Raphielle Johnson, Teams

LEFT COAST LAYUPS (11/28/2012): MORE CONCERNS AT UCLA AS SMITH LATEST TO LEAVE

By Raphielle Johnson

Well before the season began, right around the time of the McDonalds All-American Game in fact, more than a few people were willing to simply anoint Arizona and UCLA status as the class of the Pac-12. But while the Wildcats have done nothing so far to discourage such thought the same can’t be said of the Bruins, who dropped to 4-2 on Sunday night with a stunning 70-68 loss to Cal Poly. One big reason why Ben Howland’s team hasn’t lived up to the preseason hype has been their play in the paint.

The Bruins have managed to score at least 24 points in the paint in five of their six games to date, but a closer look at who is leading the way in that category reveals the issue. The leading scorers in the paint in each of UCLA’s six games are as follows:

Indiana State (Jordan Adams – 6 points)

UC Irvine (David Wear/Kyle Anderson – 8 points apiece)

James Madison (Tony Parker – 10 points)

Georgetown (Adams – 10 points)

Georgia (Shabazz Muhammad – 8 points)

Cal Poly (eight players with two points apiece)

Outside of David Wear and Tony Parker the leader in each of UCLA’s games has been a perimeter player. Of the big men Travis Wear has been their most productive player through six games, but he’s been at his best in either face-up or “pick and pop” situations. Neither he nor his twin brother would be considered to be “bangers,” guys the Bruins can call upon for a tough hoop with their back to the basket.

Josh Smith’s decision to transfer doesn’t help matters, despite the fact that he struggled for much of his two-plus years in Westwood. With Smith joining Tyler Lamb as players who have decided to leave UCLA the Bruins are down to just eight scholarship players (three interior). Freshman Tony Parker, who hasn’t been able to earn consistent playing time, scored ten points in the paint in that romp over JMU and is really going to have to get going now that there are minutes he’ll have to fill.

The Wear twins are both averaging double figures through six games but they’re going to need help. Can Parker provide that assistance off the bench? The answer to that question will ultimately reveal whether or not UCLA can not only contend in the Pac-12 but also be a factor come March. Larry Drew II has been solid with the basketball in his hands and there’s no denying the Bruins’ perimeter talent, but elite teams have answers in the paint rather than questions. And given their lack of depth it’s likely that Howland will need to go with four perimeter players surrounding one of the Wear twins in order to put the team in the best possible position to be successful.

Pac-12

Player of the Week: California guard Justin Cobbs

Cobbs was the MVP of the DirecTV Classic this past weekend, posting averages of 19.3 points, 5.7 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 2.0 steals per contest. Cobbs’ four points in the final 1:11 helped the Golden Bears hold off Drake 73-70 in their first game in Anaheim.

Huskies also having interior issues: The Bruins aren’t the only team in the Pac-12 to have its front court issues rise up and become a problem, as Washington had its lack of depth exposed in a 73-55 loss to Colorado State. Aziz N’Diaye led the way in the paint with eight points and eight rebounds, but as a team the Huskies were out-rebounded by the Rams by a margin of 45-21. Shawn Kemp Jr. is out due to injury and Jernard Jarreau and Martin Bruenig were both ineffective in their time on the floor. And while Saint Louis, their next opponent, isn’t blessed with a great deal of size themselves, the Billikens have the ability to hurt Washington on the glass. Let’s just say that Washington is anxiously awaiting the return of both Kemp Jr. and Austin Sefarian-Jenkins (member of the football team).

Schedule (Wednesday – Tuesday)

Wednesday

8 PM Utah at SMU

8 PM Arkansas-Pine Bluff at Arizona State (Pac-12 Networks)

10 PM Idaho at Washington State (Pac-12 Networks)

10 PM Seattle at Stanford (Pac-12 Networks)

10 PM Northern Arizona at No. 9/9 Arizona (Pac-12 Networks)

12 AM Cal State Northridge at No. 24 UCLA (Pac-12 Networks)

12 AM Saint Louis at Washington (Pac-12 Networks)

Thursday

10 PM UTSA at Oregon (Pac-12 Networks)

Friday

8 PM Oregon State vs. No. 10 Kansas

8 PM Utah at Texas State

Saturday

6:30 PM Arkansas-Pine Bluff at Oregon (Pac-12 Networks)

8 PM No. 9/9 Arizona at Texas Tech (ESPNU)

8:30 PM Sacramento State at Arizona State (Pac-12 Networks)

8:30 PM Portland at Washington State (Pac-12 Networks)

10 PM No. 23/21 San Diego State vs. No. 24 UCLA (ESPNU)

10 PM No. 19/19 Colorado at Wyoming (ROOT)

Sunday

4 PM California at Wisconsin (BTN)

5 PM Denver at Stanford (Pac-12 Networks)

7 PM Cal State Fullerton at Washington (Pac-12 Networks)

Monday

8 PM USC at Nebraska (BTN)

Tuesday

9:30 PM Southern Miss at No. 9/9 Arizona (Pac-12 Networks)

*10:30 PM Cal State San Marcos at No. 24 UCLA

Big Sky

Player of the Week: Montana forward Mathias Ward

The Grizzlies have won three straight since dropping their opener at Colorado State and Ward’s been one reason why. Montana played just one game last week, a 67-66 win at San Diego, and Ward stood out with 23 points and four rebounds. His lone assist came on Kevin Henderson’s game-winning three pointer.

