Russell Westbrook’s assignment on Saturday was
daunting.
The trailing Bruins desperately needed a defensive and offensive
spark from Westbrook, who was playing his first game in the raucous
surroundings of McArthur Court.
The freshman guard didn’t disappoint.
Westbrook fended off the crowd and was great on both ends of the
court for the Bruins. He scored 10 points in 13 minutes of action
and played spirited defense against Oregon’s backcourt. UCLA
coach Ben Howland said the freshman’s performance against
Oregon was Westbrook’s best game as a Bruin.
“It was my first time being in a real hostile
environment,” Westbrook said after the game. “Coach
asks me to come in and penetrate the gaps. I’m just trying to
come in and do exactly what he says.”
Westbrook’s game has been noticeably more aggressive
lately, and he had been giving the Bruins a reliable lift as a
substitute. While his defense has been consistently solid all year
long, Westbrook has recently been attacking the basket more and
hasn’t been afraid to pull up and shoot.
“I think he’s been playing real well,”
sophomore point guard Darren Collison said. “Coming off the
bench is hard to do. But Russell has managed to do that and
he’s giving us a great spark off the bench.”
BRUINS DROP IN RANKINGS: Saturday’s loss to Oregon had a
predictable effect on this week’s Associated Press poll.
UCLA dropped from the top spot in the rankings to No. 4. The
Bruins now sit behind No. 1 North Carolina, No. 2 Florida, and No.
3 Wisconsin. UCLA had occupied the top spot in the poll for six
weeks prior to this week’s poll.
A surprising performance by Washington State as it swept the
Arizona schools over the weekend led to its first appearance in the
AP poll. The Cougars, picked to finish last in the Pac-10 before
the season started, are now the No. 22 team in the AP poll and are
tied for first in the conference.
Oregon moved up just one spot in the rankings after defeating
UCLA. The Ducks had lost earlier in the week to USC, which remained
unranked despite defeating Oregon and crushing Oregon State on the
road.
Arizona, which lost to Washington State over the weekend,
dropped three spots in the poll to No. 10. Washington, off to a
disappointing 1-3 start in Pac-10 play, dropped out of the rankings
entirely, although it was still ranked No. 24 in the ESPN/USA Today
coaches poll.
UCLA fared slightly better in the coaches poll than in the AP
poll. The Bruins are ranked No. 3 in the coaches poll, behind North
Carolina and Florida.