ESPN Men's Basketball

Here's how a completely self-inflicted backlash begins: Last weekend, the Los Angeles Times ran a feature story about new UCLA coach Steve Alford.

The story, written by Chris Foster, was an entertaining and informative read largely centered around Alford's career and rise to one of the most coveted positions in college sports. It covered most of the bases devoted college basketball fans are already all too familiar with: From his successful career under Bob Knight at Indiana to his resurgence at New Mexico to the much-discussed shame of his behavior during the 2002 Pierre Pierce sexual-assault ordeal.

But there was one wholly new, eyebrow-raising detail. As Foster writes, after Alford's introductory news conference, which featured his dismissive quote about merely following administrator instructions during the Pierce mess, athletic director Dan Guerrero and the rest of UCLA's athletics staff were caught entirely off guard:

UCLA athletic administrators were stunned [by the questions about the Pierce situation]. They had signed Alford to a seven-year, $18.2-million contract with the expectation that his hiring would invigorate an apathetic fan base. They expected him to be greeted with open arms.

Guerrero was also questioned -- about whether UCLA had properly vetted its new coach and investigated what happened at Iowa. He said he "clearly discussed" the Pierce situation with Alford before hiring him.

However, when Alford was asked a similar question, he said the topic never came up.

Forget for a moment that UCLA athletic administrators expected Alford to be greeted with open arms; we'll get to that below. For now, let's focus on the fact that after Alford flubbed his opening news conference, Guerrero assured reporters he had asked his new coach about something the coach later said never came up. Whoops.

As unfortunate as that anecdote is, it was just one slightly embarrassing detail in an otherwise not-unflattering story more about Alford's overall life in basketball than his hiring at UCLA. It gained steam among understandably grumpy UCLA fans in no time, but would have likely gone away shortly after that. Guerrero was caught out. It happens. It's over. You take your lumps and live to fight another day.

Here's how a backlash really starts to take form: That's not what Guerrero did. Instead, he issued a statement. No, seriously! He issued a statement! That really happened! Let us bask in its glory:

"It is unfortunate that Chris Foster's Los Angeles Times article on UCLA men's basketball Coach Steve Alford focuses only on issues and opinions from long ago and ignores what he has accomplished since arriving at UCLA. In addition to assembling a phenomenal coaching staff, every student-athlete chose to remain a Bruin and play for Steve. I should also note that despite an exclusive interview with Chancellor Gene Block on the subject of Coach Alford, Foster failed to mention any part of the interview, including the chancellor's repeated and unequivocal support for Coach Alford and his firm belief that Steve is committed to being a Bruin and embracing the values of Coach John Wooden. Finally, contrary to the impression left by the story, Steve has been warmly welcomed by the Bruin family and the Los Angeles community. We are all excited to have Steve as our coach and are looking forward to the new season. Go Bruins!"

Yep, that's right: Not only does Guerrero apparently not understand that reporters are under no obligation to include specific portions of their reporting in any given story, he also wants everyone to recognize what Alford -- who hasn't coached a single game at UCLA -- has already accomplished at UCLA.

Far as I can tell, Alford's two accomplishments since arriving in Westwood are:

1. Managing to keep UCLA's talented young corp from transferring, and
2. Settling his outstanding contract dispute with New Mexico.

The former is no small thing. The latter is good too, I guess.

As The Sporting News' Mike DeCourcy wrote this week: By issuing that statement, Guerrero "chose to make a featurized profile of his new basketball coach into a significant news story."

Self-inflicted backlash: complete.

Perhaps the silliest part of all of this is that UCLA expected Alford to be greeted with open arms. Forget the Pierce story. Alford had just lost to Harvard. He's been to one Sweet 16 in his career; the Bruins had just fired a coach who went to three consecutive Final Fours. Worst of all, his name wasn't Shaka Smart or Brad Stevens. Where does this whole open-arms idea even come from? DeCourcy nails it:

OK, so maybe Guerrero was expecting “open arms.” Maybe that’s what he has deluded himself into perceiving. But it’s not what has occurred at UCLA since Alford became the fallback choice to run the Bruins program. And the only thing that will change the mood will be an NCAA championship the Bruins seem a long way from achieving.

