[I]t is not Morgan's offense keeping him on the bench. UCLA coach Ben Howland said it is Morgan's defense, although the big man didn't exactly agree with that assessment.

"He says defense, but I think it's more of an intensity, and the hedging factor," Morgan said. "That's the only thing that's holding me back from playing more minutes."

Hedging is a staple of Howland's defensive system for big men. They must be able to work around a screen on the perimeter and force a dribbling guard away from the basket, then recover and guard a big man.

"I thought he did a good job scoring down low," Howland said. "Where he struggled again was being able to guard on perimeter. Alot of teams don't have a true (center), and he was matched up on (6-8 forward Anthony Booker) a few times and the guy drove him right away and he had a hard time staying in front of the ball."