UCLA Holds At No.2 and No.3

By Bruin Basketball Report

After completing its conference regular season with two exciting wins at home against California and Stanford, UCLA remained at No.2 in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll and No.3 in the AP this week.

UCLA moved up to No.6 in the RPI and are No. 22 in strength of schedule.

Track weekly changes in UCLA rankings here.

ESPN/USA Today Poll

1. North Carolina (23) 29-2, 766
2. UCLA (4) 28-3, 721
3. Memphis (3) 30-1, 720
4. Tennessee 28-3, 697
5. Kansas (1) 28-3, 650
6. Wisconsin 26-4, 582
7. Duke 26-4, 569
8. Texas 26-5, 565
9. Georgetown 25-4, 564
10. Butler 28-3, 452
11. Stanford 24-6, 444
12. Xavier 26-5, 408
13. Louisville 24-7, 383
14. Notre Dame 24-6, 344
15. Connecticut 24-7, 317
16. Purdue 24-7, 296
17. Vanderbilt 25-6, 272
18. Drake 28-4, 235
19. Michigan State 24-7, 188
20. Indiana 25-6, 175
21. Washington State 23-7, 165
22. Gonzaga 25-6, 153
23. Brigham Young 25-6, 127
24. Marquette 22-8, 91
25. Davidson 25-6, 60

Others Receiving Votes Clemson 33, Mississippi State 26, USC 24, Saint Mary's 17, South Alabama 10, Kentucky 10, Arizona State 6, Kent State 2, Western Kentucky 2, Pittsburgh 1.

AP Top 25

1. North Carolina (52) 29-2, 1,776
2. Memphis (13) 30-1, 1,693
3. UCLA (5) 28-3, 1,646
4. Tennessee (2) 28-3, 1,626
5. Kansas 28-3, 1,517
6. Texas 26-5, 1,360
7. Duke 26-4, 1,316
8. Wisconsin 26-4, 1,309
9. Georgetown 25-4, 1,300
10. Xavier 26-5, 1,043
11. Stanford 24-6, 1,036
12. Butler 28-3, 976
13. Louisville 24-7, 959
14. Notre Dame 24-6, 802
15. Connecticut 24-7, 767
16. Drake 28-4, 672
17. Purdue 24-7, 646
18. Vanderbilt 25-6, 565
19. Michigan State 24-7, 497
20. Gonzaga 25-6, 474
21. Washington State 23-7, 375
22. Indiana 25-6, 357
23. Davidson 25-6, 181
24. Brigham Young 25-6, 154
25. Marquette 22-8, 128

Others Receiving Votes Clemson 64, USC 57, South Alabama 43, Mississippi State 21, Kent State 11, Baylor 7, Pittsburgh 6, Oklahoma 4, Kentucky 3, Cornell 3, West Virginia 3, Western Kentucky 1, Kansas State 1, Saint Mary's 1

Bruins Climb to No.2 and No.3 in Polls

By Bruin Basketball Report

With a sweep in the desert of both Arizona schools, the Bruins leap-frogged Memphis in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches to No.2 and climbed to No.3 in the AP this week.

The team has not been ranked this high since the third week of the season when the Bruins were No.1 and No.2 in the Coaches and AP polls, respectively. The following week they suffered a loss at home to Texas.

UCLA is now ranked No.7 in the RPI and are No. 34 in terms of strength of schedule.

The Bruins have a chance to improve upon their position when they face No.7 ranked Stanford at Pauley Pavilion on Thursday night. UCLA finishes the regular season Saturday against California on "Senior Day".

Track weekly changes in UCLA rankings here.

