Howland Extends UCLA Contract

LOS ANGELES (Ticker) -- Coming off a third straight trip to the Final Four, UCLA has rewarded basketball coach Ben Howland with a lucrative new contract. UCLA on Tuesday announced a seven-year extension for Howland that will keep him under contract in Westwood through the 2014-15 season.

Howland, 51, will make a base salary of $1.97 million next season, escalating to $2.3 million in the final year of the contract. The deal also includes an incentive package with a maximum value of $235,000 per season. "I have said this before, but there is no place I would rather be coaching than UCLA," Howland said. "I grew up a Bruin fan and this is my dream job." While he has yet to win a national championship, Howland is the first coach to guide UCLA to three straight Final Fours since John Wooden.

Last season, the Bruins went 35-4, setting a school record for wins. Howland is one of just three coaches in the history of college basketball to win at least 30 games in three consecutive seasons. The Bruins also have captured three straight Pac-10 Conference regular-season titles, making Howland the first UCLA coach to accomplish that feat since Wooden. "UCLA is a special name in college basketball, thanks to coach Wooden, and I am proud to be the caretaker of the program," Howland added.

Since the NCAA expanded the NCAA Tournament to 64 teams in 1985, UCLA is one of only four schools to make three straight appearances in the Final Four. Michigan State was the last to do it from 1999-2001. "(Howland) has returned UCLA to the nation's elite, as illustrated by three straight Final Fours and three consecutive 30-win seasons," UCLA athletic director Dan Guerrero said. "He is an outstanding recruiter, and the foundation Ben has built for our program promises to keep us at the forefront for the foreseeable future."

After guiding Pittsburgh to a pair of "Sweet 16" appearances in his four seasons there, Howland was named UCLA coach in 2003, replacing Steve Lavin, who was fired after the Bruins' first losing season in 55 years. UCLA went 11-17 in Howland's first year but improved to 18-11 the following season. In his five seasons at UCLA, he has a mark of 126-45, including 97-17 the last three years. Last season, the Bruins lost to Memphis, 78-63, in the national semifinals.

UCLA's Shipp To Stay in School

LOS ANGELES (Ticker) - UCLA swingman Josh Shipp has decided to stay in school. Shipp on Tuesday withdrew his name from the NBA draft and will return to play his senior season with the Bruins.

With the departure of star freshman center Kevin Love to the NBA, Shipp's announcement provides a boost for the Bruins, who have been to three consecutive Final Fours. "Josh has been an integral part of our three Final Four runs and I am really excited that he is coming back for his senior year," UCLA coach Ben Howland said. "I expect him to have his best year as a Bruin, and not just because of his talent, but because this is the first summer in the last three that he can focus on his game as opposed to having to rehab from hip surgery.

The 6-5 Shipp averaged 12.2 points in his junior season, which ended with a loss to Memphis in the national semifinals. He was the only player to start all 39 games for UCLA (35-4).

With Darren Collison and Alfred Aboya also returning for their senior seasons, the Bruins again should be a national title contender. "I am glad I went through this process. It gave me the opportunity to get input and prepare my body and my game for the next level," Shipp said. "But at the end of the day, I wanted to come back and make another run for the championship. We've been close three times and a goal of mine is to win the NCAA championship. "I think with our core of seniors, we have the leadership necessary to make another run for the title and I'm looking forward to next season." The NBA draft is June 26.

Memphis Rolls Past UCLA

MEMPHIS 78, UCLA 63-----------------------

By Matt Santillo

SAN ANTONIO (Ticker) -- Having beaten Oregon twice during the season, UCLA had no answers for a similar offense that had a little bit of something extra. Chris Douglas-Roberts scored 28 points and freshman Derrick Rose added 25 as Memphis pummeled the Bruins, 78-63, in the national semifinals of the Final Four on Saturday evening.

Winning for the 12th straight time, the Tigers (38-1) advanced to the championship game for the first time since 1973. They will face either North Carolina or Kansas on Monday night. Asked to compared Memphis to a team from the Pac-10 in Friday's pregame press conference, UCLA center Kevin Love said that the Tigers reminded him a lot of Oregon - "on steroids."