That's exactly right. Unless Alford builds a consistent national title contender in Westwood, Bruins fans' sky-blue-adorned arms will remain leerily folded across their sky-blue-adorned chests. In a weird way, this should be freeing. What matters for Alford and Guerrero now is whether UCLA wins or loses, and how. It's really just that simple. Little else matters.

In the meantime, maybe write fewer angry, backlash-inducing news releases? I'm just spitballing here.

Editor's Note: This month, ESPN Insider's college basketball and recruiting experts are teaming up to examine how 15 of the nation's best recruiting classes will fit in with their teams in the 2013-14 season. Today's featured program: UCLA. Check out the Nation blog each morning for a corresponding post on the key returnee for each of the 15 teams.

Given the turmoil and turnover of the past two seasons, the damning exposés, the stylistic and disciplinary identity crises, the exodus of local talent, the constant recriminations from an angry, hungry fan base, the departure of a lottery pick with a fake birthday, the firing of coach Ben Howland this spring and the hiring of a controversial replacement (Steve Alford), it has been easy to forget one really important thing: UCLA is really talented.

Yes, Shabazz Muhammad will take his 20-year-old talents to the NBA, and point guard Larry Drew II's eligibility has expired. But other than that, the Bruins come back whole. That means a few things. It means twins Travis and David Wear, who have turned into reliable offensive players inside 18 feet, both return for their senior seasons. It means junior role player Norman Powell is back. And more than anything, it means the lion's share of 2012's No. 1-ranked recruiting class -- Jordan Adams, Kyle Anderson and Tony Parker -- are all in Westwood for their second season. This group may not have been able to save Howland's job in the matter of eight months, but it has a chance to build something longer lasting going forward.

And no one will be more important in this regard than Anderson.

Which is not to say he's the best. That would be Adams, who was easily UCLA's best player throughout 2012-13. That wasn't always a high bar to clear, particularly early in the season (when Muhammad was hurt and the Bruins looked clueless), but even late in the season, Adams remained the best and most efficient scorer on the squad. He was the only Bruin to finish the season with an offensive rating above 108; his 114.9 led the team. He shot 84 percent from the line, 54.3 percent from inside the arc and 30.7 percent from 3. He drew fouls (4.5 per 40 minutes), created steals (4.2 per 100 possessions) and posted the lowest turnover rate (10.3 percent) on the team.

In less numerical terms, Adams was good. Not perfect. Not without fluctuations. But good. And that was with Muhammad playing the same position and using 28.3 percent of UCLA's possessions. Expecting a similar effort from the Georgia native in his sophomore season -- more touches, more time in the gym this summer, and everything else that feeds into sophomore improvement -- is about as easy as expectations come. Dude's going to be good. Let's just bank that right now.

Parker is much more of a question. He had a tough time cracking the lineup in 2012-13, mostly because Howland devoted himself to a smaller, faster lineup, with Anderson as a point forward and the Wears as undersized forwards, which allowed him to keep Drew on the floor to play that adopted, spread up-tempo style. Parker should be in line for more minutes in general, especially if Alford -- who last cracked KenPom's adjusted tempo top-100 at Iowa in 2004 -- presses the brakes. The verdict remains decidedly out. If Parker shows up, great. If not, it's survivable.

Anderson, on the other hand, is pivotal.

It's easy to forget that Anderson was every bit as important to UCLA's class as Muhammad was supposed to be. He was the fifth-ranked player in the class of 2012 and one of the most unique and intriguing talents in years. At 6-foot-9, he is a walking matchup nightmare with the size to put smaller defenders under the rim and the guard skills to run the show from the top of the key. He's a great passer, a capable rebounder and shot-blocker on the defensive end, and those long arms constantly, almost unintentionally invade passing lanes.

But in 2012-13, as interesting as all of this was, those discrete skills failed to congeal into a greater whole. In high school, Anderson earned the nickname "Slow-Mo," and when he was going 65-0 in two years at St. Anthony's it was (obviously) a compliment -- an ode to Anderson's slow-but-steady, old-school style. It's a fun style to watch in the modern college game, but there were plenty of times when Anderson's lack of speed seemed to hold him back. That, in turn, fed into the overall downsides of being a "tweener." Anderson's role in a fluid lineup was never really clear. His weaknesses often overrode his strengths; it's a lot harder to carve up a defense when everyone knows you shoot 21.1 percent from 3. His lack of sheer quickness and foot speed reduced his advantages as a guard and allowed regular forwards to guard him straight up. He was a man without a country.

