big East (7)	5-5	Villanova (1), Butler (2), Xavier (2)
Big Ten (7)	8-4	Purdue (2), Wisconsin (2), Northwestern (1), Michigan (2), Michigan State (1)
Big 12 (6)	8-3	Kansas State (1), West Virginia (2), Iowa St. (1), Kansas (2), Baylor (2)
SEC (5)	7-2	Florida (2), Arkansas (1), Kentucky (2), South Carolina (2)
PAC 12 (4)	8-1	USC (2), Arizona (2), Oregon (2), UCLA (2)
Atlantic 10 (3)	1-3	Rhode Island (1)
American (2)	1-2	Cincinnati (1)
West Coast (2)	3-1	Gonzaga (2), St. Mary's (1)
All Others (23)	(4-23)	Mt. St. Mary's (1), UC Davis (1), Middle Tennessee (1), Wichita State (1)

#3 UCLA Wins 8th Straight Behind Bryce Alford's 29 Points

College Hoops Player of the Day for Wednesday, March 1, 2017

If you're looking for a team that has the right elements to capture the NCAA tournament championship, look no further than the UCLA Bruins.

A strong starting five, experienced head coach, deep bench, an extending winning streak, and senior leadership make the Bruins a team to watch as the tourney unfolds.

On Wednesday, the Bruins took down Washington, 98-66, for their eighth straight win behind senior guard (and son of coach Steve Alford) Bryce Alford, who canned 10 of 18 from the field, including an 8-for-14 effort from three-point range.

Lonzo Ball chipped in with 19 and the Bruins got 15 from Isaac Hamilton. UCLA's bench accounted for 27 points.

Alford has been remarkably consistent in his three years as a starter for the Bruins, averaging 15.4 points per game as a sophomore, 16.1 as a junior, and 16.6 this season. His 29 points was the most he's scored since putting up 30 as the Bruins pounded Pacific in their season opener.

While the Bruins may be a serious threat in the NCAA tournament, they're still unlikely to win their own conference. They trail both Oregon and Arizona by one game, with one game remaining. However, they've beaten both the Ducks and Wildcats during their current winning streak and will certainly be a factor in the PAC-12 tourney which begins next Wednesday.

T.J. Leaf Scores 25, Leads #5 UCLA Past Arizona State

College Hoops Player of the Day for Thursday, February 23, 2017

There's a serious showdown coming in the PAC-12 between the Arizona Wildcats and the UCLA Bruins, currently ranked numbers four and five in the AP Poll, and among the leaders in the conference (Arizona is on top; UCLA 2 1/2 back).

The colossal collision is expected to occur beginning with the tip-off Saturday night in Tuscon, when the Wildcats host the Bruins for the second time this season. The first meeting - at UCLA - went to Arizona, 96-85, but, since that result and a subsequent loss at USC, the Bruins have reeled off six straight wins, including Thursday night's 87-75 victory at Arizona State, and 25 points from freshman T.J. Leaf, who fell just shy of his 12th double-double, with nine rebounds.

Leaf dominated the middle, hitting 11 of 16 shots and making all three free throw attempts. The 6'10" frosh has become a mainstay for the Bruins as they improved to 25-3 overall and 12-3 in conference play.

With just two games left for Arizona, 16-0 in the conference, UCLA would have to win Saturday night and the wildcats would have to lose their remaining game against Arizona State, in order to tie the Wildcats for the PAC-12 title.

NCAA Tournament Round of 32: ACC 10-0, PAC-12 7-0; Tony Parker Leads Bruins into Sweet 16; Kentucky, Notre Dame, Tar Heels Advance

Round of 32 Saturday Games

and College Hoops Player of the Day for Saturday, March 21, 2015

(11) UCLA 92, (14) UAB 75 - There were those who said that UCLA didn't belong in the tournament, but the Bruins are having them eat their words, blowing out the Blazers to become the first team in the tourney to reach the level of Sweet 16 and posting the third-highest point total of the tourney, behind Arizona and Villanova, both of which had 93 in their openers. Tony Parker led everyone with 28 points and 12 rebounds, turning away three shots in UCLA's win to garner today's Player of the Day honors.

(1) Kentucky 64, (8) Cincinnati 51 - The Bearcats wanted to dance with the Wildcats, but it was Kentucky showing off the fancy footwork, smothering Cincy with defense. The Bearcats shot just 32%.

