MTSU Steamrolls UCLA's Rotting Carcass of a Program: 86-66
by Tydides on Nov 15, 2011 10:11 PM PST
in Basketball
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Joshua Smith rebounded from his Twitter incident to dominate down low with 15 points.
Norman Powell finally got in the game and showed flashes of brilliance, nabbing 9 more.
Those are your Bruin highlights, folks. If these two are not starting our next game, this season might as well be over.
In Middle Tennessee State's 86-66 dismantling of Ben Howland's joke of a program in front of 29 people at the Sports Arena, the program has managed to achieve lows not seen since the Lavin era. The best thing that happened to me was getting called into work tonight, and thus when the online stream went down, so did my torture. For the rest of you poor saps who were subjected to the remainder of the 15 minutes of garbage time, my condolences, and to those smart enough to avoid this steaming pile altogether, here are some of the numbers/facts(after the jump).
MTSU employed a variety of defenses, mixing them up from possession to possession. A 1-3-1 halfcourt trap here. A 2-3 zone there. Occasional flashes of man to man. And the Bruins were utterly confused against all of it. No ball movement. No player movement. No spacing. No chance.
Interior defense for UCLA is horrendous. The complete lack of awareness of our frontline to backdoor action was exploited heavily by MTSU, and given the dribble penetration we allow so readily and easily, the need for zone has never been more clear. It's not like we could possibly give up more rebounds the way that the Wears "box out".
Every MTSU player that took a shot hit 50% or better. Every. Single. One.
MTSU was 9-9 from beyond the arc at one point. A magical level of shooting to be sure, and an NCAA record until some idiot missed one. I guess the Bruins figured they might as well not close out...so they didn't. That would require pride, heart, and effort.
MTSU shot 70% in the first half...and then shot better in the second half.
Honestly, I had notes on this game to relay, but I think the above is a good dissection of the lifeless rotting corpse that is the UCLA Basketball program. For the first time ever, I'm glad Coach isn't around, just so he doesn't have to see this.
I guess that's one way to put the Reeves Nelson drama behind us, eh?
Up next: Chaminade is chomping at the bit to shovel some more dirt on this bad boy.
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So we already have the desert debacle, mountain meltdown
whats next? the Tropical trouncing?
Troy is burning
by bruinbasketball on Nov 15, 2011 10:13 PM PST reply actions
the archipelago annihilation
Troy is burning
by bruinbasketball on Nov 15, 2011 10:25 PM PST up reply actions
I love that when you do a Google Images search for Michael Fey
the first picture is of Ryan Hollins dunking
What the F*uck is everyone looking at??
UCLA SUCKS
by carlodibi on Nov 15, 2011 10:14 PM PST reply actions 1 recs
Bruin fans need to relax!!!
The great leader Mr. Dan Guerrero has been really, really busy fixing the football program. With a little bit of luck, football will be 6-6 and all will hail Guerrero’s genius.
At that point, he can then focus his attention on fixing UCLA basketball.
by ConfofChamps on Nov 16, 2011 11:01 PM PST up reply actions
I'm just hoping to lose close games in
football and basketball these days. Were blowout U
"Success is never final, Failure is never fatal. It's Courage that counts" - John Wooden.
The women's basketball team is ranked #22
Maybe I will watch them a bit more this season instead of this team.
Former Bruin, current Active NBA player Ryan Hollins
Calls Ben Howland Steve Lavin.
What else do you need to know?
We’ve seen Ben’s best. Cash that dude out tonite. Give him his check. Just pay it in full at get him outta here. Thanks for the 3 Final Fours. Good luck back East.
U-C-L-A Fight, Fight, Fight! Go Bruins!
NBA: Where Greed Happens. RIP 10/10/11.
Wow, these are the dark days of 2002/3 all over again. Both revenue sports...
Michael C
www.onviolence.com
Worse loss than the Lavin era?
At least those 40 point losses were to good teams. I can’t see how it can get any lower than this. 20 points at home to a team that 95% of Americans can’t locate on a map.
What are you talking about?