The freshman sensation got a firsthand taste of that Saturday, as Douglas-Roberts and Rose had very little trouble getting the shots that they wanted while Love and his teammates had to fight for most of their points. The Tigers led by as many as seven points in the first half, but had to settle for a 38-35 edge at the break after the Bruins scored six of the final eight points. Douglas-Roberts and Rose combined for 24 points in the opening half, and had eight together in the opening moments of the second half to give Memphis a 48-37 bulge.

In the Final Four for a third straight time, UCLA (35-4) did close within 50-45 on a layup by Alfred Aboya with 13:39 to play, but Memphis answered back with six of the next eight points, pulling ahead, 56-47, on a layup by Rose with 11:12 left. Scoring at least 23 points for the fourth time in five games, Douglas-Roberts added an exclamation point to the Tigers' impressive showing with a thunderous dunk over Love on a back-door cut from the right baseline, making it 61-52 with 4:56 remaining. Russell Westbrook had 22 points for the Bruins. Love finished with just 12, including two in the second half.

SoCal NCAA Tournament Preview

No. 3 Xavier (30-6) vs. No. 1 UCLA (34-3), 3:40 pm

PHOENIX (Ticker) - UCLA is one win away from another Final Four appearance. The top-seeded Bruins look for their third straight trip to the national semifinals when they face third-seeded Xavier in the West Regional final Saturday. UCLA (34-3) is hoping to become the first team to reach three consecutive Final Fours since Michigan State achieved the feat from 1999-2001. On the other hand, the Musketeers have never been one of the last four teams.

The Bruins cruised in their first-round win, but rallied from a 10-point second-half deficit to post a 51-49 victory over Texas A&M in the second round last Saturday. On Thursday, UCLA held a 21-point halftime lead over Western Kentucky in the "Sweet 16", but saw its lead dwindle down to four with seven minutes to play. But the Bruins did hold on, making 11-of-12 free throws down the stretch to seal the victory. "This is very typical of us, we like to make things exciting and make me lose hair," UCLA coach Ben Howland said. "It would have been a lot (more fun) to actually have played as well as we did in the first half, in the second half. Freshman Kevin Love scored a career-high 29 points and had 14 rebounds and James Keefe had career highs with 18 and 12 off the bench to lead the Bruins. Love is averaging 22.7 points, 11.3 rebounds and 5.0 blocks during the tournament.

The Musketeers (30-6) have also played in some exciting contests, advancing to just their second "Elite Eight" contest in school history. Xavier rallied from double-digit deficits in each of the first two rounds and then posted a 79-75 overtime victory over West Virginia in the regional semifinals on Thursday. The Musketeers had led by as many as 18 in the first half. "We needed a couple of fortunate bounces to come our way," Musketeers coach Sean Miller said. "We won the game and West Virginia lost but you need a little luck when it is so tight and you have so much at stake. We found a way to win a fantastic game." Josh Duncan scored a career-high 26 points and B.J. Raymond made two late 3-pointers to key the win for the Musketeers, who made 11-of-19 3-pointers. Duncan is averaging 20.7 points in the tournament.

UCLA Earns Elite Eight Date

WEST REGIONAL -------------

(1) UCLA 88, (12) WKU 78 ------------------------

PHOENIX (Ticker) -- UCLA nearly blew a 21-point lead, but the Bruins are now just one win away from its third straight Final Four appearance. Freshman Kevin Love scored a season-high 29 points and added 14 rebounds as top-seeded UCLA withstood a second-half charge from 12th-seeded Western Kentucky to post an 88-78 victory in the regional semifinal.

James Keefe had career highs with 18 points and 12 rebounds off the bench for the Bruins, who will play Xavier in the regional final on Saturday. UCLA (34-3) had outscored the Hilltoppers, 28-7, over the final 12 minutes of the first half to take a 41-20 lead at the break, and the Bruins still led by 18 with under 12 1/2 minutes remaining. But Western Kentucky (29-7) did not go away easily, using a 9-0 run to cut the deficit to 56-47, and after eight straight points later in the half by Tyrone Brazelton, the Hilltoppers had trimmed the margin to 61-57 with 6:58 to play.

