Ben Howland doesn’t care about winning streaks.
Neither does freshman forward Kyle Anderson, who went 65-0 in his final two seasons of high school.
But here we are, with the Bruins on a 10-game tear since losing three of five during the latter part of the fall.
Up next, the upper echelon of the Pac-12: Oregon on Saturday, then at Arizona on Thursday.
Before looking forward, it’s time to look back at the round, even streak UCLA played itself into after failing to get started early on. Here are 10 notes and oddities about how the Bruins have won, over and over again.
1. The rotation has stayed healthy.
The Bruins will never beat teams with their depth, and so far that’s just fine. After two transfers, this team found itself one injury away from catastrophe. That’s still the case but save for some minor nicks, UCLA has maintained a clean bill of health.
2. Tony Parker hasn’t been needed.
These wins have happened with UCLA’s freshman center on the fringe of the rotation. Without Howland trusting him yet, the eighth and final man in the rotation hasn’t played more than six minutes in a game since Dec. 22.
3. UCLA ditched using a zone defense.
The annual tradition of Howland begrudgingly turning to a zone came and went. It took the younger Bruins a while for them to catch on to Howland’s man-to-man concepts, but they finally did. They are not elite defensively, but turnovers are finally coming at a rate that allows UCLA to jumpstart the offense.
4. Double-teaming the post has keyed the defense.
With just the two Wears left as post players (after Parker’s cameo has ended), UCLA has adjusted to defending bigger players that could overpower the Bruins’ twin towers. Howland has been quick to double-team the opposing team’s best post player and it has forced rushed decisions.
5. We know who the better Wear is.
It was a mystery for one-plus seasons, but Travis has separated himself from twin brother David. Tangibly and intangibly, Travis has stepped up.
Over his last six games, he’s scored 17 per game on 58 percent shooting. In Utah and Colorado, his baskets down the stretch in both games were crucial to the Bruins’ road sweep.
6. The Bruins found a killer instinct.
After their last loss to San Diego State Aztecs, the Bruins have escaped without anything close to a squeaker in the remainder of non-conference play, save for the Texas game. Thursday, UCLA churned out an 11-0 run over Oregon State in the second half to stretch its lead to 20, giving the Bruins plenty of breathing room in the end.
7. The wins aren’t all the same.
Missouri sped the game up. Utah grinded it out.
Whether the game is fast or slow or the weather is hot or cold, the Bruins have adapted. They like to run but can win in different ways and can choose a pace to their liking.
8. They can win on an off night.
In two road games, Shabazz Muhammad couldn’t get it going, while on Thursday Jordan Adams had a season-low two points.
No matter. Though they are the Bruins’ two best perimeter scorers, they don’t need to both be feeling it to get a win. Though, it’s worth pointing out they’ve yet to go cold at the same time.
9. UCLA’s RPI is on the rise.
It’s alright to start considering the Bruins an NCAA Tournament team.
After a bad loss to Cal Poly, UCLA has avoided another black mark on its resume and has been boosted by wins over Missouri and Colorado, two high-RPI teams.
10. Confidence is high.
Six weeks ago, the Bruins were in the depths of the Honda Center quietly fuming after losing to SDSU.
Now, they’re a confident bunch. There’s more smiling on and off the court, they look like they’re having fun and each win banks more experience to mitigate the team’s youth.
“Our confidence as a team has improved our chemistry,” Muhammad said Thursday. “We’re really trusting each other.”
Email Menezes at rmenezes@media.ucla.edu.