I can find the middle of tennessee!! :-)
by King J77 on Nov 15, 2011 10:23 PM PST via mobile up reply actions
I'm done with sports
think i’ll start watching TV with the wife. The Horror
"Success is never final, Failure is never fatal. It's Courage that counts" - John Wooden.
even the sports arena didn't deserve
that pathetic performance. i feel sorry for all the poor saps that actually made the trek to the game.
If they can play a Tuba through a paper bag...
by Bruined 4 Life on Nov 15, 2011 10:18 PM PST up reply actions
it would mean their vo2max is better than half our guys.
we should put them on the court. they couldn’t possibly shoot any worse.
When I returned from the LMU debacle (a 240 mile round trip),
I was extremely critical of all the season ticket holders who refused to attend (as evidenced by the empty seats behind the basket and between the baskets on the loge level). I want to publicly apologize. They were the smart ones. Now, since I only have tix for the Texas game, the question is what should I do. My first inclination is to mail them to BH….It is clear his stubborness in recruits(unathletic OC) he accepts, his defensive stubborness on man to man, his playing favorites from Drago to Lamb, has produced a wreck of a program. He reminds me of Rn and Kd who both insisted on “their” systems regardless of the talent available…with the same results…
…
Hey I'll take them
I love horror shows
by King J77 on Nov 15, 2011 10:26 PM PST via mobile up reply actions
+1
We should be looking now. Howland has lost the “touch”. Might help to recruit guys who can make a shot. Jones was 1-10, Lamb about the same. Total 4-18 or something close to that from 3. 50% FT. Unacceptable. The Weak Twins are overhyped. And no one on this team plays help D. If I see one more drive to the basket where the bigs stand around watching some guard make an easy layup I am going to scream. Actually I was screaming alot.
Bruin 1986
The Wear twins are pretty disappointing.
I don’t know why people were raving about them before the season started. The only thing they add to the team is height, and that barely makes a difference when they can’t grab rebounds. I know they work hard, so it’s painful to watch them not contributing much to the team. Lamb too, I’m sure he worked hard during off season, I just don’t think he’s good enough to be a starter.
Welll let's wait and see....
Smith scored 15 points …. but what does he brings defensively apart from his big static body ?
How many sub par performances is Ben Howland allowed?
We’ve fired coaches for much less. Dude is a frickin embarrassment… Nearing Walt Hazzard levels. Take away those 3 Final Fours… and tell me how much we even compete? That’s the measure of the coach. Those players got us to the Final Fours.
U-C-L-A Fight, Fight, Fight! Go Bruins!
NBA: Where Greed Happens. RIP 10/10/11.
Calm down dude
Offering criticisms is fine but get a hold of yourself. Hazzard is a great Bruin but he was a terrible a basketball coach. Howland clearly is struggling but don’t make assertions that are not backed up by data.
I'm going to bed. I'll feel better in the morning.
U-C-L-A Fight, Fight, Fight! Go Bruins!
NBA: Where Greed Happens. RIP 10/10/11.
I don't know how sleep is possible
after witnessing that.
You know
DG prolly doesn’t even give a shit. As far as he’s concerned, his job is to make sure there’s someone he can point to when disaster strikes, not to actually care about the state of UCLA athletics.
DG cares about Baseball and becoming President of the NCAA
U-C-L-A Fight, Fight, Fight! Go Bruins!
NBA: Where Greed Happens. RIP 10/10/11.
Doughnut Dan cares about 3 things...
1) Squeezing Ucla for every cent that he can. It is literally amazing that the HIGHEST PAID AD IN THE PAC-12 is at a school having its worst stretch ever in its major revenue sport.
2) Trying to ride this “latino thing” into a major ncaa position so they can shed the old whitey label.
3) Making sure that his freezer is stocked with my relatives so he has enough for a midnight, 2 am, 4 am and 6 am snack.
by beanandcheeseburrito on Nov 15, 2011 10:28 PM PST up reply actions
LOL
I was wondering what you mean by your relatives but I read your name bean and cheese burrito and I GOT IT
Woo-hoo!