However, the Bruins hung on, later going on an 11-3 run that pushed the lead up to 74-62 with over three minutes remaining, and UCLA made 11-of-12 free throws down the stretch to keep the Hilltoppers from getting any closer than six points the rest of the way. Russell Westbrook had 14 points and 11 rebounds and Josh Shipp also scored 14 for the Bruins, who played the final 5:39 without point guard Darren Collison, who had fouled out. Collison had just four points and one assist. UCLA shot 50 percent (29-of-58) from the field and outrebounded Western Kentucky, 51-36, for the game.

Brazelton finished with 31 points and Courtney Lee had 18 on 7-of-29 shooting for the Hilltoppers, who were in their first regional semifinal since 1993.

SoCal NCAA Tournament Preview

No. 12 WKU (29-6) vs. No. 1 UCLA (33-3), 6:40 pm, CBS

PHOENIX (Ticker) - UCLA looks to continue its run toward a third straight Final Four when it takes on underdog Western Kentucky in the West Regional semifinals on Thursday.

After rolling over Mississippi Valley State in the first round, the top-seeded Bruins (33-3) escaped with a 51-49 victory over Texas A&M in the second round on Saturday. UCLA trailed by 10 early in the second half before rallying behind freshman Kevin Love and Darren Collison, who made the game-winning layup with nine seconds to play. "Once that buzzer goes zero-zero, the time clock goes zero-zero, that's when we'll stop playing," Collison said. "We've been through that all season. Ever since I've been here we've been through adversity, especially in the tournament. So there's no quitting." Collison finished with 21 points, while Love had 19, 11 rebounds and seven blocks in the win.

While many expected UCLA to reach the Sweet 16, the 12th-seeded Hilltoppers are making a surprise appearance in their first regional semifinal since 1993. Western Kentucky needed a deep buzzer-beater from Ty Rogers to post a thrilling 101-99 overtime victory over Drake in the first round, and got past 13th-seeded San Diego, 72-63, in the second round on Sunday. Tyrone Brazelton has averaged 24.0 points and Courtney Lee is scoring 22.0 points per game in the two contests for the Hilltoppers, who have made 22 3-pointers during the tournament. The winner will move on to face either Xavier or West Virginia in the regional final Saturday.

SoCal NCAA Tournament Preview

No. 9 Texas A&M (25-10) at No. 1 UCLA (32-3), 6:15 pm

ANAHEIM, California (Ticker) - Freshman Kevin Love and UCLA hardly were challenged last time out, but things should be different Saturday. Love looks to guide the top-seeded Bruins to the round of 16 when they battle No. 9 Texas A&M on Saturday in the second round of the NCAA Tournament West Regional.

In Thursday's opening round, Love poured in 18 of his 20 points in the opening half as UCLA coasted to a 70-29 win Mississippi Valley State. The Bruins' defense was stellar in holding the Delta Devils to the lowest scoring output in either the first or second round in the NCAAs. "We just come out and play hard no matter who we are playing and don't take anyone lightly. We just want to come out and play hard," Bruins forward Lorenzo Mata-Real said. "Our defense dictates what we do and we played great."

UCLA's Luc Richard Mbah a Moute should be available after sitting out Thursday to rest his injured left ankle, which he sprained in last week's Pac-10 tournament. Josh Carter matched his career high with 26 points to lead the Aggies to a 67-62 victory over eighth-seeded Brigham Young in Thursday's first-round matchup. "I felt great," Carter said. "My teammates kept telling me all week to just keep shooting and it would begin to fall and it was great to be able to get off to a great start."

The winner will move on to face either Western Kentucky or San Diego in the regional semifinals next week.

SoCal NCAA Tournament Preview

No. 16 Miss Valley St (17-15) vs. No. 1 UCLA (31-3), 6:55 pm, Thursday, CBS

ANAHEIM, California (Ticker) - Top-seeded UCLA looks to start another run to the Final Four when they play 16th-seeded Mississippi Valley State in an NCAA Tournament West Regional first-round matchup Thursday. The Bruins (31-3) enter the "Big Dance" on a 10-game winning streak, including a 67-64 victory over Stanford in the Pac-10 championship game. UCLA, which has been to the Final Four each of the past two seasons as a No. 2 seed, received the top seed for the first time since 1995 - when it won its 11th national championship. Freshman Kevin Love, the Pac-10 Player of the Year, leads the team at 17.1 points and 10.6 rebounds per game. UCLA, which returned four starters from last season's squad, has never faced Mississippi Valley State. The Delta Devils (17-15) won their last nine games en route to the Southwestern Athletic Conference crown, but had started out 0-8 in their non-conference schedule. Mississippi Valley State lost by 33 points to Pittsburgh, 32 to Baylor and by a 71-26 score to Washington State during the first month of the season. Carl Lucas is scoring 12.7 points per game and Larry Cox is averaging 12.4 and 8.0 rebounds for the Delta Devils. The winner moves on to face either No. 8 BYU or ninth-seeded Texas A&M in the second round on Saturday.

