Apparently, the UCLA men’s basketball team impressed more
than just Bruin fans last week.
Fresh off winning the EA Sports Maui Invitational, the Bruins
were voted No. 1 in the Associated Press poll that was released
Monday.
It’s the first time the Bruins have been ranked No. 1
since the end of the 1994-1995 season, in which UCLA would go on to
win its 11th national title.
“Our players will be excited,” UCLA coach Ben
Howland told The Associated Press. “I wish it was the last
one as opposed to the early poll. We still have a lot to go
through.”
UCLA, ranked No. 5 in last week’s AP poll, might have been
expected to leap over North Carolina and Florida, both of whom lost
last week. But the Bruins’ performance at Maui was evidently
enough for them to leapfrog both Pittsburgh (6-0) and Ohio State
(6-0), who are now ranked second and third, respectively.
The Bruins received 36 first-place votes compared to
Pitt’s 18, Ohio State’s 15 and Florida’s
three.
Monday’s AP poll marked the 129th poll in which the Bruins
have owned the No. 1 spot ““ the most of any NCAA team. Duke
is in second place, having held the top spot in 110 polls.
In the ESPN/USA Today coaches’ poll, UCLA is ranked second
despite gaining two more first-place votes than the top-ranked team
in the poll, Ohio State.
The Buckeyes edged out the Bruins by six points, 740-734, in the
coaches’ poll.
Kentucky dropped out of The Associated Press poll, and Georgia
Tech fell to No. 22.
LONG BEACH STATE TONIGHT: The Bruins will play
their first game this year as the nation’s top-ranked team
tonight at Pauley Pavilion against Long Beach State.
The 49ers, coming off their first winning season in five years,
were picked as the preseason favorite to win the Big West.
Led by senior guards Aaron Nixon and Kejuan Johnson ““ whom
the school’s athletic Web site dubs “the West
Coast’s best backcourt” ““ the 49ers have gotten
off to a 2-2 start.
Long Beach State started the season with a very close 69-68 loss
to a good Air Force team in the Collegiate Basketball Experience
Classic at Maples Pavilion in Palo Alto.
The 49ers were able to recover to beat San Jose State and Cal
State Bakersfield, but were beaten soundly by USC at the Galen
Center on Nov. 24.
After a close first half, the Trojans jumped all over a
frustrated 49er team in the second half to come away with a 79-61
victory.
The last time the Bruins faced the 49ers was two seasons ago in
a game which UCLA won 75-62.
MALCOLM LEE COMMITS: Malcolm Lee, a
6-foot-4-inch point guard from Riverside’s John W. North High
School, committed to the Bruins two weeks ago.
Lee joins point guard Jerime Anderson of Anaheim’s Canyon
High School as the two Bruin commits for the Class of 2008.
Lee was ranked as a four-star recruit by Scout.com.