Northern Colorado drops to 1-3: B.J. Hill’s Bears are a team capable of contending for the Big Sky title this season (they may be a year away from being considered a favorite), and given their stats it’s a little difficult to figure out why. Northern Colorado ranks second in the conference in scoring and first in both field goal percentage and field goal percentage defense. In losses to Cal Poly (minus-9) and Wyoming (minus-6) the Bears lost the turnover battle, while Colorado State shot 54% from the field in their 85-69 win on Monday night. With players such as Derrick Barden, Connor Osborne and Tevin Svihovec Northern Colorado has the pieces to be a factor in the Big Sky. It’s just a matter of them tightening things up in the non-conference games leading up to league play.

Schedule (Wednesday – Sunday)

Wednesday

7 PM Weber State at Dayton

9 PM Montana at BYU (BYUtv)

9:30 PM North Dakota at South Dakota State

10 PM Northern Arizona at No. 9/9 Arizona (Pac-12 Networks)

Thursday

8 PM Southern Utah at TCU

9:05 PM Montana-Western at Idaho State

10 PM Pepperdine at Montana State

Friday

9:05 PM Cal State Fullerton at Eastern Washington

10 PM Montana at San Francisco

Saturday

6:35 PM Sam Houston State at Northern Arizona

8 PM Portland State at Loyola Marymount

8:30 PM Sacramento State at Arizona State (Pac-12 Networks)

9 PM San Jose State at Montana State

9:35 PM San Diego Christian at Southern Utah

10 PM Northern Colorado at UC Riverside

Tuesday

9 PM San Diego at Southern Utah

Big West

Player of the Week: Cal Poly guard Dylan Royer

Royer was one of the key figures in the Mustangs’ historic 70-68 overtime win at UCLA on Sunday night. Royer knocked down six three-pointers and finished the game with 18 points, a career high. Royer’s now reached double figures in three straight games for Cal Poly, who visits Saint Mary’s on Saturday.

Tigers go 2-1 in Anaheim: Pacific made some history in their final season as a Big West member, becoming the first league representative to reach the final of the DirecTV Classic (the Big West is the host of the event). Lorenzo McCloud made the All-Tournament team as the Tigers knocked off Xavier and Saint Mary’s before falling to Cal in the title game. Given how many players returned from last season don’t be surprised if Pacific finds a way to contend in a wide-open Big West race, especially considering how much they’ve improved offensively since last season. Bob Thomason’s team is just the latest example of the benefits that can be derived from an offseason trip (Pacific went to France during the summer).

Schedule (Wednesday – Tuesday)

Wednesday

10 PM UC Davis at Nevada

10 PM UC Irvine at No. 24/20 UNLV (TWC SportsNet)

10 PM Wyoming at UCSB

12 AM Cal State Northridge at No. 24 UCLA (Pac-12 Networks)

Thursday

10 PM Long Beach State at Loyola Marymount

Friday

9 PM Cal State Fullerton at Eastern Washington (Big Sky TV)

Saturday

7 PM Hawai’i at No. 24/20 UNLV

8 PM Pacific at Gonzaga (ROOT)

10 PM Cal Poly at Saint Mary’s

10 PM Northern Colorado at UC Riverside

10 PM UC Davis at Idaho

10 PM UCSB at Santa Clara

Sunday

7 PM Cal State Fullerton at Washington (Pac-12 Networks)

Monday

10 PM Fresno State at Long Beach State

Tuesday

10 PM Nevada at Pacific

10 PM San Diego Christian at UC Irvine

Mountain West

Player of the Week: Colorado state center Colton Iverson

Iverson posted double-doubles in both of the Rams’ wins last week, going for 16 points and 13 rebounds in a 60-53 win at Denver and following that up with 13 points and 12 rebounds in their 73-55 win at Washington.

Aztecs halfway to making a statement in SoCal: Despite the current happenings at both USC (getting whipped in two of their three games in Maui; going 0-3) and UCLA this is still a big week for Steve Fisher’s San Diego State program as they take on both LA schools. One down, one to go for SDSU after their 66-60 win at USC on Sunday night, a game that ended up being much closer than it needed to be. SDSU jumped out to a 29-8 lead but got a bit lackadaisical, allowing the Trojans to not only fight their way back into the game but take the lead.

DeShawn Stephens didn’t play much due to a back problem and Jamaal Franklin shot 4-of-15 from the field, but the reigning Mountain West Player of the Year made some big plays late and the steady James Rahon chipped in with 17 points to seal the win. If they can sweep their LA schools San Diego State will make a big statement to southern California, and that can only help with their recruiting efforts.