PAC-10 Tournament Preview

No. 11 Stanford (26-6) at No. 2 UCLA (30-3), 3:00 pm

LOS ANGELES (Ticker) - Kevin Love and second-ranked UCLA have had their share of close calls recently. One was a controversial win over Stanford last week. The 11th-ranked Cardinal aim for revenge on Saturday when the meet they Bruins in the Pac-10 championship game.

Love had 19 points and 10 rebounds for his 20th double double of the season, and O.J. Mayo missed a potential game-tying 3-pointer as the Bruins advanced to the final with a 57-54 win over Southern California on Friday. It was the ninth straight win for top-seeded UCLA (30-3), which became only the third team in history to win at least 30 games in three straight seasons.

However, a couple of those wins were aided by questionable calls in the final seconds. Second-seeded Stanford (26-6) battled UCLA on March 6 and held a two-point lead in the final seconds before forward Lawrence Hill was called for a foul on what looked to be a clean block. UCLA guard Darren Collison hit a pair of free throws to force overtime and the Bruins went on to win, 77-67.

The Bruins also squeaked out a 81-80 win over California on March 8 when Josh Shipp hit a rainbow jumper over the backboard with 1.5 seconds remaining. The shot was questionable since by rule when the ball is over the backboard it is considered out of bounds.

The Bruins answered questionable call with a 88-66 blowout win over the Bears in the quarterfinals and will look to do the same to Stanford, which is looking to win its first Pac-10 tournament since 2004. Stanford sophomore center Brook Lopez, who scored 30 points and grabbed 12 rebounds in Friday's 75-68 win over Washington State in the semifinals, said the Cardinal aren't worried about getting revenge against UCLA. "It's a completely different game at a different site," Lopez told the San Francisco Chronicle on Saturday.

Instead, Lopez would rather talk about the matchup with Love saying, "I'm always excited to play a great post player. He's real physical and seals off real well." UCLA could be shorthanded as Luc Richard Mbah a Moute suffered a sprained ankle in Friday's win and is expected to miss Saturday's game. Mbah a Moute is second on the team behind Love with 5.6 boards per game.

Pac-10 Tournament Preview

USC (21-10) vs. No. 2 UCLA (29-3), 6:00 pm

LOS ANGELES (Ticker) - All eyes will be on the star freshman when USC faces second-ranked UCLA for the first time ever during the semifinals of the Pac-10 Conference tournament on Friday.

The Bruins' freshman Kevin Love won the Conference Player of the Year award after averaging 17.2 points and 10.8 rebounds per game and helping UCLA to its third straight regular season Pac-10 crown. UCLA, which is looking for its second tournament title in the last three years, defeated California in the quarterfinal round, 88-66, on Thursday. Darren Collison had 19 points and five assists to lead the Bruins, who made 14-of-25 shots from the arc. Fourth-seeded USC won at UCLA this season before falling to the Bruins at home on February 17.

The Trojans, led by freshman O.J. Mayo, have won three straight and six of their last seven games. USC defeated Arizona State in the quarterfinals, 59-55, on Thursday. Mayo was smothered by the UCLA defense in the last meeting, scoring a season-low four points on 2-of-8 shooting, while being covered by Pac-10 Defensive Player of the Year, Russell Westbrook. Mayo also had a season-high 10 turnovers. But the freshman has rebounded since that game, averaging 25.7 points per contest, including 23 against the Sun Devils.

The winner of the rubber-match will meet either Stanford and Washington State in the championship game on Saturday.

Pac-10 Tournament Preview

California (16-14) vs. No. 2 UCLA (28-3), 2:30 pm

LOS ANGELES (Ticker) - Second-ranked UCLA hopes to have an easier time when they face California for the second time in less than a week on Thursday in the Pac-10 quarterfinals.