15 more months of this crap!
by Bruined 4 Life on Nov 15, 2011 10:25 PM PST up reply actions
probably because he bends over for them all the time
Daniel G. Guerrero has become one of the leading athletic directors in the NCAA, deeply respected by his colleagues nationally, in the PAC-10, and by the administration of the NCAA at the highest level
Exact $ amounts
http://www.sacbee.com/statepay/?name=Guerrero&agency=UC+LOS+ANGELES&salarylevel=200000
You can look up anyone on there.
He can if he is fired.
But his incentive package is around $235K in total, so it isn’t gonna make or break him either way.
goddamn...
2 million and further and further away from national championships..
thanks for that link!
Nice to know you can make 300k as a California Highway Patrol employee. College is for suckers!
by CharliePotts on Nov 16, 2011 8:28 AM PST up reply actions
His job is to schedule wine tours
At least that’s what he thinks
by King J77 on Nov 15, 2011 10:30 PM PST via mobile up reply actions
can we trade MTU one of the wears?
Dendy, an Iowa State transfer, had 13 rebounds for the Blue Raiders (3-0),
is there even a silver lining after this one?
we’ve had some bad early losses before, but this is straight up depressing.
Howland: "I probably should have changed it up and gone to some zone"
“It’s something we’ll have to think about for the future”
isn't that what 87% of us
on this board were saying before the game… i know we are fucking rainmen, but come on…
can we employ the barca system with out coaches
just vote them the fuck out since they are useless.
Forget the zone. Just covers up laziness by the forwards
How on earth can literally not a single person ever slide over to help our hapless guards?
Glee was decent tonight...
The first time EVER I a UCLA b-ball game was on and I voluntarily didn’t watch it. Probably has something to do with my UNC girlfriend offering every criticism in the book.
that sounds annoying
Troy is burning
by bruinbasketball on Nov 15, 2011 10:31 PM PST up reply actions
Who could have guessed nobody would show
Up for a non conference game at the sports arena? Oh wait, everyone but Dan Guerrero know we should play in a smaller full stadium.
by silverlakebruin on Nov 15, 2011 10:29 PM PST via mobile reply actions
But evertything is cool silver
He “blogged” about it. Yes, we will have to say something about that. Okay, I really have to go to sleep.
CBH praising Norman Powell
“I thought Norman was the one bright spot in the game”
Good
Because he’s going to have to play a lot. Lamb is simply not good enough.
I still think Jones is average (not bad). Last year he had good wings to support him. Now he has bad ones, that makes a big difference.
Parker will need to get more time too but he’s still adjusting and hasn’t practiced much.
Hopefully they’re better on the road
by abasketballfan on Nov 15, 2011 10:34 PM PST up reply actions
A lot less help D
which has been a staple of CBH teams. The Wears aren’t very tough (though I do think they can get better) and JS just doesn’t have the foot speed/is a foul magnet. Stover coming back could actually really help this team. They could skyrocket to mediocre.
A lot less? I don't know that you can have less than none
I can’t think of a possession where TWear/DWear/Smith ever slid over to help the guards. Every single time they were spectators watching their teammates get posterized
I was trying to be positive...
but you are exactly right. The D was hideous, the guards were sliding to help each other, which helped a lot to open the 3s up. We are not a good defensive team with a front court of both Wears and JS. Someone who knows how to play D has to be in there, either Nelson (if he ever comes back, and only if he is in the mood to play D), Stover or Lane.
Sorry, wasn't trying to be snide
Just incredibly frustrated. I don’t know how Howland can maintain his composure. I would’ve Bobby Knight’d some chairs after the 19th straight possession with the bigs standing around spectating while the guards got left on Figueroa.
Didn't take it as snide at all :)
you cut to the chase, I danced around what is clearly obvious.
I think he still is a serviceable defender but he’s certainly not going to make up for the loss of Lee
by abasketballfan on Nov 15, 2011 11:10 PM PST up reply actions
He was serviceable last year, when Nelson/Smith/Lane all remembered to help on D
But now the statue-esque Wears and Smith are content watching
Of course that's why
Powell got a whopping 15 minutes. Wonder what Howland had to say about Lane: he rebounded at a pace of 160/game…during his 25 seconds of play.