It doesn't have to be that way. For one, most freshmen struggle to some degree. For another, Anderson's skills, if utilized properly, are a major asset. He shouldn't always play point guard -- and UCLA will be able to try out 11th-ranked incoming point guard Zach LaVine at that spot -- nor should he never play it. There has to be a balance, and the balance has to recognize what Anderson does well. But even if Anderson did nothing else on the floor, having a player of his size to whip smart extra passes around the court is a coach's dream. He can link everything up. With weapons around him, Adams in particular, Anderson can be the lynchpin in a smooth, smart, easy offense.

He also has to develop those skills. If you're going to play on the perimeter, you have to be a credible shooter. If you're going to play point guard, you have to be the best ball handler on the floor. If you're going to play down low, you have to be strong enough to battle with guys who do that full time. And if you don't commit to any or all of those things -- if you don't transcend the limitations, and treat your weaknesses like David Byrne -- you end up stuck on Tweener Island. Nobody wants to get stuck there.

For all of the mess at UCLA in the past two years, Howland's parting gift was a recruiting class that lasted longer than one quick-fix season. So, yes, there is a ton of talent here. Adams should be the star of the team. Parker is incredibly intriguing. There are solid role pieces to pull from, the Wears chief among them. But no one Bruin's trajectory will be more interesting to watch, and no returning player will be more important to UCLA next season, than Slow-Mo.

UCLA fans have a lot on their psychological platters right now. Not only are they doing their best to forget the last four years of Ben Howland's tenure, they must also wrestle with what it means that a coach run out of Iowa in the same spring UCLA went to its second of three-straight Final Fours was just appointed as Howland's replacement. So my apologies, Bruins fans. I don't mean to pile on, but I would like to recount my favorite Howland story of the past season.

On Saturday, March 2, after UCLA completed a season sweep of Arizona, Howland made a startling blatantly obvious statement: Freshman guard Shabazz Muhammad had just played his final game in Pauley Pavilion:

"That was his last game in Pauley, no doubt about it," Howland said. "I'm very much a realist now. I knew going into this deal that this was a one-year deal, and it should be. He's a lottery pick. He's a top-five pick. When you have that going for you, it is absolutely the right thing."

Pretty straightforward stuff, right? Howland knew the deal when he signed Muhammad, whether he knew Muhammad's father, Ron Holmes, had shaved a year off his son's real age or not: After eight months, the kid was gone. Holmes had spent the better part of a decade grooming his son for NBA riches. Of course he was going to leave for the NBA at the first possible moment. And there's nothing wrong with that! Let's just be real about it.

But for some strange reason I still can't fathom, Howland's startling blatantly obvious statement about Muhammad's draft decision generated at least some minor local controversy. When asked, Muhammad handled it well. "I never said I'm not coming back even though I know I'm in a pretty good position draft-wise," he said. "But I'm looking at our team next year and we could be really good. I'm just worried about this season right now and whether I want to come back or not -- that'll be after the season." Within a couple of days, it got to the point where Howland actually had to apologize at his next news conference, if less out of necessity than optical preference:

"I'm sorry that I even -- I'm sometimes too honest because it would have been better to have answered that question differently the other day because I've never discussed it with Shabazz," Howland said. "It's just kind of obvious when a kid is a lottery pick that they're going to be going to the NBA in this day and age."

But, but ... wait! He might come back! Don't make the decision for him, Ben! Let kids be kids! Loud noises!

From the Associated Press today:

The Pac-12 co-freshman of the year on Tuesday announced the news that had been expected since he arrived in Westwood: He's leaving to enter the NBA draft.

And ... fin.

