There were a number of startling things that came out of
UCLA’s 70-67 loss to USC on Sunday.
Perhaps the most startling was the Bruins’ defensive
breakdown, as USC shot 56.3 percent from the field en route to its
shocking victory.
Arron Afflalo, who takes much pride in his play on the defensive
end, still can’t figure it out.
“I can’t pinpoint why it happened,” Afflalo
said.
“This is a team that really saw the success of playing
good defense and winning games and all the glory we were getting
from that, and I can’t understand why we would come out so
nonchalantly, especially against a team we just beat.”
Eleven times this season the Bruins have held their opponent
under 40 percent shooting. USC’s shooting percentage was the
second-highest percentage of a Bruin opponent all season.
“We have to take pride in defense,” Afflalo said.
“We have to understand mentally that that’s
what’s going to win games for us. We can’t worry about
shooting percentages for any one guy. If we can’t keep our
guy in front of us and stop people, then this team won’t be
successful.”
Against USC, the Trojan guards drove by their Bruin counterparts
time and time again. Sophomore point guard Jordan Farmar was the
guilty party on more than one occasion.
“When we play defense, we give ourselves a chance to
win,” he said.
Farmar also said that not practicing last week because of a
sprained ankle hurt his play on the defensive end. But he added
that that’s not an acceptable excuse. For Afflalo, there are
no excuses for defensive lapses.
“Defensively there is no execution,” he said.
“You just have to put (forth) the effort, put your man in
front of you and go after the rebound. It’s as simple as
that. If we do that, whether we execute or not, we’ll
probably still win.”
PAINT BY NUMBERS: It’s no mystery that
Coach Ben Howland likes numbers.
He seldom holds a press conference without a stat sheet in front
of him, and in the rare event that he does, the numbers are already
in his head.
At his weekly press conference on Tuesday, some of those numbers
were particularly illuminating. In conference play, freshman guard
Mike Roll has shot two free throws in 240 minutes.
“That’s one every 120 minutes,” Howland said
matter-of-factly.
On the inside, center Ryan Hollins and forward Ryan Wright have
combined for 30 turnovers and two assists in 14 conference
games.
“You’ve got to be praising the things we’re
doing great, and you’ve got to be honest about the things we
need to improve on,” Howland said.
DRIBBLERS: Former Bruin Trevor Ariza, who
declared for the NBA draft after his freshman year in 2003-04, was
traded from the New York Knicks to the Orlando Magic on Wednesday
… In its four conference losses this season, UCLA has ceded 68,
69, 70, and 71 points respectively to its opponents in
chronological order.