The Wildcats ended the first half on a 10-0 run and went into the break with a seven-point cushion, holding Cincinnati scoreless the final 3:43 of the first half. Leading the entire second half, the Wildcats expanded their lead to as many as 19 points, cruising to their 36th straight win.

(2) Arizona 73, (10) Ohio State 58 - The Buckeyes led most of the first half, but didn't score the final 3:13, and trailed 26-25 at intermission. Arizona used a 16-6 run early in the second half to open a ten-point lead and were never threatened after that. Gabe York and T.J. McConnell each had 19 for Arizona.

(6) Xavier 75, (14) Georgia State 67 - Representing the Sun Belt as well as they could, the Panthers finally fell too far behind the Musketeers in the late stages of the game and were eliminated after sending #3 seed Baylor home early in the previous round. Even though Georgia State shot 53.5% from the field, Xavier was fr better, clicking at 67.6% (23-34) and also made 22 of 25 from the line (88%).

(8) NC State 71, (1) Villanova 68 - Stunning the top seed in the East, the Wolfpack was relentless and held the lead throughout the second half after leading 32-28 at the break. Trevor Lacey was brilliant, with 17 points, six boards and four assists, and both Lennard Freeman and Abdul-Malik Abu each registered double-doubles for NC State. The closest Villanova came was with just 1.9 seconds left, when they closed to within a point, but Ralston Turner's two free throws sealed the win.

(5) Utah 75, (4) Georgetown 64 - The Hoyas opened up a 21-10 lead, making five threes in the first 6:28 of the game, but the Utes clawed back to tie the game at 32 into half time. Utah never fell behind after that and gradually pulled away in the latter stages of the game, shooting 58% from the field.

(4) North Carolina 87, (5) Arkansas 78 - Arkansas made this a tight one, but the athleticism, size and talent of the Tar Heels prevailed. Marcus Paige had 22 points, six rebounds and five steals for North Carolina.

(3) Notre Dame 67, (6) Butler 64 - For the bleary-eyed who managed to stay up late for this one, the loss of a little sleep was well worth it, as the Irish and Bulldogs played a back-and-forth classic that could only be decided in overtime. Steve Vasturia had a career high 20 points on 6-for-11 shooting, including the clinching three-pointer in overtime. He added 6-for-6 from the line and six rebounds.

Conference Power Scoreboard

Conference	W-L	Winners (# of Ws)
ACC	10-0	Notre Dame (2), NC State (2), North Carolina (2), Arkansas (1), Virginia (1). Louisville (1)
Big East	5-5	Butler (1), Xavier (2), Villanova (1), Georgetown (1)
Big Ten	5-3	Ohio State (1), Michigan St. (1), Maryland (1), Iowa (1), Wisconsin (1)
Big 12	3-4	Kansas (1), West Virginia (1), Oklahoma (1)
Pac-12	7-0	UCLA (2), Arizona (2), Utah (2), Oregon (1)
SEC	3-4	Ole Miss (1), Kentucky (2)
All Others	11-27	Hampton(1), Robert Morris (1), Dayton (1), UAB (1), Georgia St. (1), Cincinnati (1), N. Iowa (1), Wichita St. (1), San Diego State (1), Gonzaga (1), Dayton (1)

UCLA Looking for At-Large Bid after Isaac Hamilton's Career High 36 Leads the Bruins past USC

College Hoops Player of the Day for Thursday, March 12, 2015

Arizona is the only team from the PAC-12 that is ranked, but it's a good bet that the conference will send at least four teams to the NCAA tournament, and the UCLA Bruins, by virtue of their 96-70 trouncing of cross-town rival USC in the opening round of the conference tourney, are almost certain to be among that group.

If the Bruins get an at-large bid, they can thank sophomore guard, Isaac Hamilton, who scored a career-high 36 points, going 13-for-17 overall and blistering the nets with a 7-for-9 barrage from beyond the arc.

Hamilton's previous career best was 21 points, against UAB earlier this season, prior to conference play.

The 6'4" LA native averaged 10.1 points per game this season and scored in double figures 19 times prior to his performance against the Trojans.

Hamilton added four rebounds and made two steals for the Bruins, who are 20-12 overall and went 11-7 in the PAC-12.