Roses are red, violets are blue...f*** $C.
I am not a big Lane fan
but what he lacks in offense he makes up in on defense. On this team, defense (and rebounding) is what we need. 66 should be enough to beat MTSU for a CBH team, I would have expected 50-55 from them if we had the defense from 5 years ago. I am fine with one Wear at a time in, but until they learn D and blocking out, they shouldn’t be on the floor together. I have faith that they will eventually learn, but we can’t wait 2 years and half a dozen more transfers for that to happen. Powell (please more Powell), Lane, Stover, Parker all need to get minutes, period.
That's what is so puzzling
66 as you said, should’ve been more than enough. But giving up 86 on 72% shooting? Why did the Bruins even bother heading down to the defensive end of the floor? Heaven forbid what this game would’ve been like if not for MTSU’s 20 turnovers.
ZONE DEFENSE
Howland just said that he’s gonna go to zone in his press conference. He should have realized this after CSSB game. I really hope he can clean this mess up.
Is a zone going to keep the Wears and Smith
from passively watching one guard after another flash right by them?
will anyone go to the sports arena this year?
Troy is burning
by bruinbasketball on Nov 15, 2011 10:32 PM PST reply actions
Hope not...
The bean counters in the Morgan Center deserve this…unfortunately, we do not…
Josh Smith
Had a good first half but he NEEDS to lose weight. He can be a top 5 PF in the country. Instead he might end up another Robert Tractor Taylor
by King J77 on Nov 15, 2011 10:33 PM PST via mobile reply actions
I have a post game tweet for him
#OccupySaladBar
by Bruined 4 Life on Nov 15, 2011 10:34 PM PST up reply actions
5% of the foodcourt have 90% of the vegetables!
OCCUPY SALAD BAR
by Ganplosive on Nov 15, 2011 10:38 PM PST up reply actions 1 recs
Josh Smith, stay the fuck away from the dining halls please.
And don’t even think about coming near Rendezvous.
Head of Sports Nutrition Becci Twombley
Was on Bruins Live. Ms. Twombley, please address Josh Smith.
At least there is one positive to happen tonight
by Bruined 4 Life on Nov 15, 2011 10:38 PM PST reply actions
seeing Guerror's name
pisses me off and removes and kind of goodwill that article was meant to be spreading
Which also says
Guerrero also said the school is seeking a corporate sponsor for the arena when it re-opens next fall, with any revenue generated by such a deal to go into paying off the debt on the renovations. He said the affiliation “will be tastefully done” and has the blessing of the family of Edwin Pauley, whose name is on the building.
Roses are red, violets are blue...f*** $C.
When do we hit bottom?
This is like the foreclosure mess. Bad news keeps coming.
By the way, is there any other major program which is playing football, basketball, and baseball off campus in 2011-2012? Thanks, DG for your “leadership”.
+1
i’m not saying sit both wears all game, but both of them in is a mess defensively. not more than one at a time
if howland sticks with zeke+ 2 wears for major minutes, team will be bad and his seat will be more than hot
Rome is Burning . . .
And it’s up to Chancellor Block to fight back the flames before it’s too late.
YOU GUYS WANNA HEAR A JOKE????
“DAN GUERRERO”
I'd laugh
but it’d come at the expense of the tens of thousands of bruin fan’s that has been victimized lmfao
While it is true that all the other college basketball teams
seem to have started the season without us, “rotting carcass” seems a bit over the top to me. Studying the debris, I think I see the pieces of a decent team scattered here and there. I do admit the possibility of losing to Chaminade, but along about that point, I think things will begin to improve. If they don’t, Howland will actually be as bad a coach as some of you believe he is. But don’t confuse this team with the Mike Roll group (nothing against MR, just an identification), because there are quite a few real players on this roster, and they can show major improvement relatively quickly.
Try being a student from 2003-2005… that was me. At least, if you started as a freshman in 2007 you caught the best of basketball.