ESPN/USA Today Poll

1. North Carolina (19) 27-2, 763
2. UCLA (6) 26-3, 718
3. Memphis (6) 28-1, 717
4. Tennessee 26-3, 695
5. Duke 25-3, 621
6. Kansas 26-3, 618
7. Stanford 24-4, 572
8. Wisconsin 24-4, 535
9. Texas 24-5, 533
10. Georgetown 24-4, 521
11. Xavier 25-4, 492
12. Butler 27-3, 393
13. Louisville 24-6, 368
14. Connecticut 23-6, 356
15. Purdue 23-6, 314
16. Vanderbilt 24-5, 305
17. Indiana 24-5, 297
18. Michigan State 23-6, 283
19. Notre Dame 22-6, 246
20. Marquette 21-7, 141
21. Drake 25-4, 116
22. Washington State 22-7, 102
23. Gonzaga 23-6, 99
24. Brigham Young 23-6, 94
25. Mississippi State 20-8, 44

Others Receiving Votes:
Clemson 43, Saint Mary's 29, Davidson 27, Pittsburgh 7, UNLV 6, USC 6, Baylor 5, Kentucky 4, South Alabama 3, Western Kentucky 1, Arizona State 1.

AP Top 25

1. North Carolina (38) 27-2, 1,745
2. Memphis (21) 28-1, 1,706
3. UCLA (12) 26-3, 1,664
4. Tennessee (1) 26-3, 1,625
5. Kansas 26-3, 1,459
6. Duke 25-3, 1,403
7. Stanford 24-4, 1,317
8. Xavier 25-4, 1,232
9. Texas 24-5, 1,227
10. Wisconsin 24-4, 1,199
11. Georgetown 24-4, 1,147
12. Louisville 24-6, 1,010
13. Connecticut 23-6, 848
14. Butler 27-3, 813
15. Purdue 23-6, 779
16. Vanderbilt 24-5, 658
17. Michigan State 23-6, 657
18. Indiana 24-5, 646
19. Notre Dame 22-6, 578
20. Drake 25-4, 346
21. Marquette 21-7, 334
22. Gonzaga 23-6, 323
23. Washington State 22-7, 245
24. Clemson 21-7, 124
25. Davidson 23-6, 74

Others Receiving Votes:
Brigham Young 63, Mississippi State 34, South Alabama 27, Pittsburgh 25, Saint Mary's 22, Kent State 19, Miami (FL) 13, Baylor 7, UAB 7, USC 7, Arizona State 4, Virginia Commonwealth 3, Western Kentucky 3, Texas A&M 3, Cornell 2, Robert Morris 1, Stephen F. Austin 1.

UCLA Rises To No.4 In Latest Polls

By Bruin Basketball Report

A sweep over both Oregon schools coupled with key losses by Duke and Kansas last week helped propel UCLA to a No.4 ranking in both national polls this week.  Both the Blue Devils and Jayhawks fell out of the Top 5.

The Bruins (24-3, 12-2)routed Oregon State, 84-49, and followed it up with a tough 75-65 win over the Oregon Ducks on Saturday at Pauley Pavilion.   

This week's polls crowned a new No.1 after the Tennessee Volunteers upset previously undefeated Memphis over the weekend, 66-62, in an epic battle between No.1 and No.2.

Besides UCLA, the Pac-10 was represented in both polls by Stanford (22-4, 11-3) at No.8 and Washington State (21-6, 9-6) at No.22.

UCLA's RPI ranking dropped this week despite two wins to No.9 fom No.7.  Its SOS, strength of schedule, also took a hit as a result of playing lowly Oregon State at home, dropping to No.38 from No.21.

The Bruins travel to the desert this week to face Arizona State on Thursday and the Wildcats of Arizona on Saturday.

Complete Associated Press Poll (AP)
Complete Coaches ESPN/USA Today Poll
Complete Ken Pomeroy RPI Ranking
2007-08 UCLA Rankings Weekly Changes

UCLA Holds Strong At No.6 In Rankings

By Bruin Basketball Report

UCLA (22-3, 10-2) maintained its spot at No.6 in both the AP and Coaches polls this week. The Bruins defeated the Trojans, 56-46, on Sunday at the Galen Center to stay one-half game ahead of Stanford for first-place in the Pac-10 conference.

The Bruins maintained their RPI ranking at No.7 while the team's SOS improved slightly to No.21.