While there was a slew of games on Thursday, no conference champions were crowned, nor will any be crowned until Saturday, when 15 teams get their tickets punched.

Kyle Anderson Leads Bruins to PAC-10 Title over Arizona; Five More Championships Up on Sunday

College Hoops Player of the Day for Saturday, March 15, 2014

Kyle Anderson, UCLA's sensational sophomore, has been putting up big numbers and double-doubles all season, but may have saved his best game for the PAC-12 championship, captured by the Bruins with a 75-71 victory over Arizona.

Anderson dropped in 21 points and swiped 15 rebounds to lead the Bruins, dishing five assists while committing just one turnover. It was his 14th double-double of the season and his first in the conference tournament. The Bruins knocked off Oregon and Stanford before gutting out the win over the #4 Wildcats.

While UCLA receives the automatic bid to the NCAA tournament, Arizona will also be going, as they have a 30-4 mark on the season.

Other big-name teams punched their ticket to the big dance on Saturday. Iowa State won the Big 12 championship, coming from behind to defeat Baylor, 74-65; Louisville took the American Athletic title with a 71-61 win over Connecticut.

Providence upset #14 Creighton, 65-58, to capture the Big East championship, and New Mexico knocked off San Diego State, 64-58, in the West Coast conference final, their third consecutive conference championship.

Just five more automatic bids need to be awarded on Sunday before the selection committee finalizes the seedings for the NCAA tournament brackets.

At 1:00 pm EDT, #7 Duke meets #6 Virginia to decide the ACC title, Saint Joseph's plays #23 Virginia Commonwealth in the Atlantic-10, and Louisiana-Lafayette faces Georgia State for the Sun Belt championship.

At 3:00 pm, Kentucky and #1 Florida meet to decide the SEC crown, and, at 3:30 pm, #8 Michigan and #22 Michigan State battle for Big Ten bragging rights.

Kyle Anderson Comes Up Big, But UCLA Comes Up Short at Utah, 73-69

College Hoops Player of the Day for Saturday, January 18, 2014

Kyle Anderson had another in a string of impressive games this season, but, despite his efforts, UCLA could not overcome a disparity at the free throw line, falling in Salt Lake City to the Utah Utes, 73-69.

Anderson led all scorers with 28 points, wile gobbling up seven rebounds and distributing seven assists. The sophomore All-American candidate was spectacular, hitting all five of his three-point attempts on 10-for-16 shooting, plus going 3-for-3 at the foul line in 36 minutes of action.

That was not enough for the Bruins to survive on the road, however, as the Bruins piled up fouls. While UCLA went to the line just eight times for the entire game and made six of their freebies, the Utes were sent to the stripe 17 times, where they scored 15 points.

Otherwise, the game was quite even, perhaps with a slight statistical slant toward UCLA. The Bruins hit 27 field goals, compared to 25 for the Utes, both teams hit nine threes, but the Bruins held the edge on the boards, 35-31, and both teams committed 17 turnovers.

The loss drops the #25 Bruins to 14-4 overall, with a 3-2 mark in the PAC-12. Utah is also 14-4, holding a 3-3 mark in conference play.

Led by Kyle Anderson, UCLA Routs USC, 107-73

College Hoops Player of the Day for Sunday, January 5, 2014

Opening their PAC-12 schedule at home against their cross-town rivals, USC, the UCLA Bruins sent a statement to the rest of the conference with a runaway, 107-73 home win over the Trojans.

The Bruins were led by prodigious, 6'9" sophomore, Kyle Anderson, who led the Bruins in points, assists and rebounds, registering a game-high 23 points and 12 rebounds. His five assists were matched by USC's Julian Jacobs.

Though he misfired on both attempts from three-point range, Anderson was 10-for-14 from the field, adding three points from the foul line. Anderson didn't start scoring until nearly five minutes into the game, but his jumper at 15:23 in the first half put the Bruins up 11-2, and they never looked back.

USC made a game of it for the first ten minutes of the first half, cutting the Bruins' lead to three points midway through, at 21-18, but UCLA went on a 18-5 run over the next five minutes, Anderson pitching in eight points. By half time, the Bruins led 56-34, and didn't let up, even though they emptied their bench in the second half, outscoring USC, 51-39, cruising to the win.

With their initial conference win tucked away, the Bruins expect a challenge when they next hold court at Pauley Pavilion, hosting top-ranked Arizona on Thursday, January 9 at 6:00 pm PT.