Schedule (Wednesday – Tuesday)

Wednesday

8 PM Boise State at No. 11 Creighton

8 PM Fresno State at Southern Illinois

9 PM Jackson State at Air Force

9 PM Mercer at No. 25/23 New Mexico (ROOT)

10 PM UC Davis at Nevada

10 PM UC Irvine at No. 24/20 UNLV

10 PM Wyoming at UCSB

Friday

10 PM Denver at Nevada

Saturday

2 PM No. 25/23 New Mexico at Indiana State

4:30 PM Evansville at Colorado State

7 PM Hawai’i at No. 24/20 UNLV

10 PM No. 23/21 San Diego State vs. No. 24 UCLA (ESPNU)

10 PM No. 19/19 Colorado at Wyoming (ROOT)

Sunday

5 PM Boise State at Seattle

5 PM Wichita State at Air Force

Monday

10 PM Fresno State at Long Beach State

10 PM Texas Southern at No. 23/21 San Diego State (TWC SportsNet)

Tuesday

8 PM Wyoming at Illinois State

10 PM Nevada at Pacific

11 PM No. 24/20 UNLV at Portland (ESPNU)

WCC

Player of the Week: Gonzaga forward Elias Harris

Harris played very well in Orlando as he helped lead the Bulldogs to the program’s second Old Spice Classic title. Harris averaged 18.3 points and 7.7 rebounds over the three games, shooting 67.7% from the field.

Dons off to a 3-1 start: Outside of their season opener against Stanford, San Francisco hasn’t played the most difficult of scheduled, but they’ve taken care of business by winning all three games by double figures. The most recent triumph was a 79-59 beating of Columbia, with junior De’End Parker going off for a career-high 31 points on 12-of-18 shooting. They also have the WCC’s leading rebounder in forward Cole Dickerson, who is averaging 13.8 boards per game to go along with 13.8 ppg. Could Rex Walters’ team jump up and surprise some folks after incurring heavy personnel losses during the offseason? They just might (Montana and St. John’s visit War Memorial within the next week).

Schedule (Wednesday – Tuesday)

Wednesday

9 PM Montana at BYU (BYUtv)

10 PM Utah State at Santa Clara

Thursday

9 PM Lewis-Clark State at Gonzaga (ROOT)

10 PM Long Beach State at Loyola Marymount

10 PM Pepperdine at Montana State

Friday

10 PM Montana at San Francisco

Saturday

1 PM BYU at Iowa State

7 PM San Diego at Stephen F. Austin

8 PM Pacific at Gonzaga (ROOT)

8 PM Portland at Washington State (Pac-12 Networks)

8 PM Portland State at Loyola Marymount

9:05 PM Pepperdine at Utah Valley

10 PM Cal Poly at Saint Mary’s

10 PM UCSB at Santa Clara

Tuesday

9:05 PM San Diego at Southern Utah

10 PM St. John’s at San Francisco

11 PM No. 24/20 UNLV at Portland (ESPNU)

WAC

Player of the Week: Louisiana Tech guard Raheem Appleby

Appleby helped lead the Bulldogs to a 3-0 week with averages of 23.0 points and 2.7 rebounds per contest. Appleby scored nine of Louisiana Tech’s final 13 points in a win over Southeast Missouri State, and followed that up with a career-high 30 points in Louisiana Tech’s 70-63 win over Chattanooga.

Is Louisiana Tech a legitimate WAC contender? After dropping their season opener the Bulldogs have won five straight games, most recently beating ULM 68-52 on Saturday. While the aforementioned Appleby is one of the best players in the WAC, Cordarius Johnson is averaging nearly 15 ppg and scored 23 in the win over ULM. Those two along with the WAC’s leader in assists Kenneth Smith are a trio that will make life difficult on opponents. Also, Louisiana Tech leads the conference in scoring defense (52.8 ppg allowed) and they’ve been solid in regards to both field goal and three-point percentage defense. And with their remaining non-conference slate, the Bulldogs could go on a nice run before they begin league play at the end of December when Denver (December 29) and New Mexico State (December 31) roll into Ruston.

Schedule (Wednesday – Tuesday)

Wednesday

8 PM UT Arlington at North Texas

8 PM Southeastern Louisiana at Louisiana Tech

9 PM New Mexico State at UTEP

10 PM Seattle at Stanford (Pac-12 Networks)

10 PM Idaho at Washington State (Pac-12 Networks)

10 PM Utah State at Santa Clara

Thursday

10 PM UTSA at Oregon (Pac-12 Networks)

Friday

7 PM Louisiana Tech at Georgia State

8 PM Utah at Texas State

Saturday

8 PM UT Arlington at Texas (LHN)

9 PM San Jose State at Montana State

9 PM Southern Miss at New Mexico State

10 PM UC Davis at Idaho

10 PM UTSA at Cal State Bakersfield

Sunday

5 PM Denver at Stanford (Pac-12 Networks)

5 PM Boise State at Seattle

Monday

8 PM UT Arlington at Texas-Pan American

Tuesday

8 PM UTSA at Mississippi State

8:05 PM New Mexico State at South Alabama

8:30 PM Louisiana Tech at Northwestern State

*********Follow NBE Sports on Twitter: http://twitter.com/NBESports*****

Be Sociable, Share!

•