Two other Pac-10 teams, Stanford (21-4, 10-3) and Washington State (20-5, 8-5) remained in the top 25 polls.

No.9 Stanford split their two games on the road last week, losing to Arizona State and beating Arizona. While the Cougars at No.19 swept both Oregon schools on each of their respective home courts.

In the top five rankings of the polls, with both Duke and Kansas suffering a loss last week, the Tennessee Volunteers (23-2) moved up to No.2 in the polls thereby setting up a potential No.1 vs. No.2 match-up against Memphis next weekend at the Tigers' FedEx Forum.

Memphis is the only undefeated team remaining in Division I, holding a perfect 25-0 record.

Complete Associated Press Poll (AP)
Complete Coaches ESPN/USA Today Poll
Complete Ken Pomeroy RPI Ranking
2007-08 UCLA Rankings Weekly Changes

Bruins Drop To No.6 In Latest Polls

By Bruin Basketball Report

After a split in the state of Washington, voters in both the Coaches and AP polls agreed UCLA should be ranked No.6 this week.

The Bruins were ranked No.4/5 last week but were dropped by voters after following an impressive win against Washington State with a disappointing loss to Washington in Seattle.

With Stanford sweeping both Oregon schools, the Cardinal improved to No.7 in both polls - their highest placement this season. The only other Pac-10 school in the rankings is Washington State at No. 20 in the Coaches and No.21 in the AP poll.

The top five team in both national polls are Memphis, Duke, Kansas, Tennessee, and North Carolina, respectively.

One interesting but puzzling note; the Arizona Wildcats received a scattered number of votes in both polls, however, Arizona State, which swept their series with the Wildcats last week, did not receive a single vote.

In the wonderful world of RPI ranking computations, despite splitting their games last week, UCLA's RPI and strength of schedule actually improved this week. The team's RPI ranking improved to No.7 from No.10 and its SOS increased from No.29 to No.22.

The RPI rankings are heavily influenced by road victories, and UCLA's win in Pullman over No.23 RPI-ranked Washington State pushed up the Bruin's RPI ranking this week.

Complete Associated Press Poll (AP)
Complete Coaches ESPN/USA Today Poll
Complete Ken Pomeroy RPI Ranking
2007-08 UCLA Rankings Weekly Changes

Bruins Climb to No.4 in Coaches Poll

By Bruin Basketball Report

After convincing home wins against Arizona State and Arizona last week, the Bruins moved up to No.4 in the coaches poll while maintaining their spot at No.5 in the AP poll.

Kansas, formerly No.2, was upset by Kansas State over the weekend and dropped to No.5 in the coaches and No.4 in the AP ranking.

Memphis, Duke, and North Carolina are the top three teams, respectively, in both national polls.

UCLA's average winning margin of 27.5 last week was impressive considering both desert schools are likely candidates for the postseason NCAA tournament.

The Bruins (20-2, 8-1) finished the first-half of conference play one-game ahead of Stanford (18-3, 7-2) in the Pac-10 standings.

Stanford moved into the top 10 in both polls at No.9 after sweeping both Washington and Washington State on the road. The Cougars (17-4, 5-4) dropped to No.17 in both rankings.

With Pac-10 teams blooding each other up in head-to-head play, no other conference team is in the top 25 polls.

In the RPI rankings, UCLA moved up to No.10 from No.12 in RPI and its strength of schedule (SOS) improved to No.29.

UCLA travels up to the Pacific Northwest to face Washington State and Washington on the road this week. They will have to do it without Luc Richard Mbah a Moute who sprained his ankle in the second half of the Arizona contest on Saturday. The junior forward is expected to miss at least seven days.

2007-08 UCLA Rankings Weekly Changes: LINK

UCLA Moves Up To No.4 In Rankings

By Bruin Basketball Report

See weekly changes in UCLA rankings

With victories over both Washington and Washington State at Pauley Pavilion, the Bruins (16-1, 4-0) took a step up to No.4 in both the AP and ESPN/USA Today Coaches polls this week.

The Cougars dropped from their perch at No.4 down to No.8 in the polls.