1. The NCAA's random date of April 16 to declare for the NBA draft isn't pressuring a number of players into making quick decisions. Coaches are now savvy to the date as being meaningless. That's why Gonzaga's Kelly Olynyk may wait to decide until the NBA's own early-entry deadline of April 28. Olynyk is probably going to be the same player in the NBA whether he declares next season or this. He is a Wooden All-America and, if he were to return, would be one of the contenders for player of the year. Missouri's Phil Pressey is also weighing a similar decision over the next few weeks. A number of players haven't outlined their intentions but have plenty of time, like Miami's Shane Larkin, Kansas' Ben McLemore, Oklahoma State's Marcus Smart, Georgetown's Otto Porter, Ohio State's Deshaun Thomas, Syracuse's C.J. Fair and Michael Carter-Williams, Louisville's Russ Smith as well as Indiana's Cody Zeller. Cal's Allen Crabbe joined the list of draftees earlier Wednesday. I fully expect Indiana's Victor Oladipo, Louisville's Gorgui Dieng, UCLA's Shabazz Muhammad and Michigan's Trey Burke to declare soon. No official word out of Connecticut, but the staff is anticipating -- at this point -- that guards Shabazz Napier and Ryan Boatright will return (smart move if it happens, since they don't have an NBA home to go to next season).

2. The Big Ten suddenly got incredibly younger with this week's two coaching hires -- Northwestern announcing Chris Collins and Minnesota tabbing Richard Pitino. The under-40 club will give the league a new look. The two take over programs that are striving for consistency, but both desperately need an upgrade in facilities to hang with the big boys. Collins and Pitino will need to use their youthful enthusiasm to build momentum since the dollars aren't in place for facilities they were used to -- Collins was at Duke and Pitino at Louisville and Florida before his stop at Florida International. Northwestern had been looking at Collins for quite some time. But Pitino was clearly a new name for Minnesota in the past week as athletic director Norwood Teague looked for an off-the-grid-type hire like he made at Virginia Commonwealth. Pitino got off to an impressive start in his coaching career at FIU with the upset of Middle Tennessee in the Sun Belt tournament and a chance to earn the league's automatic NCAA tournament berth. Now he'll face his toughest challenge of his career. He has a brand name in basketball, which carries weight, but will need to put together a strong staff to quickly earn the trust of his players this spring and summer. This can work at both places. Memphis, for example, has been a soaring success under Josh Pastner. Pastner led the Tigers to conference titles and NCAA tournament appearances as a young, vibrant assistant-turned-head-coach of a major program. Collins was a fit at Northwestern so there's no issue there. But give Pitino a chance to see if this could work.

3. Old Dominion looked like it was set to go to former Western Kentucky and Georgia coach Dennis Felton before the Monarchs and athletic director Wood Selig tabbed American's Jeff Jones. This hire came out of left field, but might end up being one of the better fits. Jones played and coached at Virginia and should be able to recruit well in the fertile Tidewater area. Jones had made American a consistent Patriot League contender, which isn't easy to do in a conference where Bucknell and Lehigh are the anchors. ODU knows who it is and wanted to gravitate toward a coach that made sense. This hire does.

Steve Alford discusses why he decided to leave New Mexico for UCLA.

Andy Katz breaks down UCLA's decision to hire former New Mexico coach Steve Alford.

1. UCLA, USC and Minnesota are finding out what Oregon and others have discovered in how difficult it is to extract coaches from good situations. On the surface the jobs are perceived as better jobs than what some of these coaches currently have, but leaving a comfortable situation, an athletic director or president that they get along with, and facilities can be difficult to match. Oregon was fortunate when it landed Creighton's Dana Altman, but he was down the list. How many schools get their first choice? Even Wichita State's Gregg Marshall has a great situation for him. He makes more than $1 million and is now at the top job in the Missouri Valley Conference. Marshall could make his style work at any of the three openings. All three schools should make a major play for him. But he doesn't have to move now that he made the Elite Eight. Butler's Brad Stevens, Gonzaga's Mark Few and VCU's Shaka Smart have listened, but don't need to move and haven't so far. This is a humbling experience for these ADs when they go out expecting to find a coach and struggle.

2. We'll see what happens over the weekend, but I still think Flip Saunders would be the perfect fit for Minnesota. He's working for ESPN as an NBA analyst and loves the Gophers. He could do for Minnesota what Fred Hoiberg has done for Iowa State. A former UCLA staffer is convinced that the Bruins could end up with Washington's Lorenzo Romar. The point being made was that the Bruins need a coach who can work Los Angeles as well as the country club crew. He also would play an up-tempo style. Romar won the Pac-12 in 2012, but didn't make the NCAAs. He didn't make it again this year. Romar could be a fall-back candidate, but he wouldn't be a bad settling choice for the Bruins at this point. UCLA, USC and Minnesota had to make plays for names, but in the end they all got played.

