Hoops Gameday Roundup: The Exciting Bruins Take On Lorenzo Romar's Road Warriors
by Nestor on Jan 21, 2010 6:54 AM PST
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PrintHey so Carolina lost last night! (as did Duke). I know those losses and what is going on at Carolina has no comparison to the disaster in Westwood, considering they still have a winning record and that little detail about Williams hanging 2 banners in last 6 years. Still for some reason that Carolina loss for some reason made me feel a little better about the debacle that is going on in Westwood season (even though there is no comparison between the two situations). Perhaps it has something to the constant tWWL hype around Carolina/Duke that made feel better about last night, a point RJS touches on here. Anyway, that's about it in terms of hoops related fun these days.
So speaking of debacle in Howlandwood, Bruins start a hopeless week with a homestand against Washington schools tonight. There is no reason to be excited about tonight's game. Yeah, Washington itself is having a very mediocre season. They are coming in with a 12-5 record (3-3 in the Pac-10) which is not impressive at all. They have also lost every conference game on the road (blowouts against Arizona schools) and also lost to Georgetown in the Wooden classic and against a mediocre Texas Tech team on the road. Yeah, they are some kind of road warriors all right.
If UCLA had an average basketball team, I'd feel pretty confident about beating these guys up in Pauley. They are only 1.5 favorites coming into tonight's game. The problem is we don't have an average team (we actually don't even have a basketball "team"). So not really feeling good about what is going to take place. Even if something good happens and we pull out another meaningless win thanks to another UDub road choke and some meaningless three pointers from Rago and co., giving everyone a little satisfaction for a period of 24 hours, that will not matter either. We are going to follow up any win with a pathetic, mentally soft performance against Washington State anyway, before getting embarrassed in the Oregon trail next week.
So with that uplifting big picture in mind, I did look a little into Washington. I don't know why I did or I care at this point but I guess it's habit. The Huskies are coming off two blowout wins after destroying Stanford (94-61 annihilation) and California (84-69 wipeout). None of those games were close at any point as Quincy Poindexter (the Husky forward in position to be Pac-10 POY) poured in 52 points in those two games.
Defensively Bruins don't have any answer for Poindexter. I am not seeing how any of our guys front court can handle him. Tyler Honeycutt perhaps can give it a shot but he got destroyed by physical Trojan forwards last week. The situation is uglier in the backcourt as I expect our guards to get eaten alive by Isiah Thomas, Venoy Overton and (groan) Abdul Gaddy. May be, just may be Malcolm Lee can do something to contain Thomas, but that's about it. Unless those guys take their road-choke pills again, I expect them to toy around with Anderson, Roll and Abdul-Hamid (who will probably get time because Anderson will either banged up or just look clueless). Some more notes after the jump.
Yeah, so I am not feeling tonight's game all that much. Lorenzo Romar on his part is being gracious about UCLA given his prior connections to Westwood:
"How would you define vulnerable as it relates to UCLA?" Romar said on a conference call Tuesday. "I would never say that about a team on its home court. Especially a team like UCLA that has so much pride and tradition. When we walk in there, we're expecting them to come out like gangbusters and get after us."
That's nice but doesn't make me feel any better. Neither does Rago's BS about "intensity":
"I don't know what happened against USC," Dragovic said. "We didn't match their intensity. I don't have an explanation for it. But I watched that tape for 2 1/2 hours. We need to learn things from it and get ready for Washington."
Sure he was watching tape. I'd bet he was too busy facebooking and setting up his night of clubbing out in Sunset strip. Anyway, here are some data points from the Pac1-0 conference to take in re. the Huskies:
- Washington has the number 1 scoring offense in the Pac-10 (80.7 points per game)
- Washington is number 1 in "rebounding offense") (39.2 per game)
- Washington is number 1 in turnover margin in the conference (+4.00)
- Washington is ranked number 1 in offensive rebounds (15.24 per game)
If you look through their KenPom scouting report and Pac-10 stats, you will see they are not that great of a 3 point shooting team. So again, it's a team that seems like UCLA should be zoning against early (if we were to have a prayer).
Our team just doesn't have the personnel to guard these guys man to man. I doubt zone is going to make a difference but who knows it could make it less uglier. Obviously the usual observations about UCLA needs to minimize turnovers and play their hearts out by holding their own in the rebounding department comes into play. But I am not holding my breath because even if we get the usual effort from Nelson, Lee, Roll and Honeycutt, we are not going to get anything more than token ones from other usual suspects who will get back to being what they are - scrubs - in the following games.
Couple of other notes on the Huskies: Justin Holiday had a mild concussion in the Cal game. He is still going to start tonight. It's not going to matter much anyway because they have a deep team using a 9-11 man lineup. Also, Isaiah Thomas is looking to take a picture with Urkle (aka Jaleel White) if he is around Pauley. Not sure if IT will be able to swing that considering Jaleel might not want to waste his time watching Ragovic and co. disgracing the four letters ... again.