The top three teams above UCLA are all undefeated at this time; North Carolina, Memphis, and Kansas, respectively.

Arizona State (13-2, 3-0) moved into the top 25 for the first time since the 1994-95 season. Coach Herb Sendek's young team is one-half game behind UCLA in the Pac-10 race. The Sun Devils beat intrastate rival Arizona last week, 64-59.

Freshman James Harden has sparked Arizona State in the early going. The former Artesia high school phenom is averaging 18.2 points on 54.9% field goal shooting.

No other Pac-10 teams are ranked, both Arizona and Stanford fall out of the polls after suffering setbacks last week.

UCLA has been steadily climbing the RPI ladder since beginning Pac-10 play. The Bruins are No.6 in the RPI ranking and currently possess the No.25 top strength of schedule (SOS) in the nation.

BBR Notes: Center Kevin Love was named the U.S. Bank Pacific-10 Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Week for Jan. 7 - 13.

For the week, Love shot 12-18 (.667) from the field, 3-of-5 (.600) from three-point range, 11-of-14 (.786) from the free throw line and averaged 19.0 points, 10.5 rebounds, and 4.0 assists. This is the second weekly honor for Love and UCLA's 47th Player of the Week all-time.

Bruins Maintain No.5 Spot, Begin Climb Up RPI

By Bruin Basketball Report

After sweeping through the Bay area last week with convincing victories over Stanford and California, UCLA maintained its spot at No.5 in both the AP and Coaches polls. 

The top four teams, North Carolina, Memphis, Kansas, and Washington State, each won their games last week to remain undefeated and maintain their 1-4 spots in both polls.

UCLA (14-1, 2-0) and Washington State (13-0, 2-0) clash next Saturday at Pauley Pavilion in a titanic match-up between the top best teams in the Pac-10 conference.

Stanford, ranked No.23, is the only other Pac-10 school to occupy a spot in both polls.  Surprisingly, the Coaches poll has Arizona at No.24 despite the Wildcats dropping a home game on Saturday to Oregon.

Herb Sendek's Arizona Sun Devils made a push in the polls earning votes from both writers and coaches.  The Sun Devils swept both Oregon schools at home last week and are currently tied atop the Pac-10 standings with the Bruins.

Although still early in the season, UCLA's RPI improved dramatically with their two road wins last week.  The Bruin's RPI ranking improved from 55 to 15, in addition its SOS (Strength of Schedule) improved from 209 to 46.

UCLA In 2008 Wooden Classic, Fall To No.8 In Polls

By Bruin Basketball Report

The Bruins will return to play in the John R. Wooden Classic in 2008, UCLA's' 12th appearance and 6th consecutive in the college basketball doubleheader.

The UCLA vs. Davidson and Saint Mary vs. San Diego State match-ups in the 14th annual event on Saturday attracted 17,440. The Bruins are 8-3 in the event named for their former coach.

Next year's doubleheader will be played on Dec. 13 at the Honda Center in Anaheim. UCLA's opponent and the other matchup will be announced later.

After rallying to defeat Davidson, 75-63, at the Wooden Classic, both weekly polls ranked UCLA (8-1) at No.8.

The Bruins already ranked eigth in last week's ESPN/USA Today Coaches poll were dropped to the eigth spot in the AP Writers poll this week with Washington State (9-0) overtaking UCLA.

The Cougars had an impressive week defeating No.19 Gonzaga on the road, 51-47, and then had little trouble disposing of Portland State, 72-60 in Pullman.

The Pac-10, considered one of the top conferences in the nation carry a cumulative 62-17 (.785) record against Division I non-conference opponents so far this season. Only two other Pac-10 teams, Oregon and Arizona, are in the top 25 rankings.  The Ducks (7-1) are No.16 in both polls while the Wildcats (6-2) are No.22 in the coaches and No.21 in the writer's voting.

North Carolina, Memphis, and Kansas hold the top three spots in both polls this week.