3. Indiana could be a Big Ten title contender again in 2014 with Cody Zeller. He has a month to consider (by the time of the NBA deadline) and get worked by agents. But Zeller was exposed against Syracuse as playing too short and not being able to get his shot off in a half-court set. Zeller will have to seriously consider if he's ready. He can get drafted, but he won't be able to contribute, and so much now is about the second contract. He needs to get into the league and be ready to play. He's not. Meanwhile, Indiana's Victor Oladipo is and will be a lottery pick with his overall athleticism, and ability to defend and score in a variety of ways. I would be shocked if he returned.

1. Minnesota coveted VCU’s Shaka Smart, but his former boss, current Golden Gophers athletic director Norwood Teague, couldn’t convince Smart to come to the Twin Cities (he should know Smart is loyal to VCU) for the head-coaching job from which Tubby Smith was just fired. According to sources, the Gophers have now turned their attention to Iowa State’s Fred Hoiberg and Butler’s Brad Stevens. We’ll see, but I’ll be shocked if either were to go to Minnesota. Hoiberg is the Mayor in Ames (it's his alma mater) and has Iowa State in a good place after back-to-back NCAA tournament appearances. If Hoiberg were to leave for Minnesota, the NBA's Timberwolves, not the Gophers, would make more sense. I can’t see Stevens bolting, either, with how much he loves the Butler way and working for AD Barry Collier. Stevens can have a lifetime contract at Butler, much like Mark Few has at Gonzaga. If they can't convince either of these two, the Gophers may make a play for Cincinnati’s Mick Cronin. But Cronin is from Cincinnati and loves his gig, too. The only reason he might listen is if he sees the need to go to a school in a more stable conference.

2. NC State has made it clear that coach Mark Gottfried hasn’t heard anything from UCLA. Athletic director Debbie Yow also is quick to remind everyone of the $3.75 million buyout in Gottfried’s contract, which she terms non-negotiable. Much as he got many in the Research Triangle to warm to NC State, Gottfried would fit at UCLA. But it would be too hard for UCLA to pry him out of Raleigh. Multiple sources continue to think the Bruins may have to go with an NBA coach. But there are other options out there -- Washington’s Lorenzo Romar, a former UCLA assistant, hasn’t been contacted; apparently neither has Colorado’s Tad Boyle, who has recruited Los Angeles well. USC, meanwhile, might end up going with a quality coach, albeit not a huge name. Remember, Oregon didn’t get its first choice, but did land a big-time talent in Dana Altman. It can be done.

3. Hofstra athletic director Jeff Hathaway has made it clear he wants a current head coach for its vacancy, according to sources, making it seem more realistic he would lean toward coaches like Iona’s Tim Cluess and/or Tom Moore of Quinnipiac. Quality openings like Old Dominion and Siena remain. Meanwhile, sources close to former UCLA coach Ben Howland anticipate he’ll sit out next season rather than take a job.

 
Andy Katz weighs in on Shaka Smart's decision to remain at Virginia Commonwealth despite interest from Minnesota and UCLA for their head-coaching vacancies.

ESPN college basketball analyst Bruce Pearl says the UCLA basketball fan base is the most delusional in college sports , explains why Louisville has a tough road to the Final Four, talks about how Reggie Johnson's absence will impact Miami, and more.

 
Jay Bilas reacts to the report that Ben Howland has been fired as head coach at UCLA.

AUSTIN, Texas -- Ben Howland made it way too easy.

The embattled UCLA coach was supposed to scratch, claw and fight for the remaining years on his contract and, perhaps, have his team -- a group of players assembled with the most hype this side of Kentucky -- ready to play, rather than resigned to play, in the NCAA tournament. But instead of playing like they were backed into a corner, the coach and his sixth-seeded Bruins decided to exit stage left, losing rather haphazardly to No. 11 seed Minnesota 83-63 in the round of 64 on Friday at the Erwin Center. Now the wonder around Westwood is whether Howland will be shown the door after 10 seasons.

That's been the speculation. Howland has certainly provided enough kindling to fuel the rumors with less-than-stellar NCAA showings since 2008, the last of three consecutive Final Four runs -- and this season, less-than-stellar results with what was the nation's second-rated recruiting class.