"Winners Then, Winners Now... Bruin in Madrid"
Yep
Try having your Junior year being Lavin’s last stand fail, and your senior year being Howland’s first year, rebuilding the program. And having been a junior transfer. FYL? Try FML x10^10.
formerly bruinhoo
Where were all of the students?
Only the band was in the student section behind the basket, compared to a full student section there against LMU. Yes, I was there for both games. Maybe 25-30 students (not exaggerating) were in The Den tonight. The smallest student turnout that I can remember.
I have no idea
I was in the student section with the other 15 people. I have discussions sections bigger than that.
You probably shouldn't waste your time watching this team in person
At this point. Don’t think anyone should.
Can anyone comment as to the seating arrangements?
I saw the game on TV and it looked completely empty. At least for this year, in the terrible Sports Arena, can’t they push everyone to one side so that at least the cameras don’t look like they are pointing to a scrimmage in an empty gym?
Can't speak for the Sports Arena
But when I would watch games at Mac Court, they would routinely move everyone into the lower bowl to fill it out for the TV cameras.
I have no idea.
I was in the student section with the other 15 people. I have discussions sections bigger than that.
Where have you gone,
Mustafa Abdul-Hamid – Bruins Nation turns its lonely eyes to you.
No Comment...
I didnt watch the game but I did hear the game on the radio, and they interviewed the assistant coach after the game was done, and his answers where confusing while he was trying to explain UCLA’s defensive scheme tonight. If the assistant coach, doesn’t understand or know the defensive scheme, I highly doubt the players do. Second, Ben Howland has distanced himself from the players in the inner LA City. I mean Farmar (Taft HS), Afflalo (Centenial HS), Shipp (Fairfax HS), Lorenzo Mata-Real (South Gate HS) and I can go on here but the point is these kids played with a chip on their shoulders. These guys we have now, think because they came out of high school being 4 or 5 star recruits and that they are now at UCLA, thats it, and act like they have nothing to prove. I just want to ask Ryan Hollins if we should start pressing the panic button. I mean, we all thought UCLA would come out with a different attitude tonight, but from what I heard on the radio, it was the same old bruins of 14-18.
"Winners Then, Winners Now... Bruin in Madrid"
This is it...
the point is these kids played with a chip on their shoulders. These guys we have now, think because they came out of high school being 4 or 5 star recruits and that they are now at UCLA, thats it, and act like they have nothing to prove.
As someone who has coached basketball for 30 years at various levels, this is obvious to me. Ben Howland basketball is based on defensive effort and cohesiveness, yet in the past 5 years as “4 or 5 star recruits” started to show interest in UCLA basketball again we’ve been recruiting prima donnas who don’t “buy in” to team defense or fundamentals.
We have terrific “athletes”, but not terrific “basketball players”. Zeke Jones clearly never went to point guard school. Tyler Lamb thinks he’s a 3 point shooter, but clearly hasn’t put in the time in the gym to become that weapon (and yes, shooting can be taught and improved on in just one summer). The Wears don’t understand help defense…heck, they don’t even help EACH OTHER. Josh Smith was so gassed after just two trips down the floor that he was pulling on his shorts on the offensive end.
Not ready to throw Ben Howland under the bus yet, because I believe in his style of basketball. Now if he would just go recruit the type of players that will play TEAM basketball and not spoiled brats like Reeves Nelson.
I don't get one jumper after another
They missed, what, 15 3pt attempts? I also don’t get neglecting to rotate on defense nearly every single posession. At some point the players have to realize this isn’t working. Are they that dense? Are they that afraid of contact?
Is Howland even running the same offense? Where are the double screens? Where the curls off the screens? Where is the ball movement? Where are the crisp passes? Where is the entire Howland offensive playbook? Everything I’ve seen so far looks like a very liberal “motion” offense — with an ironically minimal amount of motion — and nothing like Howland’s teams have done, even during the 09-10 Dragovic disaster.
I have taken the "Bruin Road Show" ticket offer I got in the mail
and shredded it. It felt good.