UCLA faces Idaho State (2-6) this Saturday at Pauley Pavilion.  The Bengals hail from the Big Sky Conference, and in their last game lost to Boise State, 93-61.

BBR Notes: Listing of UCLA basketball starting lineups in history: LINK [New]

UCLA Falls To No.7 and No.8 In Weekly Polls

By Bruin Basketball Report

After losing to Texas on Sunday at home, 63-61, and falling from the ranks of undefeated teams, UCLA dropped to No.7 in the AP writer's poll and to No.8 in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches poll this weak.

North Carolina, Memphis, and Kansas hold the top three spots in the rankings.  After beating UCLA, Texas vaulted from No.8 to No.4 in the AP and No.5 in the Coaches polls.

Four Pac-10 teams are in the Coaches top 25; Washington St. #6, Oregon No.18, and Arizona No.24.  While in the AP poll there are five Pac-10 teams; Washington St. #8, Oregon #19, Arizona #22, and USC #24.

UCLA's next game is against Davidson in the Wooden Classic on December 8 at the Honda Center in Anaheim.  Davidson is led by high-scoring guard Stephen Curry.

UCLA No.2 In ESPN/USA Today Preseason Ranking

By Bruin Basketball Report

EPSN/USA Today Coaches preseason poll released today has the UCLA Bruins ranked at No.2.

Despite receiving two less first-place votes than UCLA, the North Carolina Tar Heels appeared atop the poll edging the Bruins 739 to 734 points.

Memphis, Kansas, and Georgetown rounded out the top five spots.

The Pac-10, expected to be one of the toughest conferences this year, had a total of six teams in the top 25 ranking. In addition to UCLA, the other five Pac-10 teams were Washington St. at No.10, Oregon at No.13, Arizona at No.17, USC at No.18, and Stanford at No.21.

Neither Florida nor Ohio State, the teams that played for the national championship, made the Top 25.

The ESPN/USA Today poll is voted on by a panel of 31 Division I head coaches. UCLA head coach Ben Howland does not vote on the poll.

UCLA Holds Steady in Polls, Still No.2 in SOS

By Bruin Basketball Report

With a sweep of both Arizona schools last week, UCLA maintained its No.2 ranking in the USA/ESPN Coaches and No.3 in the AP polls. 

In the all important RPI ranking, the Bruins continued their grip on the No.1 position, and still ranked as playing the No.2 toughest strength of schedule (SOS) in the nation.

It was easy for detractors of the Bruin's schedule to pick on UCLA's choices of opponents during some of the early non-conference games, but when all is said and done, the Bruins will have faced one of the toughest schedules in the nation.

In contrast, the defending NCAA champions, Florida Gators, are ranked No.1 in both national polls but carry only a No.29 RPI rating and a SOS rating of No.113.  A tough SEC conference will improve Florida's SOS, but at the end of the season it still will not be anywhere close to UCLA's tough SOS rating .

In the AP and Coaches polls, of the top five ranked teams, only Kansas dropped down after losing to Texas Tech on Saturday.  Florida, UCLA/Wisconsin, and North Carolina still occupy their spots in the top five.

In the AP this week USC make its first appearance in the polls this week at No.25 while they are on the cusp of joining the Coaches poll. 

Other Pac-10 teams in the polls: Oregon continued its move up the polls, ranking No.7 in both polls; Arizona dropped to No.17/No.19 after being swept in Los Angeles, and Washington State resides  at No.20/No.18.  In addition, Stanford received votes in both polls.

Bruins Climb in Polls, Still No.1 in RPI

By Bruin Basketball Report

With North Carolina's upset loss to Virginia Tech last weekend, UCLA climbed a spot in both national polls this week coming in at No.2 in the USA Today/ESPN Coaches and No.3 in the AP polls.

Florida jumped into the No.1 spot in both polls; Wisconsin is No.3 in the Coaches and No.2 in the AP; and North Carolina fall to No.4 followed by Kansas to round out the top five.

The Bruins (15-1, 4-1) are coming off a stunning one-point victory over crosstown rival USC, 65-64.  They are tied for first-place with the Oregon Ducks in the powerful Pac-10 conference race. 