The game thread will go up about half an hour before tip-off (7:30 pm PST). Fun, fun, fun.
GO BRUINS.
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zone
Udub’s weak outside shooting suggests zone might be effective, but if they are that good on the offensive glass, it seems zone might exacerbate that area of difficulty for us.
If CBH was avoiding zone against UofA because of fears of offensive boards, I anticipate the same logic holding if Udub’s offensive glass figures are to be taken at face value.
For all the comments on the coachspeak, based on the snippets coming out from CBH I am mildly curious to see if ND looks any more active on the defensive glass this week, just as I was curious about whether JA would improve his technique last week and whether the team would cut down on turnovers. Pregame guess on ND over/under 4.9 rebounds for the game?
Doesn't really matter what Rago does in this game
… after his “talk.” He is going to regress into what he really is in next game and rest of the season. With what 13 games left in the season we have enough info. on him to conclude what he really is … a scrub.
usually we measure players by how they improve each game...
For Drago, I think it would be more fun to closely observe how he progressively gets worse with each game. It’s about the only way I can stand watching him wear the four letters on his jersey.
by longbordr52 on Jan 21, 2010 10:20 AM PST up reply actions
Over and CBH Standard
I think ND gets over 5 rebounds a game. And Nestor it does matter how ND plays for the following reason. CBH has two choices:
1. Call this season a total loss and play for next year. That means no time for ND or JK (as we have a lot of young big men) and less time for MR. OR
2. Play ND and get us what he said he wanted a “winning season.”
To put it another way, by committing to ND, CBH needs to deliver a winning season.
Playing for next year
If we were to take the premise that TH and RN are going to be starters next year, and their development is the most important thing;
and that BL, MM and JMM are going to be bench players next year, and the main role of bench players is to come into a game and play short bursts of intense activity without having to take a few minutes to get acclimatized to the game;
then the best way to play for next year might be to continue somewhat as we are. I am of a mind that playing in competitive games within the system we hope to compete with next year is more valuable than giving next year’s bench players starters’ minutes in blowout defeats, while TH and RN end up playing in blowout defeats with teammates who don’t understand the system. Next year’s bench players need to learn how to contribute in short bursts and live with the fact that they are NOT going to get a few minutes to find their feet and play themselves into a rhythm; next year’s starters need to learn to play their position without having raw players flailing around them.
Just unclear to me that an optimal “playing for the future” strategy would really mean no time for ND, JK…
by britishbruin on Jan 21, 2010 12:02 PM PST up reply actions
Let me add
Let me say, I am go for the winning season. But that said I will take your premise and say if you are playing for next year then I disagree with this
TH and RN are going to be starters next year, and their development is the most important thing; and that BL, MM and JMM are going to be bench players next year. . .then the best way to play for next year might be to continue somewhat as we are.
It would be invaluable for the young players to get serious minutes this year.
1. Remember Mata? Starter on a final 4 team to key backup. It can work.
2. It would help MM, BL and Bobo as there is no substitute for playing in a PAC 10 Game, especially on the road.
3. The minutes MM, BL, or Bobo would get would also help TH and RN. MM, BL and Bobo could learn the system while playing with TH and RN. Next year if something happens to one of the incoming freshmen starters ML ,RN, and TH will already be use to playing with them.
4. No ND would make it easier to play CBH style which TH and RN may be playing next year anyways. ND’s style (offense first, defense ?) does not fit the CBH reign. It would be better (thinking of next year) for RN and TH to not play with a 0 defense guy.
ENough for now.
Hey guys, I've got a great idea...!
Why don’t we take our cue from the wonderful folks ’cross town and get our players to commit some NCAA infraction – and then self-report it. While it might cost us some scholies, we could then erase this entire miserable season from the record books….
thanks for the shoutout
Good to know someone is reading even when I (or the other writers) don’t fan shot a blog post.
by maccabita4life on Jan 21, 2010 11:50 AM PST reply actions
Show some evidence of ND's "clubbing"
For someone who is always demanding proof or evidence of a wrong doing or misadventure (on or off the court or playing field), as opposed to rumor mongering, it is surprising that you have now pointed out ND’s excessive clubbing (now its on the Sunset Strip) as somehow demonstrating both a character flaw and why (in your studied opinion) his word/opinion is meaningless and his bb skills non existent. Can you give us any evidence that ND hangs out or clubs more than anyone else? Can you even cite one instance where someone has seen him clubbing? I’m not doubting that ND does some clubbing and partying, but you point to it (twice now) with a derisive tone and as an indictment which ought to require some evidence rather than just your word. That’s no more than you would ask of anyone else posting derogatory comments about another person.
http://ucla.freedomblogging.com/2009/11/20/ucla-basketball-dragovic-arrested-suspended/9373/
William Doolittle at your service, a.k.a. will do.
Dragovic was involved in an incident last month at a concert in Hollywood.
?
by britishbruin on Jan 21, 2010 12:19 PM PST up reply actions
its an old article
its referring to the case he plead not guilty to, where he allegedly pushed someone through a glass case at a sunset strip night club. I was just trying to point out to ‘67 where that reference about ND’s clubbing came from.