UCLA Remains Perfect at 7-0, as Kyle Anderson Leads Win in Las Vegas Invitational

College Hoops Player of the Day for Friday, November 29, 2013

19th-ranked UCLA remained undefeated (7-0) with a 95-79 romp over Northwestern in the final round of the Las Vegas Invitational, hitting 13 of 17 three-pointers.

Jordan Adams, Zach LaVine and Bryce Alford each scored 18 points, helping the Bruins take a share of the round-robin tournament with Missouri, winning all four games during the tourney. The Bruins beat Morehead State and Chattanooga last weekend at home in the opening rounds, then came to Vegas and overwhelmed host Nevada, 105-84, Thursday, prior to taking down the Wildcats.

Kyle Anderson dropped in 16 points, hauled in nine rebounds and dished nine assists, earning the tournament MVP award. The 6'9" sophomore had a triple double (13 points, 12 rebounds, 11 assists) in the Morehead State win, and double-doubles in the two subsequent games. In the final, he was 6-for-9 from the floor, making two of three three-pointers and a pair of free throws, along with four steals.

UCLA was absolutely sizzling in the final, shooting 63.6% from the field (35-for-55). The Bruins are the nation's second-best shooting team, hitting at 55.6%, fourth in assists (20.2), and are the sixth-highest scoring team, at 90.9 points per game.

NOTABLE: A number of ranked teams didn't fare so well in their holiday tournament outings on Friday. #2 Kansas lost to Villanova, 63-59, on a late three-pointer in the Battle 4 Atlantis; #6 Duke was outflanked by #4 Arizona, 72-66, at the NIT Tip-Off at Madison Square Garden, and #20 Creighton, despite 30 points by Doug McDermott, fell to San Diego State, 86-80, in the Wooden Legagy Tournament in Fullerton California.

Kyle Anderson's Triple-Double Propels UCLA to 4-0

College Hoops Player of the Day for Friday, November 22, 2013

At 6'9", UCLA sophomore Kyle Anderson is a match-up nightmare. When he is dishing the ball to teammates - in addition to his own scoring and rebounding - the Bruins become a dynamic offensive force, as was evidenced in their 81-70 win over Morehead State, their fourth win without a loss.

Anderson scored 13 points, to go with 12 boards and 11 assists, many of his passes finding fellow sophomore, Jordan Adams, who lit up the Eagles for a career-high 30 points.

As a freshman, Anderson had eight double-double performances, always with scoring and rebounding; this was the first triple-double of his career. He's always been on the lookout for open shooters, as he had 3.5 assists per game last season as a freshman. This season he's leading the Bruins wirh eight assists per game. Other career highlights include a 21-point, 17-rebound and 7-assist night in a win over Fresno State last December.

UCLA's next game is Sunday, against the Chattanooga Mocs. More definitive tests come later: November 29, against Northwestern, December 7, at Missouri, and December 19, when they meet the Duke Blue Devils at Madison Square Garden in the Carquest Auto Parts Classic.

Kyle Anderson Provides Lift as Bruins Open PAC-12 Play with a Win over Cal

College Hoops Player of the Day for Thursday, January 3, 2013

Continuing their quest for respectability, the UCLA Bruins took another step forward, defeating the Cal Golden Bears, 79-65, opening their PAC-12 schedule with a solid win, their sixth in a row.

The Bruins were led by freshman Kyle Anderson, who, at 6'9", s listed as a guard but plays more like a forward, operating in the post and on the wings. Anderson recorded his fourth double-double of the season with 19 points and 12 boards, adding a pair of assists, two steals and two blocked shots, and is becoming an integral part of the UCLA scheme. Anderson was 5-for-8 from the field and a perfect 8-for-9 from the foul line, where his improvement has been notable.

In his first seven games, Anderson was 13-for-26 from the stripe (50%), but, in his last seven has hit 30 of 35 freebies, an 86% rate.

Anderson was just a point off his career high, set just two games past, when he displayed his huge potential with 20 points and 17 rebounds in the Bruins' 91-78 win over Fresno State. Averaging close to a double-double, with 9.5 points and 8.7 rebounds, Anderson is one of the keys to UCLA challenging for the conference title, their main opposition being the unbeaten Arizona Wildcats (13-0), who struggled to a 92-83 overtime win against Colorado.