I wonder if...
what my Psych 432B class professor would say to your reaction!! It seems like it will be torture for us this year, after the Maui Invitational what do you guys think our record will be?
"Winners Then, Winners Now... Bruin in Madrid"
0-3
We’ll probably lose to Chaminade and get eliminated.
After tonight
if Reeves were to actually quit the team, who here would blame him?
I wouldn't.
It seems like Reeves is the only one who cares. I think his passion gets the best of him and that’s why he comes off so crazy sometimes. I’ve talked to the dude, he’s definitely not a bad guy.
Saw the game live
at the cavern, er Sports Arena. After 41 years, I can say in honesty that this is the worse defensive effort I have seen in person. Offense was pathetic as well. Wears cannot play D, cannot jump, fail to finish at the hoop on offense. Guards, what guards? My starting lineup for next game (if Nelson is back): Reeves, Stover, D. Wear, Anderson, Powell with Lane and Smith coming in early. Lane played less than one minute, had 2 rebounds, a defensive stop and missed a shot. He looked better in 55 seconds than most everyone else. Howland has some explaining to do…
It really doesn't get any more brutal than this
I saw this coming a mile away though several years ago when Lorenzo Mata would get so much playing time. I get the whole role player concept but Howland is an imposter and has been for a while.
Condolences from Corvallis
With the disappointing football season, I’m sure you guys were looking forward to basketball, which is a UCLA staple. And then… yikes. That’s like if our FB and BB programs turned in poor seasons, and everyone here was looking forward to our reliable baseball program to see some wins, and then that went sour, too. Fan torture x_x
Ah
Thanks for turning my attention to baseball. While UCLA has had success similar to OSU’s recently (albeit without the titles) I’m still scared to think about what the Bruins lost in Gerrit Cole and Trevor Bauer. Their arms carried the team and, while there are still very capable pitchers on the staff, the offense will need to improve on last year.
Thanks. I needed that.
"Things work out best for those who make the best of the way things work out."
-Coach John Wooden
by patriotswr6 on Nov 16, 2011 10:34 AM PST up reply actions
the silver lining is this...
Dan Guerrero’s seat might get hotter. That fat idiot is to blame. The common link in all this is him.
by Strathmore&Gayley on Nov 16, 2011 5:16 AM PST via iPhone app reply actions
Guerreros replacement
May get to replace all of our revenue coaches. How many people would pay to see this in person. After the first half I just kept fast forwarding to see if the deficit ever decreased. Bad news for Howland it rose to Neuheisellian heights. Worst effort I have ever seen at a home game.
Seems like our "Defensive Scheme"
Is a Ponzi Scheme
Ok... Is it still too early to judge this team?
I mean it was clear after the first game that this team is a train wreck. Anyone else think this team can fix itself. I don’t think this team has what it take to even be in the middle of the PAC. We will have a walk on in the rotation before the end of the season
by seasidebruin on Nov 16, 2011 7:04 AM PST via mobile reply actions
MTSU
Better talents ,very well coached= superieur team. There is nothing to be ashamed to lose against such opposition..
Uh, WTF?
How about being ashamed at MTSU having better talent and being better coached than UCLA?
Come On Man!!
Let's look at the season so far....
Embarassing losses to LMU and Middle Tennessee State ( A reprise of similar losses to teams we should have beaten last year), a bone head tweet by Smith, a pouty Nelson gets suspended, the team plays flat and seem to have tuned CBH out. This is not good.
I may work with the Waves, but I'm still a Bruin!
(Formerly "HoozierDaddy")
Right,
I forgot about that.
As much as I hate to say it, the old saying of, “A fish rots from the head dowm”, may be correct.
I may work with the Waves, but I'm still a Bruin!
(Formerly "HoozierDaddy")
Chose not to watch the game
And instead watched former QB Mark Harmon on NCIS. Flipped back and forth for scores a few times, watched some other stuff on the DVR and then went to bed. Far less stressful this way. I recorded the game but will delete it unwatched.
by ucla717274 on Nov 16, 2011 10:40 AM PST via mobile reply actions
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