Bumped from the diaries. GO BRUINS. -N

     Obviously, the beginning couldn't have been worse for us.  Looking back on it, I'm not sure how much of it was us sucking and how much was them shooting the lights out.  It's true that we weren't in rhythm for a good while, but they were also ridiculous from behind the arc.  And as trivial as it sounds, they lived by the three and died by it.  As their 3 pt. shooting percentage decreased to a more reasonable number we systematically took over the game and never really looked back.  
     As soon as we turned it on, our defense looked as good as anyone's in the country.  Yes, it is slightly disconcerting that we've come out lethargic (particularly defensively) in two games consecutively and it is something that we cannot continue to do if we want to compete and succeed at the level at which we have set our expectations (reasonably so, I might add).  However, once we put things together and stepped up the intensity A TON we showed why we are ranked where we are and what we are truly capable of.  Strangely, I was more confident going into the second half than I would have been if we had just played a tight half and been down by 4.  Seriously, with the way we ended the half, and Howland calling the shots in the locker room at halftime, were any of us really fretting?  
     And as we expected, we came out firing in the second half. Davidson managed to keep things from getting out of hand, but we still thoroughly outplayed them and imposed our will on every aspect of the game.  This was Ben Howland at his finest (then again, he's at his finest just about every day).
     As far as the individual players went, I was pleased with everyone.  Darren is still not quite back to the Darren of last year but he still looks excellent and it's clear the the pieces of our offense are falling into place.
     Russell Westbrook has established himself as quite possibly the most exciting player on the team.  Not only is his offensive game explosive, but his defense is just as good if not better.  I know the comparisons to AA are already being made, but they are completely accurate.  He is proving that he can be our go-to, lock-down defender game by game particularly with the way he handled Curry tonight (NOT an easy task).  He has clearly made the huge leap from freshman to sophomore year which is so common under Howland-coached players (Farmar and Afflalo particularly).  
     It was good to see Roll get some substantive minutes tonight.  He too is fresh off an injury and not really playing at his full potential.  However, it is very encouraging to see how much he has incorporated 2-pointers into his overall game.  I know the floaters weren't falling for him tonight, but Mike is learning that a dribble or two can do him a lot of good and those shots should start falling for us as soon as Mike gets in a little better rhythm.
     There seem to be an inexplicable amount of Josh-haters in the diehard UCLA community (myself not included).  He played excellently again tonight and continues to be consistent scorer and defensive presence (he DOES get burned too much, but he also leads the team in steals).  I really think that he is a big part of what makes our offense work and when he is hitting the open shots created for him by DC and Westy we are nearly unbeatable.  
     Aboya and Mata both looked good.  I was particularly pleased with Alfred's play at the five while Luc was at the four and we went on our major first half run to get ourselves right back into the game.  
     Love continued to struggle on defense early (though the fouls were a little BS, I thought, but we'll have more on the officiating later).  However, once the entire team effort was intensified he stepped up as well.  We got a glance in the second half of just how good our offense can be when we get the ball into Love.  He is just an amazing passer (the behind-the-back to Luc would have made ESPN Top 10 if Luc could've finished).  Again, I need to remind myself often that he's just a freshman, has a lot to learn, and he will still make mistakes.  Whatever-- he's fucking awesome.  
     Finally, Luc is playing better than he has ever played as a Bruin.  Though his shot isn't lights out or anything, his offensive game has certainly been taken to another level and he is extremely crucial to our defensive approach.  I still can't say enough about his wingspan and how much it adds to his defensive abilities.  
     There is still plenty to work on.  First and foremost, we need to avoid falling down by double digits 10 minutes into the game.  This just seems to be a matter of intensity given the fact that our defensive effort magically became 10x better halfway through the first half.  And again, In Howland I Trust.  
     For those of you claiming that there were "chemistry issues" between Shipp and Love I refer you to the Shipp to Love to Shipp to Love to Shipp fastbreak (or was Kevin the one who finished?  I'm not sure) in the second half where each guy was one-upping the other's unselfishness with an even MORE unselfish pass.  It was excellently executed and spoke to BOTH players' selflessness.  Josh also did a nice job finding Love in the post a couple times in the second half and the two were laughing at half court during some free throws once the game was out of hand.  These guys want to win and completely understand that winning comes easier when they help each other out.  
     Also, this team is the first team I can really remember (I was 8 in '95 and tell myself I remember that team better than I actually do) that  fast breaks well.  Even in the Farmar and AA days we struggled to execute our fast breaks.  However, this team seems to always get the ball to the middle of the court and make the extra pass.  It is really enjoyable to watch especially given how good our guys can be when it comes to finishing.  
     The officiating was pretty bad tonight particularly the no-call when Davidson's big guy scissor-kicked LoMaRe to the floor quite intentionally.  I could bring up a million examples but there's no need for us to get all riled up about the officiating in a game we won by double digits anyway.
     Lastly, the announcing was shameful.  Granted, Luc's last name is probably an announcer's nightmare but it was more than just his egregious mispronunciation (on which he was never corrected).  The announcers clearly didn't know much about the team at all which was evidenced by their claims that our early struggles were due to James Keefe's absence.  Right.  Keefe, that's it.  Cuz he's been so huge in our previous games this season.  Also, their zealous approval of every call and no-call was both ridiculous and a downright bizarre, no?  Shameful, just shameful.  
     Ok, that's it from me.  Good game.
     I'll be interested to hear what big Ben has to say about today's W...

Go.  Bruins.