William Doolittle at your service, a.k.a. will do.
he did plead not guilty though
http://www.myfoxla.com/dpp/sports/nikola-dragovich-pleads-not-guilty-to-assault-20091221
William Doolittle at your service, a.k.a. will do.
both articles you cite
refer to “a concert”.
Splitting hairs, maybe, but a ‘concert’ at a nightclub is different from ‘going clubbing’.
Regardless, there has been other anecdotal evidence of BN allegedly seeing him wasted in nightclubs.
by britishbruin on Jan 21, 2010 12:38 PM PST up reply actions
Not my point though....
Drago’s arrest and his other incident with his girlfriend a year or so back are well know. Whether he is innocent or guilty of anything in those cases is yet to be determined. The point is has his behavior changed any since then? Is he really out there “clubbing” to excess when he should be either studying or practicing basketball, or going to church — or any other activity that would meet the standards of those who would criticize his off court behavior? If there is no evidence of him doing so, why use that to deride him? If there is some evidence, state it. I believe that too much of the invective against ND stems from personal anomosity (stemming from what I don’t know) and is not valid on a site that in most other cases is devoted to objective analysis of players skills and coaches decisions.
well I'd argue
that when you are involved in an incident at a club, or concert, or whatever, that gets you suspended for a game, it is detrimental to your team, and shows a lack of total dedication to it.
William Doolittle at your service, a.k.a. will do.
Great
If you want to shill for Drago and defend him as upstanding citizen good for you. Meanwhile, I will keep calling him out for what he is: a dumb and lazy basketball player who doesn’t have much of a track record when it comes to being a decent student athlete at UCLA. Am I making fun of him for his “clubbing”? Sure I am. I am not going to give this scrub the benefit of the doubt.
If you don’t like it, as always don’t read it.
defensive
Quite a defensive response. To reply to a request for evidence behind a statement with the response of “don’t read it” is itself lazy. Numerous times I have read postings – some with merit and some without – to which you respond with the appropriate request for objective evidence. Now, because you do not like someone, you will not give the “scrub” the “benefit of the doubt” and deride a poster for demanding accountability of your comments. I read BN almost daily – and rarely post having little to add – and have always appreciated your holding random posters accountable for their comments. This type of ad hominem attack is beneath your usual standards.
Then you haven't read closely enough
1. This is Nestor’s blog (and his buddies’). It’s not a public UCLA blog to inform people for free. It was started for themselves, and they’d be happy to keep writing for themselves.
2. If you haven’t followed Chukola’s exploits this year, then you haven’t been reading BN “almost daily”, or not closely enough. There is a pattern of behavior that fully justifies him being clowned on this site. I see no personal attacks, just a mockery of the “game” he has been bringing to the court in the name of the four letters that he is currently embarrasing.
But hey, what do I know. I’m just the 800 lbs bruin in the room.
"the google"
Learn how to use it:
It’s not that hard to figure out where Rago was arrested:
Senior forward Nikola Dragovic was arrested on Friday for an incident that occurred at a Hollywood nightclub in October. He was suspended from UCLA’s game against Cal State Bakersfield that night and remains so for tonight’s home meeting with Pepperdine.
It’s a reasonable assumption on my part based on what I have read and heard about Drago and also what pops up about him on facebook that it wasn’t the only time he was hanging out at a night club. So think again before popping with uninformed questions about demanding evidence of him “clubbing.” That makes it clear you never read closely.
Looking forward to his “Ben Ball warrior” style play in next 13 games:
Yeah, Rago.
according to this article
http://www.laindependent.com/news/79841852.html
it was outside the Henry Fonda Theater.
by britishbruin on Jan 21, 2010 12:39 PM PST up reply actions
which, according to the google, is on Hollywood Blvd
but having not been there, I have no idea whether ‘nightclub’ is the most apt definition. Maybe someone who has good enlighten me?
by britishbruin on Jan 21, 2010 12:42 PM PST up reply actions
YA
I’ve been there to see Snow Patrol. It is a small concert venue that holds about 1500 I’d say. There is a bar in the back, but its not a dance club or anything.
UCLA '08
by BruinTrouble on Jan 21, 2010 3:30 PM PST up reply actions
nah
courtesy of the google, he was there on October 24th, 2009,
to listen to someone from the following show, presumably headliner Daniel Johnston
by britishbruin on Jan 21, 2010 12:53 PM PST up reply actions
I mentioned this in our podcast
but Washington is averaging about 90 points a game, yet versus Arizona St. scored just 51. That combined with their poor outside shooting leads me to think that we have to go almost exclusively zone.
Formerly ryebreadraz
by Ryan Rosenblatt on Jan 21, 2010 1:15 PM PST reply actions
interesting
ASU also outrebounded Udub, 38(8 Off) to 27(6 Off).
by britishbruin on Jan 21, 2010 1:37 PM PST up reply actions
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