Then there was Bruins legend Bill Walton with the lighter fluid, squeezing it and the program for all they were worth on an ESPN broadcast back in February.

"I'm not in charge. If I were, things would be different,'' Walton said on air when asked by partner Dave Pasch about the program's laundry list of ills.

UCLA athletic director Dan Guerrero has remained out of the fray, with a department spokesman telling ESPNLosAngeles.com earlier this week that Guerrero's schedule was packed ahead of the team's trip to Austin.

Now it has come to this. UCLA (25-10) is out of the NCAA tournament at the hands of a Minnesota team that had lost 11 of its previous 17 games. It's an embarrassing end for a Bruins program that made the tournament for only the second time in four seasons, and advanced to the round of 32 once in those two trips. Butler, VCU and the Ivys -- among many others -- have far surpassed that. In that time, Gonzaga has staked a firm claim as the West Coast's marquee program, a title once unquestionably UCLA's.

"No comment,'' Howland said Friday when asked about his future.

That future appeared to be on the minds of many, as the smattering of UCLA fans behind the Bruins bench gave Howland a longer-than-normal round of applause following the loss to the Golden Gophers (21-12). Howland said he didn't hear or notice the moment.

One Friday moment he did appear to notice, over and over, were the missed shots and opportunities.

"It kind of just snowballed,'' Howland said.

And now it appears that Howland has a snowball's chance in … well, Southern California. His contract runs through the 2017 season, and there's a $3.2 million buyout -- no small consideration for a cash-strapped public university. But attendance at the newly renovated Pauley Pavilion topped 10,000 five times this season, so the basketball program at least appears to have the potential to raise substantial revenue.

Dollars and cents were the furthest things from Howland's mind following the loss. Instead, the coach worked to pay homage to his team.

"I am really proud of this group of kids and really indebted to them,'' he said. "So coachable.''

Now UCLA just has to figure out who that coach will be.

LAS VEGAS -- Tears trickled down Larry Drew II's cheeks as he walked through the long corridor leading to UCLA’s locker room Friday. Eventually the Bruins point guard pulled his jersey over his face, shouted a profanity and began to sob.

Trailing a few steps behind, guard Kyle Anderson clasped his hands on top of his head and dropped his jaw. “Oh my god!” he said. “Oh my god!”

Less than a half hour earlier, UCLA had advanced to the title game of the Pac-12 tournament with a 66-64 semifinal victory over rival Arizona. But shortly after leaving MGM Grand Garden Arena court pumping their fists in celebration and waving to the crowd, the Bruins were hit with some sobering news.

An X-ray revealed that freshman Jordan Adams, the team’s second-leading scorer, had broken a bone in his right foot on the final play of the game. He will miss the remainder of the season.

UCLA coach Ben Howland received the news from Bruins trainer Laef Morris as he exited a postgame news conference that was also attended by Drew II and Anderson. The players overheard the conversation and immediately became emotional.

Drew swore loudly before reaching the locker room, where Howland informed the rest of the team about Adams’ injury.

Adams, who scored a game-high 24 points, was among the players trying to defend a potential game-tying shot by Wildcats forward Solomon Hill as time expired.

A 6-foot-5 freshman guard, Adams didn’t seem seriously injured as the final buzzer sounded. He hobbled through the handshake line and then retreated to the locker room for X-rays. Soon after, it was revealed that Adams had broken the fifth metatarsal in his right foot. Adams, who left the arena on crutches, suffered a similar injury in high school.

“It doesn’t get worse than this,” forward Travis Wear said.

Adams, who averages 15.3 points, proved how much he means to the Bruins on Friday. In what was arguably his finest performance as a collegian, Adams helped his team rally from an 11-point second-half deficit. The victory marked UCLA’s third triumph this season over the Wildcats.

“We didn’t even celebrate the win,” freshman Shabazz Muhammad said. “It’s just doesn’t seem right for someone to get hurt like that this late in the year.”

The main storyline surrounding UCLA this season has been its resiliency. Bruins fans were calling for Howland’s firing after an early loss to Cal Poly and narrow victories over Cal-Irvine and struggling Texas. Josh Smith and Tyler Lamb transferred from the program before the end of the first semester.

But the Bruins just got tougher.

Despite counting three freshmen (Adams, Anderson and Muhammad) among its top players, UCLA improved at a rapid pace and won the Pac-12 regular-season title.