Pac-10 teams are well represented in both polls. In addition to UCLA, No.10 Oregon, No.12 Arizona, and No.21 Washington St. are ranked in the Coaches poll while Stanford, USC, and Washington each received notice from voters.  In the AP poll, only three teams remained with Washington St. just missing the final spot in the ranking.

The Bruins remained No.1 in the RPI rating and is now No.1 in strength of schedule (SOS).  With tough remaining games against Pac-10 teams and non-conference opponent West Virginia, UCLA will finish with one of the toughest schedules played in Division I this season.

UCLA will host Arizona St and and Arizona at home this week after playing three consecutive games on the road. 

Bruins Predictably Drop in Polls

By Bruin Basketball Report

For the first time in six weeks UCLA (14-1, 3-1) is not ranked atop the national polls.  After a split 1-1 record in the state of Oregon last week, the Bruins dropped to No.3 in the ESPN/USA Coaches and No.4 in AP national polls.

While UCLA fall in both national polls it still maintained No.1 rating in the RPI and No.2 in strength of schedule (SOS).

North Carolina moved into the top spot in both polls followed by Florida at No.2.  Wisconsin snuck by UCLA to No.3 in the AP while Ohio St. rounded out the top 5 in both polls.

The Bruins suffered their first loss of the season on Saturday losing to the Oregon Ducks 68-66 in Eugene.  UCLA's perimeter defense was unable to shut down Oregon's Aaron Brooks who went for 25 points.  Moreover, the Bruins struggled against the Ducks zone defense which limited them to just 36.4% shooting and one point production between UCLA stars Arron Afflalo and Darren Collison in the first-half.  Despite their struggles, UCLA still managed to have a chance to tie or win in their last possession of the game.

Meanwhile the Ducks' rankings (14-1, 2-1) were relatively unchanged, coming in at No.17 and No.15 spots in the Coaches and AP polls, respectively.

The strength of the Pac-10 this season becomes more evident every week.  UCLA Head Coach Ben Howland has maintained five Pac-10 teams should make the NCAA tournament this season - he may need to consider expanding the total of teams making the tourney to six.

Who would have guessed the best time in the state of Washington this season was located in Pullman?  For the first time since 1983 the Washington St. Cougars (14-2, 3-1) are in the top 25 ranking with the Coaches ranking them at No.23 and the AP No.22.  The Cougars have veteran players and an excellent coach in Coach Tony Bennett.  Washington St. will give teams trouble all season with their outstanding defense.

With splits last week, Arizona (12-2, 3-1) dropped to No.8 in the Coaches and No.10 in the AP while Washington (11-4, 1-3) dropped to No.24 in the Coaches but fall completely out of the AP poll.

The Trojans of USC earned points in both polls for the first time this season.  If the Trojans continue to improve, or if the Lopez twins at Stanford continue to mature, it certainly wouldn't be surprising to find at least six Pac-10 teams in the tourney.

The Pac-10 conference maintains the top RPI ranking among all Division I conferences and have an overall conference record of 90-22 against Division i teams.

UCLA No.1 in Polls, Move to No.1 in RPI

By Bruin Basketball Report

With a sweep of the Washington schools last week at home, the UCLA Bruins retained their hold of the No.1 ranking in both the AP and ESPN/USA Today Coaches national polls. 

The Bruins received all but one first-place in the AP poll but were a unanimous No.1 selection in the Coaches poll.

In addition, UCLA has the No.1 RPI rating (Rating Percentage Index) and has played the 2nd toughest schedule (SOS) in the nation according to the Ken Pomeroy RPI ratings.

Last week UCLA disposed of Washington St. 55-52 in a tough Pac-10 opener, and then routed rival Washington on Sunday, 96-74. 

After losing both their games last week, the Washington Huskies dropped to No.24/No.20.  The Arizona Wildcats remained No.7 in both polls while a fourth Pac-10 team, Oregon, is ranked No.16/No.17

West Virginia, an upcoming non-conference UCLA opponent, recently moved up to No.25 in the AP poll and is on the cusp of joining the top-ranked in the Coaches poll.

