Shipp back to help team commandeer ‘SC

Junior Arron Afflalo was face-guarded and double-teamed.

He was constantly being hounded by USC’s athletic guards Gabriel Pruitt and Nick Young.

And all sophomore forward Josh Shipp could do was watch from the bench.

But after missing UCLA’s previous matchup with the Trojans in mid-January, Shipp will be back in the lineup against USC on Wednesday.

“It means everything to us,” Afflalo said of Shipp’s presence. “He makes everyone’s job easier, because you have another player who can create (his own shot) that they have to worry about.”

Shipp, who has only missed one game this season, is the Bruins’ second-leading scorer with 13.4 points per game, but it is other intangibles that Shipp feels he can bring to the Bruins.

“I think I can definitely help the team,” Shipp said. “It doesn’t have to be scoring, but there are a lot of different things I can add, like defense and passing.”

On Wednesday, Shipp will have the shared responsibility of defending the Trojans’ multi-faceted and talented guards Pruitt, Young and Lodrick Stewart.

Those three players combined for 37 points in the teams’ first matchup, which was a UCLA victory.

And even though he is playing USC for the first time this season, Shipp knows the game is going to be a challenge.

“They score in a variety of different ways,” Shipp said. “I grew up playing with Gabe and Nick, so I know what they can do.”

On Wednesday, Shipp will not only be challenged to play defense, but to score in transition as well. In the teams’ first matchup, the Bruins were held to 65 points, and had very few fast-break points.

Point guard Darren Collison, for one, is certainly happy to have Shipp back.

“I love having my partner on the break,” Collison said. “Having him in the lineup helps you get more transition baskets, and that is what has been helping us of late.”

PAC-10 RANKINGS: Along with No. 2 UCLA, there are a record six Pac-10 teams in this week’s Associated Press Top 25 Poll. UCLA’s opponent on Wednesday, No. 21 USC, entered the Top 25 poll after defeating No. 13 Oregon this past weekend, while No. 25 Stanford and No. 24 Arizona stayed in the Top 25 despite each losing a game this week.

Washington State, meanwhile, moved up to No. 14 after sweeping both Arizona schools on the road for the first time since the 1982-1983 season.

The Bruins’ No. 2 ranking is their highest in the AP poll since they lost to Oregon in early January.

Before the loss, the Bruins had been No. 1 in both polls for six weeks.

AFFLALO GAME-WINNER: Afflalo’s game-winning shot against USC in early January surely boosted the confidence of Bruin fans as UCLA narrowly defeated the Trojans in the brand new Galen Center.

But no one needed that confidence booster more than Afflalo himself.

Asked on Monday if he had watched replays of the shot, Afflalo sheepishly answered.

“Of course I did,” Afflalo said. “I watch all my games, but you can bet I watched that shot many, many times.

“I don’t need anyone to give me confidence. I will go and take it myself,” he said.

BREATHER AGAINST BEAVERS: Following Saturday’s thrashing of Oregon State, the Bruins had a little time on Monday to reminisce about the blow-out.

Collison said he felt as though he hadn’t even played in the game afterwards.

“You usually have the sweaty, disgusting feeling after games,” Collison said. “After Saturday, I didn’t even feel like I needed to shower.”

CAMP-OUT: In anticipation of Wednesday’s crosstown matchup, UCLA students have already begun camping out for the USC game.

As of Monday night, there were a handful of students camped out at Pauley Pavilion, and hundreds more are expected to join them today for the matchup between the top two teams in the Pac-10.

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