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Just when you were starting to miss Cedric Bozeman...
Josh Shipp has been in a funk lately, missing almost all of his outside shots, and being not nearly as omnipresent as he used to be. But he made some big Free Throws against ASU on Thursday, and maybe that clutch performance restored his confidence, because he was back to normal on Saturday. His career-high tying 24 Points led UCLA to a 81-66 crushing victory over Lute and the Wildcats, and got him named the CBS MVP. Their second choice was Darren Collison, who dished out a career-high 15 Assists (versus only 2 Turnovers) in addition to scoring 17 points. The 15, despite a CBS graphic, is NOT the UCLA Record; Earl Watson had SIXTEEN against Maryland. Regardless, it was still an impressive performance by Collison, who had 10 Assists by Halftime, and who hit 5 of 7 three-pointers, including two that just narrowly beat the shot clock.
Darren's exhibition left Lute saying that there was no better Point Guard in the Nation. Funny, because Shipp's play, along with that of Arron Afflalo (15 Points), had the announcers saying that UCLA had the best Wings in the Country. Later, they echoed a common refrain: That UCLA has the best overall Defense in the Country. That's a lot of "Nation's Bests" for one team, and with Florida getting whacked by Vanderbilt yesterday, you've gotta like UCLA's chances for advancement in March.
Saturday revealed other reasons for optimism: In the closing minutes, Michael Roll hit two clutch three-pointers. Those successes bode well for the Bruins, as many teams are resorting to Zone Defenses against them.
One more Bruin that deserves a mention is Lorenzo Mata, who for the first time in a while, outplayed his back-up (Alfred Aboya, who didn't play badly himself). Lo snagged a team high 7 Rebounds, and also had 10 Points, 3 Blocks, and a Steal. He was extremely active on Defense, continuously forcing Arizona to alter their Offensive plans. Coach Howland praised Shipp for similar efforts on the Defensive end.
The Bruins came out hot, and never trailed in the game, but after leading by double-digits, found themselves in a tied game. Then, while Collison was making big plays, the Wildcats' young Star Chase Budinger was having a rough morning, going only 4-for-13 from the floor. The 'Cats' Center Ivan Radenovic also had a miserable game, scoring only 4 Points. Without production from these two, Arizona couldn't keep up with the #5 team in the Country, and have now lost FIVE STRAIGHT to the Bruins.
Is this it for Lute? It's the first time since Lute's first year some 20+ years ago that he got swept at home by the L.A. schools (because sc hadn't beaten them there since '86), and the 'Cats are on the verge of blowing their 22-year streak of NCAA Tourney appearances. With FIVE home losses this year, the worst since '86, the bubble may have just burst, despite the fact that Arizona has the Nation's toughest schedule. Strength of Schedule SHOULDN'T help when you're 4-14 against ranked teams.
Hopefully, Lute will finally wake up and smell the Poli-Grip, and realize that it's time to RETIRE. Speaking of Retirement, let's hope that Scottie Pippen changes his mind and doesn't END HIS Retirement. The 41-year-old Pippen wants to play this Season for possibly Miami or San Antonio. Kobe would love to have him with the Lakers, and Phil Jackson probably wouldn't mind, but real Laker fans don't want him -- He would be more of a distraction than a help. Remember, this is the guy who whined about a last-second play being called for a teammate (Toni Kukoc) instead of him, so he practically took the ball and went home, refusing to play. Do the Lakers really need a "Team" player like that? Hell, no. Besides, it might cut into Jordan Farmar's minutes.
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Farmar played in the NBA All-Star Rookie vs. Sophomore game, and he actually scored in double figures. However, his Rookie team lost by more than 40 points, the biggest margin ever.
Another Bruin had better luck in Vegas...
Jason Kapono, who leads the NBA this season in 3-Point Field Goal Percentage, had to petition the League to be included in their All-Star Weekend 3-Point Shootout, so when they let him in, he really wanted to make the most of it. He started out nervous, missing a few, then got hot, hit 8 straight, and got 19 1st Round Points. That got him into the Finals against Dirk Nowitsky and Gilbert Arenas, who won the 1st Round with 23.
Then, Kapono showed the whole World how he is contributing so much more to the World Champion Miami Heat this year than he did last year: He got the All-Time Record for Final Round Scoring with 24, hitting EVERY double-value "Money Ball." Dirk and Gilbert didn't even come close, so a Bruin is a the new Champion. And thanks to a trOJan (with Bruin ties), everyone now knows that Kapono is a Bruin. After the triumph, Kapono gave a stiff, Al Gore-like interview to sc's Cheryl Miller, in which she mentioned her Bruin brother Reggie, and said that there must be something that gives Bruins amazing 3-point prowess. NICE exposure for UCLA. Thanks, Cheryl!
And finally, speaking of nice exposure for UCLA and speaking of UCLA and sc working together in peace and harmony: Arizona wore their DARK RED (Visitor's) uniforms yesterday, while the Bruins still wore their dark blue (Visitor's) uniforms. The point is, it looked fine (if not "great"), and we doubt if CBS received any complaints from viewers with Black and White TV's. Therefore, from now on, ALL UCLA/sc games, in Basketball AND IN FOOTBALL, should be BLUE vs. RED, with NO White jerseys to be found.
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Below are 10 photos from earlier this year. The last 9 are of the "Cheerleader" variety, in honor of these two Saturday Basketball events, which prove that the Bruins are The Nation's Best, during College and beyond.
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