In their first road trip of the season to a visitor's gym, the Bruins face the Oregon St. Beavers (8-6, 0-1) on Thursday and then travel to Eugene to play the undefeated Oregon Ducks (13-0, 1-0) on Saturday. 

It's Unanimous, UCLA is No.1

By Bruin Basketball Report

At least in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches poll, everyone agrees, UCLA is No.1.  The Bruins received all 31 first-place from coaches voting in this week's poll.  While in the AP, the Bruins received all but one first-place vote to remain atop the poll for the fourth straight week.

Undefeated UCLA (11-0) impressed voters by swamping Michigan, 92-55, on Saturday.  Earlier in the week, the Bruins defeated Sam Houston, 75-61.

UCLA remained ranked No.2 in the RPI ratings, trailing only Arizona.  Moreover, the Bruins rank No.6 in strength of schedule (SOS).

The Bruins bring their top ranking into Pac-10 conference play on Thursday when they open against Washington St. (11-1) and then face Washington (10-1) on Sunday at Pauley Pavilion.

Pac-10 teams continued their climb up in the latest polls:  Arizona (9-1) reached a No.7 ranking with a big win over No.18 Memphis last week;  Washington moved to No.13/14 with home victories over No.15 LSU and Weber St.; and Oregon (11-0) remained undefeated with a win over Mercer to go to No.20.  Washington St. remained on just the periphery of both polls.

Ohio St. dropped out of the top five after losing to Florida this weekend, 86-60, leaving North Carolina, Florida, Wisconsin, and Duke to round out the final four spots after UCLA in both polls.

Bruins Remain No.1 in Polls, No.2 in RPI

By Bruin Basketball Report

With a 21-point romp over Oakland on Saturday UCLA retained its No.1 ranking in both the AP and ESPN/USA Today Coaches poll.  The Bruins are also ranked No.2 in the RPI ratings per Ken Pomeroy's ratings.

"Its great for the program, the players and the Pac-10," UCLA Coach Ben Howland said.  But the great thing about college basketball is that it will all be decided in the NCAA tournament and what really matters is April 3rd (championship game)."

On whether he felt his team was deserving of its No.1 ranking, Howland said "There are probably 15 teams who are very close to one another.  There is so much parity in college basketball that the difference between teams is minute."

UCLA junior guard Arron Afflalo gave his perspective on warding off teams looking to knock off No.1.

"We realize it gives opponents an incentive to play hard against us," Afflalo said.  We have to find a way to fight off an opponent's adrenaline at the start of the game, and once we get through the first part of the game ourselves we tend to settle down.

Other Pac-10 teams in the polls: Arizona solidified its position at No.9 with a win over Houston (87-62); Washington is No.17 after defeating Portland St. (105-73); and Oregon is No.21/23 with victories over Eastern Washington (100-74) and Idaho St. (84-55)   

Washington St. received votes in both polls again this week.  The Bruins face the Cougars in their Pac-10 conference opener on 12/28.

Pittsburgh previously ranked No.2 in both polls fall to No.7 after losing to Wisconsin on Saturday.

Pac-10 Rises, UCLA Remains No.1

By Bruin Basketball Report

Last season when UCLA Head Coach Ben Howland suggested the Pac-10 conference should regularly have five teams represented in the NCAA tournament every year, some people scoffed at the idea. 

But in a season in which the Pac-10 is ranked second in overall RPI, Howland is beginning to look like a pretty good prognosticator.

Four Pac-10 teams show up in both the AP and ESPN/USA Today polls this week while a fifth Pac-10 team, the surprising Washington St. Cougars (9-1), received votes in both polls.

With victories over CS Fullerton and No.6 Texas A&M last week, UCLA (8-0) remain atop at No.1 in each poll and are joined by three other Pac-10 teams - Arizona, Washington, and Oregon.