“It’s been hard for us all year, with the transfers and the little nagging injuries and now this,” Drew II said. “It’s tough. But there’s something about this team. We find ways to make things happen when it seems like all is lost.”

UCLA, however, has not suffered a setback as significant as the loss of Adams this season. The freshman has at times this season played better than Anderson and Muhammad, his more highly touted classmates.

Adams scored 13 straight points during UCLA’s second-half rally Friday. The Bruins trailed 49-38 before staging their comeback. Adams was 6-of-13 from the field and 11-of-13 from the foul stripe.

This injury likely means that backup Norman Powell will slide into a starting role. Powell is already a significant part of the rotation, contributing 21.2 minutes and 5.9 points off the bench.

UCLA’s players said they’re confident Powell will step up to the challenge in Saturday’s Pac-12 tournament title game against Oregon -- and again during the NCAA tournament, which begins next week. The Bruins, 25-8, have won eight of their past 10 games.

“I just know we’ve got tough guys out there -- physically and mentally and psychologically,” Anderson said. “Norman Powell is a really tough player. It’s a terrible loss, but it’s not as bad knowing that we’ve got him coming in to fill that spot.

“It’s going to be tough to go without him, but it’s all part of handling adversity, and that’s something we’ve shown we’re pretty good at.”

1. Oregon's Dana Altman got the Pac-12 coach-of-the-year award, but the honor should have gone to UCLA's Ben Howland. Howland has done his best coaching job since he has been at UCLA -- and that includes the three consecutive Final Four runs. Consider this: UCLA won the Pac-12 outright despite losing two rotation players, had to deal with eligibility and injury issues with Shabazz Muhammad and pieced together a team that had a mix of transfers and freshmen to win the conference. Howland was able to get Larry Drew II to play to his potential in his last season in college. Howland had to alter the way he coached. And he did all of this under the pressure and scrutiny that accompanied a perception that his job was in jeopardy. The Bruins had their moments of hard-to-fathom losses like Cal Poly early and at Washington State late -- but they still found a way to win the conference and are a real threat to make a run in March.

2. The reason the new Big East might not start out with 12 schools in the fall instead of 10 is the lack of consensus among the seven schools forming the new league. The best-case scenario would be for the new Big East to start fresh with a dozen. But if there isn't agreement on the schools beyond 10, they will wait for another year. Butler and Xavier are the locks to get first invites, with a debate raging among different factions over Creighton and Dayton for No. 10. Saint Louis is the other school that could ultimately be in the group. Having a primarily basketball-driven conference isn't a new concept. It's called the Atlantic 10. Georgetown coach John Thompson III wasn't being sentimental about the end of the Big East on Thursday. He said the Big East isn't going anywhere and neither is the tournament. He's technically right.

3. Northwestern athletic director Jim Phillips has to make a decision on the fate of coach Bill Carmody in the coming week. Carmody hasn't been able to get Northwestern in the NCAA tournament, but then no one has in Evanston. Carmody has had tremendously bad luck and is a well-respected coach for a reason. He has poured all his energy into trying to get the Wildcats into the NCAA tournament. Northwestern should be able to make a cameo every so often, like Stanford. The Wildcats are always going to be in a better position than most to earn quality wins due to the strength of the Big Ten, and probably just have to finish sixth to be in the chase for a bid. That will become more difficult with 14 teams, but still doable. If Northwestern were to go in another direction, I don't see how how Duke associate head coach Chris Collins, a native of the northern Chicago suburbs, doesn't get the first call. Carmody deserves a chance to state his case for what he has done to make the Wildcats competitive and what he can still achieve.

This year’s race for the Wooden Award may come down to a missed free throw attempt and a layup that never found its way through the net. With the NCAA tournament less than a week away, those are the only things separating Indiana’s Victor Oladipo and Michigan’s Trey Burke in the battle to be named national player of the year.

At least in my opinion.

Burke and Oladipo faced off in the Big Ten regular-season finale Sunday. In a high-stakes game that decided the conference championship, Burke wilted when it mattered most. With his team leading 71-70 with 28 seconds remaining, Burke clanked the front end of a one-and-one opportunity, and Indiana capitalized on a layup by Cody Zeller that gave the Hoosiers a 72-71 lead with 14 ticks left.