The top seed in the Conference tournament, UCLA defeated the Bears, 81-80, on Saturday after Josh Shipp made a baseline runner with under two seconds remaining. The controversial shot may have gone in from behind the backboard, which would have made it an illegal basket.

The Bruins, who are the three-time defending Pac-10 regular season champions, are on a seven-game winning streak and are looking to lock up a No. 1 seed for the NCAA Tournament. Freshman Kevin Love leads UCLA, averaging 17.4 points and 10.9 rebounds per game, and was named the Conference Player of the Year.

The Bears snapped a five-game losing streak with an 84-81 victory over Washington in an opening round contest on Wednesday. The ninth-seed in the tournament, California was led by Patrick Christopher's 25 points. The team's leading scorer and rebounder, Ryan Anderson added 22 points and 15 rebounds in the victory. The winner will face either USC or Arizona State in the semifinals on Friday.

SoCal NCAA Preview

No. 7 Stanford (24-4) at No. 2 UCLA (26-3), 8:00 pm

LOS ANGELES (Ticker) -- One team stands in the way of UCLA collecting its third straight Pac-10 regular-season title. The second-ranked Bruins host seventh-ranked Stanford on Thursday at Pauley Pavilion in a game that could decide the regular-season conference champion.

UCLA (26-3, 14-2 Pac-10) started its conference season with a 76-67 victory over the Cardinal on January 3. Junior swingman Josh Shipp scored 21 points and freshman center Kevin Love had 15 points and seven rebounds to secure the team's second straight win against Stanford (24-4, 13-3). The win was the first of 14 in conference play so far - a mark the Bruins have reached in each of the past three seasons. UCLA narrowly avoided a tie atop the conference standings with Stanford on Sunday when it edged Arizona, 68-66. Love finished with 24 points and 15 boards for the Bruins, good for his 18th double-double of the season.

The Cardinal kept the heat on UCLA the day before with 60-53 triumph over Washington State. Sophomore forward Brook Lopez poured in 25 points while twin brother Robin added 11 for Stanford, which has won four straight contests.

SoCal NCAA Preview

No. 4 UCLA (25-3) at Arizona (17-11), 1:00 pm

TUCSON, Arizona (Ticker) - In its final road game of the season, fourth-ranked UCLA goes for its fifth straight win and hopes to remain in first place in the Pac-10 Conference when it visits Arizona on Sunday.

Seeking their third straight regular-season conference crown, the Bruins (25-3, 13-2 Pac-10) hold a one-half game lead over Stanford. UCLA hosts the Cardinal in a conference showdown next Thursday. Freshman Kevin Love had 18 points and 12 rebounds and Josh Shipp and Darren Collison each scored 17 points as the Bruins posted a 70-49 victory over Arizona State this past Thursday. It was the 17th double-double of the season for Love, who leads the team with 17.0 points and 11.0 rebounds per game.

The Wildcats (17-11, 7-8) have struggled lately, losing five of their last seven - including a 70-58 setback against Southern California this past Thursday. Jordan Hill had 18 points to lead Arizona, while leading scorer Jerryd Bayless was held to just eight. A freshman, Bayless leads the team in scoring at 20.6 per game. UCLA has won the last six meetings between the teams, including an 82-60 victory on February 2.

SoCal NCAA Preview

No. 4 UCLA (24-3) at Arizona St (17-9), 7:30 pm, FSNPT

TEMPE, Arizona (Ticker) -- Arizona State needs a big win to convince the selection committee it is worthy of an NCAA Tournament bid. The Sun Devils have an opportunity to improve their resume when they host No. 4 UCLA on Thursday.

Arizona State (17-9, 7-7 Pac-10) appeared to be an early-season lock for the NCAAs after storming out of the gate to a 14-2 record on the strength of a 10-game win streak. However, Arizona State fell apart after the surge, dropping five games in a row and seven of its next nine. The Sun Devils bounced back from a two-game losing streak with a 77-63 victory over Washington on Saturday. Arizona State made 52 percent (13-of-25) of its 3-pointers - its best mark from beyond the arc since hitting 54.5 percent (12-of-22) at California on February 7, 2004.