In the AP and ESPN/USA Today polls respectively, Arizona (7-1) moved up to No. 10/No.11 with victories over Louisville and San Diego St.; Washington (7-1) was knocked out of the top 10 with a loss to Gonzaga and are at No.17/14; and Oregon (7-0) makes its first 2006 appearance in the top 25 at No.22/24 after defeating Nebraska last week.

Its still early but the Pac-10 conference has been nothing short of impressive in non-conference play.  Pac-10 teams carry a combined 66-16 (.804) record against non-conference competition to this point.

With a tough game against highly ranked Texas A&M on Saturday, UCLA moved up to No.2 in RPI ranking and have played the No.14 toughest schedule in the NCAA this season.

Following UCLA in the top 5 of both polls are Pittsburgh, North Carolina, Ohio St., and Florida.

UCLA Tops Both Polls This Week

By Bruin Basketball Report

After a week which included victories over two Big West opponents, the UCLA Bruins sit atop both the national AP and ESPN/USA Today Coaches polls. 

UCLA received 25 of the 31 first-place votes in the Coaches poll while No.2 ranked Pittsburgh received 6 first-place votes.  Previous Coaches poll No.1, Ohio St., dropped from the top spot after a loss to North Carolina.

After a grueling set of games at the Maui Invitational, the Bruins came home last week to face two over-matched Big West teams.  The Bruins pulled away from Long Beach St., 88-58, for an easy victory on Tuesday and then sacked an injury-depleted UC Riverside team 61-38 on Sunday afternoon.

As a result of playing two lowly ranked teams last week, UCLA dropped to No.8 in RPI while their strength of schedule rating plummeted to No. 44.

Texas A&M, the Bruin's opponent at the Wooden Classic on Saturday, moved up to No.6 this week.  The Aggies defeated Pacific 74-62 last weekend and will face No.11 LSU tomorrow in Baton Rouge before arriving for the match-up in Anaheim.

A second Pac-10 team, the Washington Huskies (6-0), moved into the Top 10 in the Coaches poll at No.8 but are ranked No.13 in the AP. 

Arizona (5-1) comes in ranked at No.14 and No.15, respectively, in the AP and Coaches polls.  Undefeated Oregon (6-0) received increased votes in both polls and may move into the top tier with a defeat of Nebraska later this week.

The Bruins defend their unanimous No.1 ranking on Tuesday against CS Fullerton in Westwood and then travel to the Honda Center in Anaheim to face Texas A&M on Saturday.

UCLA Vaults to No.1 in AP, No.2 in Coaches Polls

By Bruin Basketball Report

For the first time since their 1994-95 NCAA championship season, the UCLA Bruins sit atop the Associated Press (AP) poll at No.1. 

It is UCLA's 129th poll with a No.1 ranking, nineteen more than the second-place Duke Blue Devils.  The Bruins received 36 of 72 first-place votes.

After sweeping through ranked opponents, Kentucky and Georgia Tech, to win the EA Sports Maui Invitational and combined losses by former No.1 Florida and No.2 North Carolina, UCLA vaulted from No.5 to the top ranking this week.   

AP voters also passed over Pittsburgh and Ohio State, both ranked higher than UCLA last week but who have played a less competitive schedule thus far in the season.  Pittsburgh and Ohio State are ranked No.2 and No.3, respectively, in the AP poll

In the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll UCLA is ranked No.2 behind Ohio State this week.   The Bruins received 13 first-place votes while the Buckeyes received 11.   Ohio State faces a tough challenge this week facing North Carolina at home. 

"Our players will be excited," UCLA coach Ben Howland said. "I wish it was the last one as opposed to the early poll. We still have a lot to go through."

UCLA is also ranked No.1 in both RPI (Rating Percentage Index)  and SOS (Strength of Schedule) per Ken Pomeroy's in-season RPI analysis this week.  Both the RPI and SOS are used by the NCAA tournament committee to determine seedings for tournament play in March.

The Bruins are back at Pauley Pavilion this week and play host to Long Beach St. on Tuesday and UC Riverside on Saturday.