The 11-3 Bruins meet up with the Wildcats in three weeks, on January 24, at Arizona.

NOTABLE: #2 Michigan stormed into Northwestern to open their Big Ten schedule and ripped up the place with a 94-66 victory. Trey Burke led the way with 23 points for the 14-0 Wolverines.

Phil Pressey Dishes 19 Assists, but Shabazz Muhammad Leads UCLA over Missouri

College Hoops Player of the Day for Friday, December 28, 2012

When the UCLA Bruins lost at Georgetown, it was understandable. But, after home losses to Cal Poly and San Diego State, there were those declaring the Bruins' season a bust, and college hoops at Pauley Pavilion a dead issue.

However, five straight wins later, like Mark Twain, reports of the Bruins' death may have been greatly exaggerated.

On Friday night, UCLA hosted the #7 Missouri Tigers and their superlative point guard, Phil Pressey, who lit up the arena with 12 assists in the first half en route to a career-high 19 for the game. Despite Pressey's efforts, though, the Tigers couldn't pull away from the Bruins, the scored knotted at 47 at the break.

The second half was more of the same. More crisp passes from Pressey, more spurts from David and Travis Wear, more scoring by both Pressey and the Bruins' standout freshman, Shabazz Muhammad. Trailing by eight with under five minutes to play, UCLA rallied to tie the game at 88-all and send it into overtime.

In the extra period, it was the Bruins who dictated pace and made plays. Muhammad scored a key three-pointer with 1:01 to play which gave UCLA the lead for good, finally prevailing, 97-94, improving their record to a respectable 10-3.

Muhammad led all scorers with 27 points, tying his career high. Pressey led Missouri with his own career high, 19 points.

Jordan Adams Cans 16 of 16 Free Throws as UCLA Escapes UC Irvine in OT

College Hoops Player of the Day for Tuesday, November 13, 2012

Jordan Adams scored six of his game-high, career-high 26 points in overtime, helping #13 UCLA to a 2-0 record with an 80-79 nail-biter over UC Irvine.

Jordan made all sixteen of his free throws, including four in overtime, having less success from the field, where he was 5-for-12.

A 6'5" freshman out of Oak Hill Academy, Adams promises to be one of the top free throw shooters in the nation. In the Bruins opener, he made five of six and is shooting at 95% from the line.

Last season, UCLA made the NCAA tournament out of a weak PAC-12 field, winning their opening round game over Michigan State, 78-76, but falling to Florida in the next round, 73-65. The Bruins finished the 2011-12 season with a 19-14 record.

NOTABLE:

Sean Kilpatrick, Cincinnati: 9-12, 20 points, 8 rebounds
Tray Woodall, Pittsburgh: 8-13, 23 points, 4 rebounds, 8 assists
Keith Clanton, UCF: 9-10, 20 points, 11 rebounds, 4 assists

Kansas State 87 Alabama-Huntsville 26 - OK, we all know that this is the time of year that good teams from major conferences have on their schedules games against teams from small conferences that simply can't compete at the same level, but this score is a little embarrassing.

The division II Chargers didn't have any player score more than four points. As a team, they shot 16% from the field, including three three-pointers, but they took 33 shots from outside the arc, a percentage of .091. Kansas State also held a 55-22 edge in rebounding and shot 56% for the game.

Jaime Smith, the co-high scorer for the Chargers, made two of 12 from the field, but was 0-for-9 from long range.

Round of 64 Results and Recaps - Late Games

Southeast

Florida 79 UC-Santa Barbara 51 - Chandler Parsons scored 10 points, had 10 assists and seven rebounds as the Gators rolled to an easy win. Ten different players Gators scored as coach Billy Donovan emptied his bench late.

BYU 74 Wofford 66 - The Cougars proved a bit too fierce for the Terriers. Jimmer Fredette scored 32 points for BYU, the highest point total of the first day.
Wisconsin 72 Belmont 58 - Jon Leuer scored 22 points and Jordan Taylor had 21 to push the Badgers to the next round.

UCLA 78 Michigan State 76 - The Bruins built a 24-point lead only to give most of it away as Michigan State fought back in the second half. UCLA will face #2 seed Florida on Saturday.