Burke had a chance to win the game on the ensuing possession, but he missed a contested layup, and Jordan Morgan’s putback attempt in the final seconds was off target. Indiana celebrated the outright Big Ten title on Michigan’s court. The Wolverines finished in a tie for third place and will be the No. 5 seed in this week’s Big Ten tournament.

Burke has had a tremendous season, but in a race this close, winning and performing well in the clutch are the deciding factors. Here’s my latest ballot.

1. Victor Oladipo, Indiana -- The junior wing does everything for the Hoosiers. He averages 13.7 points, 6.2 rebounds, 2.2 steals and 2.1 assists and sets the tone on the defensive end. He’s the key reason why Indiana emerged as the champion of the nation’s toughest conference.

2. Trey Burke, Michigan -- The sophomore averages 19.2 points and 6.8 assists -- and he also leads the country in assist-to-turnover ratio. Michigan, though, has lost five of its final 10 regular-season games. As a point guard, Burke needs to provide more leadership as the Wolverines prepare for the Big Ten and NCAA tournaments.

3. Doug McDermott, Creighton -- As one of the top offensive players in the country, McDermott is the focal point of every opposing defense. Still, the junior forward is averaging 23.1 points on 56.1 percent shooting for the Bluejays, who won the Missouri Valley Conference regular-season championship along with the league tournament.

4. Otto Porter, Georgetown -- NBA scouts love the versatility of the 6-foot-8 sophomore, who can bring the ball up the court like a point guard on one play and get down and dirty in the paint the next. Porter helped Georgetown win a share of the Big East title despite the loss of the top three scorers from last season.

5. Kelly Olynyk, Gonzaga -- What’s not to like about the 7-foot Canadian? In just 25.7 minutes per game, Olynyk averaged 17.4 points and 7.2 rebounds for a Zags squad that finished 31-2 and won the West Coast Conference regular-season and tournament trophies. Gonzaga will likely be a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament for the first time in school history thanks to Olynyk.

On the cusp:

Erick Green, Virginia Tech -- Despite being on the last-place team in the league standings, Green was named ACC Player of the Year this week following a regular season in which he averaged a nation-best 25.4 points while shooting 48.2 percent from the field.

Shane Larkin, Miami -- It’d be a crime not to include the leader of a team that won its first ACC title in more than a decade. A sophomore point guard, Larkin averages 13.7 points, 4.4 assists and 2 steals.

Rodney McGruder, Kansas State -- The senior wing led K-State to its first conference title since 1977 by averaging a team-high 15.1 points and 5.2 rebounds. The first-team All-Big 12 selection had 22 points in Saturday’s loss at Oklahoma State.

Ben McLemore, Kansas -- The freshman was one of the few players who performed well in Saturday’s 23-point loss to Baylor. He scored 23 points and is now averaging 16.7 points for the Big 12 co-champions.

Shabazz Muhammad, UCLA -- Projected as a lottery pick in this summer’s NBA draft, Muhammad led the Bruins to the outright Pac-12 title by averaging 18.3 points and 5.1 boards. He shot 45 percent from the field and 41.7 percent from beyond the arc.

Mason Plumlee, Duke -- The 6-10 Plumlee was back in beast mode Saturday, when he scored 23 points and grabbed 13 rebounds in a blowout win against North Carolina in Chapel Hill. He’s a lot better with Ryan Kelly in the lineup.

Marcus Smart, Oklahoma State -- The freshman point guard is averaging 22.5 points in his past two games along with 7 rebounds. He was named Big 12 Player of the Year, a high honor considering he had strong competition from KU’s Jeff Withey and Ben McLemore.

Deshaun Thomas, Ohio State -- The Buckeyes enter this week’s Big Ten tournament on a five-game winning streak thanks, in large part, to Thomas. He’s averaging 17.8 points during that span and 19.7 points on the season.

Jeff Withey, Kansas -- The 7-foot center ranks second in the nation among active players in blocks with 4.1 per game. The first-team all-league selection averages 13.6 points and 8.6 rebounds and shoots 58.2 percent from the field.

Cody Zeller, Indiana -- The Hoosiers center was the best player on the court during Sunday's Big Ten title-clinching win at Michigan. He finished with 25 points and 10 rebounds and made the winning basket with 14 seconds remaining.