OAKLAND “”mdash; It’s hard to believe that this Ryan Hollins is the same person who played just four minutes in a victory over Michigan in December. Or that it’s the same person who scored zero points in 22 minutes in a loss to USC in February. It’s so hard to believe because that Hollins was […]
Author Archives: David Regan
[Online Exclusive]: Squad's success trumps individual performances
OAKLAND “”mdash; In UCLA’s first meeting with Memphis this season, sophomore point guard Jordan Farmar played perhaps the best half of his college career, scoring 23 of his career-high 28 points after halftime. But the Bruins lost. On Saturday, Farmar scored just four points on 1-for-9 shooting. His first field goal came with 3:13 to […]
[Online Exclusive]: UCLA steals the win
OAKLAND “”mdash; UCLA could’ve panicked. It would’ve been easy. Trailing 71-62 with 3:27 to play, many teams might have packed it in. Good season, good try, see you next year. But with 3:27 to play Thursday, the second-seeded Bruins (30-6) decided they weren’t ready to be finished, scoring the final 11 points to escape with […]
[NCAA Tournament]: Missed free throws keep game close
SAN DIEGO “”mdash; As Ronald Steele’s last-second shot went up and the stomachs of UCLA fans sank to the floor, the Bruins’ season hung in the balance. But it didn’t have to be like that. Had the Bruins made a couple of free throws down the stretch, Steele’s shot would have been rendered inconsequential rather […]
[NCAA Tournament]: Afflalo rebounds after weak first half
SAN DIEGO “”mdash; Arron Afflalo felt like a man apart. He was standing, watching, waiting, while his teammates were making something happen. He didn’t score in the first half. He took only two shots. By his own admission he played “horrendous,” his worst half of the season in UCLA’s biggest game of the season, and […]
[Online Exclusive]: UCLA eliminates Belmont, 78-44
SAN DIEGO “”mdash; The pressure was magnified, greater than anything they’ve seen. The opponent was unknown, eager to shock the world. The start was delayed, then it was slow. But in the end, 13 minutes of relative madness amounted to nothing at all, as second-seeded UCLA overcame a slow start to cruise to a 78-44 […]
[NCAA Tournament]: Howland has been on other side
When Ben Howland says that a 15-seed can beat a 2-seed, he’s not just talking. He’s speaking from experience. In 1998, Howland’s fourth season as the head coach at Northern Arizona, the 15th-seeded Lumberjacks gave second-seeded Cincinnati all it could handle before losing 65-62 on a last-second 3-pointer. “I’ve been on the flip side of […]