Gonzaga 86 St. John's 71 - Gonzaga broke open a close game early on and kept the Red Stom at bay, cruising to a surprisingly easy first round win. Marquise Carter poured in 24 points for the Zags. Seeded surprisingly low at #11, Gonzaga faces #13 BYU in the next round.

Kansas State 73 Utah State 68 - Utah State's Tai Wesley got into early foul trouble and the Wildcats took advantage, building a working lead and staying safely ahead of the the Aggies. Jacob Pullen fought through flu-like symptoms to top the scorer's sheet with 22 points.

West


Connecticut 81 Bucknell 52 - Connecticut opened a big lead early, coasting to an easy opening round win. Kemba Walker led all scorers with 18 points, to go with 12 assists and 8 rebounds.

Cincinnati 78 Missouri 63 - Yancey Gates led all scorers with 18 points and ripped down 11 rebounds to lead the Bearcats over the Tigers. Gates was 7-for-8 from the floor, including 2-for-2 on three-pointers.

PAC-10: UCLA Only Team Capable of Tying Washington

After #22 UCLA beat Cal, 72-68, and #14 Arizona St. eliminated themselves from contention for the regular season PAC-10 title by losing at Washington State in overtime, 51-49, Saturday night, the Washington Huskies have already earned at least a share of the crown.

Only 11-5 UCLA can catch the 13-4 Huskies, and that's only if the Bruins win both of their remaining games - Oregon and Oregon St. - and the Huskies lose to Washington St. on Saturday, March 7. Might as well start etching the base and looking for a #2 or 3 seed in the upcoming NCAA tourney for the Huskies.

Elsewhere Saturday evening, #1 Pitt cruised past Seton Hall, 89-78, improving to 26-3 and 13-3 in the Big East, setting up the showdown for the conference title in a March 7 contest with the UConn Huskies at Pitt. The Panthers have a little work before then, however, hosting #8 Marquette on March 4.

#25 Texas will no doubt be removed from the rankings after losing at Oklahoma St., 68-59. The Longhorns dropped to 8-6 in the conference, tied with Kansas St. and Oklahoma St. Those three teams each have 9 losses, so their performance in the Big 12 tournament will likely determine which one (or maybe two) get NCAA invitations.

One team certain to make the field of 65 is #17 Gonzaga. The Bulldogs completed an undefeated conference schedule with a 58-46 win over San Diego Saturday night. With a 14-0 record in the West Caost Conference, the Zags are sure to recived a low number in the NCAA seeding process, probably a #3 or 4 position.

PAC-10: Huskies Looking Top Notch

Jon Brockman scored 21 to lead the #21 Washington Huskies to an overtime win past the #14 Arizona State Sun Devils Thursday night, 73-70

#22 UCLA struggled with Stanford, but emerged victorious, 76-71.

Cal beat USC in overtime, 81-78.

Those results left 12-4 Washington with a 1 1/2 game lead over Cal, UCLA and Arizona St., all at 10-5. Those four seem certain to receive NCAA bids. A fifth and possibly a sixth team from the conference is likely. Performance in the conference tournament will likely be the determining factor in that argument.

NCAA Hoops Saturday Wrap: Sooners, Bruins Fall

In the afternoon in which we saw #3 North Carolina blow a 16-point lead and lose to Maryland, a couple of other ranked teams - notably Oklahoma and UCLA - were also going down in flames while Pitt, LSU, Memphis, Washington and Kansas continued to march toward Madness.

The #2 Sooners could be forgiven for their 73-68 loss at Texas, since their All-American, Blake Griffin, left the game just 11 minutes in with a concussion. But, even without Griffin, shouldn't the Sooners have been able to handle the Longhorns, a team which had lost four of their last six games?

Oklahoma allowed A.J. Abrams to get off for 23 points - 16 in the final 8 minutes - to pull off the upset, rivaling Maryland's win over the Tar Heels. The Longhorns (7-5, 18-8) look more like the 4th Big 12 team that will receive an invite to the Big Dance, despite beating a handicapped Sooners squad.

#20 UCLA gets no such free pass in the 82-81 home loss to gritty Washington State. The Cougars (14-13, 6-9) are not, in all likelihood, going to the NCAA tournament, and the Bruins' loss demonstrates how weak the PAC-10 is this season, where arguably the best team cannot knock down a double-digit underdog on their home court.