UCLA (24-3, 12-2) picked up its third straight win with a 75-65 victory over Oregon on Saturday. Darren Collison scored 17 points while Russell Westbrook added 16 for the Bruins, which topped Oregon for the seventh time in the last eight meetings. Freshman sensation Kevin Love finished with 15 points and 11 rebounds despite being limited to just four points in the first half.

SoCal NCAA Capsule

UCLA 75, Oregon 65 ------------------------------------------

LOS ANGELES (Ticker) -- Playing through one of his worst games of his career, Kevin Love turned to the little things to help UCLA sweep Oregon. Love had 15 points and 11 rebounds after a strong finish as the sixth-ranked Bruins rallied past the Ducks, 75-65, in the Pac-10 Conference on Saturday.

Darren Collison led with 17 points and Russell Westbrook added 16 for UCLA (24-3, 12-2 Pac-10), which topped Oregon for the seventh time in the last eight meetings. This matchup proved more difficult than some of the past, especially with the sensational freshman Love - a high school star in the state of Oregon - struggling. After collecting 26 points and 18 rebounds in an 80-75 win at the Ducks on January 25, Love managed just four points in the first half as the Bruins trailed nearly throughout. Holding a 34-31 edge at the break, Oregon went on to lead by as many as 11 points, 48-37, following a jumper from Tajuan Porter with 13:53 to play.

However, that deficit would not hinder UCLA, which improved to 6-1 at home in conference play. Although the Bruins went on a 15-2 run to close within 52-50 with 8:46 to play, Love continued to struggle, making just one of three shots and missing 3-of-4 free throws. The freshman, however, did hit the boards and continue his stellar outlet passing, finding teammates wide open in transition after made and missed baskets alike. After Collison hit a 3-pointer with 4:48 remaining to snap a 54-54 tie, Love was grabbed an important rebound when Oregon was attempting to answer. He later found Collison streaking down the right sideline for a dunk and a 63-56 advantage with 3:17 to play. Fouled attempting to steal an inbounds pass by the Ducks, Love made two free throws to cap a 10-2 run that made it 64-56 with 2:51 left. Love finished 4-of-10 from the field and converted 7-of-12 free throws. Maarty Luenen scored 17 points and Malik Hairston added 16 for Oregon (15-12, 6-9), which has lost three straight games.

SoCal NCAA Preview

Oregon (15-11) at No. 6 UCLA (23-3), 12:30 pm

LOS ANGELES (Ticker) - Kevin Love already has a somewhat checkered history with Oregon. Love hopes to author another winning chapter to his storybook freshman season Saturday when sixth-ranked UCLA hosts the Ducks in a Pac-10 Conference clash.

An Oregon native, Love spurned the Ducks and his home state last year when he opted to attend UCLA. It certainly was not a popular decision for Oregon, the alma mater of Love's father, Stan Love - an all-conference forward with the Ducks in 1970 and 1972. The 6-10 Love was booed loudly on January 24 in his first return trip to Eugene, when UCLA held on for an 80-75 victory. Love overcame the poor crowd treatment to score 26 points and 18 rebounds, one of his 15 double-doubles this season.

Love has been the best player on a loaded Bruins squad this season, averaging team highs of 17.1 points and 11.0 rebounds in 26 games this season. Love admitted that he was looking ahead to Saturday's matchup during UCLA's last game, an 84-49 thrashing of Oregon State on Thursday. The freshman matched a season low with 11 points over just 21 minutes, also a season low. Russell Westbrook scored 17 points Thursday while Darren Collison added 14 and nine assists for the Bruins, who improved to 11-2 in Pac-10 play and remained one game ahead of second-place Stanford (21-4, 10-3) in the conference standings.

Oregon has lost its last two contests, including Thursday's 81-75 loss at Southern California. Malik Hairston scored 17 points to pace the Ducks, who have dropped seven of their last 10 games to fall to 6-8 in Pac-10 play. The Ducks have lost six of their last seven meetings with the Bruins, posting their only win over that span on January 6, 2007.

SoCal NCAA Preview

Oregon St (6-19) at No. 6 UCLA (22-3), 7:30 pm

LOS ANGELES (Ticker) - In a battle of the first and last place teams in the Pac-10 conference, sixth-ranked UCLA looks to avoid a major upset on Thursday when it hosts lowly Oregon State.

