Reinforcements are on the way. Missing four of its potential
starters in a 56-37 victory over Delaware State on Saturday night,
No. 19 UCLA will welcome at least one of them back, as sophomore
point guard Jordan Farmar will play against No. 12 Memphis in
Wednesday’s semifinal of the NIT Season Tip-Off tournament in
New York City. Farmar, who sprained his right ankle Thursday and
sat out Saturday’s game, is expected to start for the Bruins
this Wednesday, according to UCLA coach Ben Howland.
“I’m very confident Jordan will be able to play,”
Howland said. That possibility seemed less likely following
UCLA’s victory over Temple on Thursday, after which Farmar
emerged from Pauley Pavilion on crutches and wearing a protective
walking boot. While an X-ray of the sophomore’s ankle was
negative, Farmar will still be held out of practice and contact
drills leading up to Wednesday’s game. Howland was less
confident on the availability of senior center Michael Fey, who
sprained his left shoulder in UCLA’s game against Temple and
also did not play on Saturday. An MRI on Fey’s shoulder did
not reveal any damage, and Howland said the center could raise both
of his arms above his head without pain, leading him to believe Fey
could be a game-time decision to play against Memphis.
“We’ll see how he feels,” Howland said.
“Hopefully, he’ll be ready to go, but I’m not
sure about that. We’d like to have him and we need
him.” The Bruins certainly didn’t need him Saturday
night, as they took on an undersized and offensively inept Hornet
team that came dangerously close to setting the all-time record for
scoring futility at Pauley Pavilion. Most of Fey’s and
Farmar’s minutes were distributed among freshmen Darren
Collison, Luc Richard Mbah a Moute and Mike Roll and sophomore
Lorenzo Mata, who, with the exception of Roll, each exceeded his
season high in minutes played. The quartet combined for 103
minutes, 26 points on 10-for-15 shooting, 14 rebounds and seven
assists Saturday.
ON A ROLL: After a scoreless first half in
which he missed two shots, Roll provided all of the offense the
Bruins needed in the second half. The freshman connected on each of
his 3-pointers in the second half to account for all nine of his
points in Saturday’s victory over Delaware State. “It
did feel good to finally put the ball in the hole, but I should
have done that a little earlier,” said Roll, considered to be
one of the only pure shooters on UCLA’s roster. “But if
I’m open, my teammates know I’m going to shoot.”
Of Roll’s 13 shots in his first three games as a Bruin, 11 of
them have been from behind the arc.
HOLIDAY SPIRIT: During their trip to New York,
the Bruins will be staying in Times Square, with Howland having
already planned a brunch for his team on Thursday along the route
of the world-renowned Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.
“This will be a great trip for our kids,” Howland said.
“We’re going to be right in the middle of it
all.”
DRIBBLERS: After the team’s first three
games, the 6-foot-1 Farmar and 6-foot Collison lead UCLA in blocks
with two apiece … Freshman forward Ryan Wright played in the
final minute of Saturday’s game, negating the possibility and
ending speculation that he would redshirt … UCLA, which committed
12 turnovers in each of its first two games, matched that total by
halftime on Saturday.