There's some possibility that the Bruins won't be ranked after Monday. Washington and Arizona St. already have better records than they do, and unranked Cal may move into UCLA's slot. More clarity will come after the result of Sunday night's Arizona-Arizona State tilt.

There were more than a fair share of winners on Saturday's smorgasbord. #4 Pitt (which may end up as #1 on Monday night) made quick work of DePaul, winning by a 80-61 margin.

The Panthers got 20 points and 18 boards from sophomore star DeJuan Blair, who should be getting more mention in the player of the year circles. He's averaging a double double (15.8 points and 13 boards), and his Panthers have lost just twice, both on the road, at Louisville and Villanova.

Pitt should get the #1 ranking this week and very possibly will be a #1 seed in the NCAA tournament.

Getting back to the Big 12, #11 Missouri and #15 Kansas were both victors Saturday. Missouri got 16 points and 13 rebounds from Leo Lyons in a 66-53 romp at Colorado. The Tigers may be the most dangerous team in the Midwest, having won six straight while compiling a 10-2 conference record and a 23-4 mark overall.

The Tigers play at Kansas on March 1 and host Oklahoma March 4. Those games are enormous in significance.

Kansas improved to 11-1 in the conference and tied the Sooners in the standings, knocking off Nebraska, 70-53. As usual, the Jayhawks rode their two big horses for the win. Sherron Collins led the way with 22 points; Cole Aldrich tossed in 18 with 12 boards.

#5 Memphis topped UTEP, 70-63, for their 53rd straight Conference-USA win and 18th straight win, the longest win streak in the nation. Tyreke Evans scored 25 points to lead the Tigers. Memphis can clinch the C-USA title outright with a win at UAB Thursday night.

Bringing up the rear of the standings, #22 Washington bumped off USC, 60-51; #17 Gonzaga romped, 92-58, past Pepperdine; #25 Dayton dropped a road game at St. Louis, 57-49; and #23 LSU continued to impress in the SEC, winning their 8th straight, 79-72, over Auburn.

LSU (11-1, 23-4) clinched the SEC South division with the win, and are clearly heading to the NCAA tourney. The Tigers will likely be the only SEC South division representative. Kentucky, South Carolina and Florida - all in the North - look like the other probable bid recipients.

Bruins Even Score with Huskies; Zags Cruise

UCLA (20) stepped up at home and handed defeat to the PAC-10-leading, #22 Washington Huskies, 85-76, Thursday night. After the loss, Washington continues to lead the conference, but their 10-3 record is just 1/2 game better than the Bruins, Arizona State and Cal, all at 9-3.

Justin Dentmon led the Bruins with 22 points, on 9-16 shooting, including 4 of 5 from 3-point land. Jon Brockman chipped in 16 points.

Elsewhere in the conference, Cal knocked off Oregon, 78-60, for their 20th win of the season against six losses and 4th straight.

In the West Coast conference, Gonzaga buried Loyola Marymount, 91-54, improving to 20-5 overall, and 11-0 in the conference. The BUlldogs can clinch at least a tie for the WAC title with one more win or a loss by second place (8-3) Portland.

PAC-10 Madness: Struggling Bruins Drop Second Straight

After being bounced hard by #18 Arizona State on Thursday night, 74-67, #11 UCLA hit another speed bump when visiting the Arizona Wildcats on Saturday.

The Wildcats stormed out of the gate, opening up a 49-31 lead at the half, eventually winning 84-72, though the game was not nearly as close as the score indicated. Arizona led by as many as 25 points in the second half, even though the Bruins cut the deficit to 9 near the end of the game.

With the Bruins falling into a three-way tie for second place in the PAC-10, joined at 8-4 by Arizona State and Cal, the conference is up for grabs. Current leader, Washington, is 10-3 in conference play and 19-6 overall. They have the same overall record as both the Bruins and Cal.

Arizona is 18-8 overall and 8-5 in the conference, but is clearly the hottest team in the PAC-10, winning 7 straight after beginning conference play at 2-5 and being nearly written off as a contender.

The way they are playing, however, national ranking and a NCAA bid could be in their immediate future. If the Wildcats can continue playing well through the final five regular season games and perform well in the PAC-10 tourney (March 11-14 at the Staples Center in LA), they could even receive an automatic bid.

The task will be a daunting one for Arizona. Their next three games are all on the road: at Arizona St., Washington St. and Washington.