The Bruins (22-3, 10-2 Pac-10) bounced back from a 71-61 setback to Washington on February 10 with a 56-46 victory over USC on Sunday. Darren Collison scored 14 points and freshman Kevin Love had 13 points and 11 rebounds in the win. UCLA also held Trojans' freshman sensation O.J. Mayo to a season-low four points. UCLA has won six straight contests against the Beavers, including an 85-62 victory on January 26. Collison had a career-high 33 points in that victory, while Love had 16 points and a UCLA freshman record 21 rebounds.

At the opposite end of the Pac-10 conference is Oregon State (6-19, 0-13), which is suffering through the longest losing streak in school history, dropping 15 straight contests. The Beavers were embarrassed at home by Washington, 97-59, on Saturday in their most lopsided defeat of the season. Seth Tarver and Marcel Jones are the only two players averaging in double figures for Oregon State - which averages 60.9 points per game - at 11.1 and 10.2 points per contest respectively.

SoCal NBA Preview

No. 6 UCLA (21-3) at USC (15-8), 7:00 pm

LOS ANGELES (Ticker) -- UCLA is hungry for revenge against its fiercest rival. The sixth-ranked Bruins look to rebound from just their third loss of the season and get a degree of retribution Sunday when they face Southern California.

The Bruins (21-3, 9-2 Pac-10) hold just a one-half-game lead over No. 6 Stanford in the Pac-10 and didn't help their standing last Sunday when they suffered a dismal 71-61 setback to Washington. Things don't get any easier on Sunday against USC, which handed UCLA a 72-63 home loss during the teams' first meeting this season on January 19. Davon Jefferson scored a career-high 25 points during that game while O.J. Mayo added 16 as the pair of freshmen outdueled UCLA's first-year star Kevin Love, who had 18 points and 12 rebounds against the Trojans.

However, USC (15-8, 6-5) also enters Sunday's showdown with a loss during its last game. Jefferson and Mayo combined for just 27 points and were the only players in double figures as the Trojans were routed, 74-50, against No. 20 Washington State on February 9.

SoCal NCAA Preview

No. 4 UCLA (21-2) at Washington (12-11), 1:30 pm

SEATTLE (Ticker) - Although Washington is unranked, No. 4 UCLA may not have an easy time coming away with a win on the road against the Huskies on Sunday. Washington (12-11, 3-7 Pac-10) has won three consecutive games at home against UCLA, including a 61-51 victory over the then-No. 2 Bruins in March 2007.

However, the Huskies are in the midst of a four-game losing streak and have dropped their last three contests at the Bank of America Arena - including a 73-59 setback to Southern California on Thursday - for the first time since 2003. Washington has not lost four consecutive games at home since February 2000. UCLA (21-2, 9-1) enters Sunday's contest on a five-game winning streak following an impressive 67-59 victory at No. 17 Washington State on Thursday.

Despite being blanketed by two defenders most of the game, freshman sensation Kevin Love scored 16 points and grabbed nine rebounds as the Bruins solidified their first-place standing in the Pac-10. Darren Collison, the Bruins' second-leading scorer, benefited most from the double-team on Love, scoring all 18 of his points in the second half to seal the victory.

SoCal NCAA Preview

No. 4 UCLA (20-2) at No. 17 Washington State (17-4), 7:30 pm

PULLMAN, Washington (Ticker) -- After opening the season with 11 straight wins at home, No. 17 Washington State has lost its last two at Wallis Beasley Performing Arts Coliseum. The Cougars will have a hard time getting back on track Thursday when they host No. 4 UCLA in a Pac-10 Conference showdown.

Washington State (17-4, 5-4 Pac-10) began the 2007-08 campaign 14-0 before suffering its first setback of the season to UCLA, 81-74, on January 12. The Cougars have gone just 3-3 since their loss to UCLA, including their first two losses at home against California and Stanford in their previous two contests. Washington State has not lost three straight at home since the 2003-04 season.

UCLA (20-2, 8-1) has been on fire since losing to Southern California on January 19, winning four straight - including two on the road. The Bruins continued their winning ways Saturday, posting a decisive 82-60 victory over Arizona. Freshman Kevin Love scored 26 points and added 11 rebounds against Arizona, recording his sixth consecutive double-double. Love has dominated during UCLA's current winning streak, leading the team to an average of 83 points over the last four games.