I've made my thoughts clear on the importance of patience this season and I agree with N that we need to keep things in perspective, but that doesn't diminish the importance of tonight's game. Tonight's game will not tell us whether or not we will be a good team or whether this team is capable of winning a national title, but it will play a HUGE part in our seeding for the tournament.

The Pac 10 was the nation's top conference last season, but six players from the conference were taken in the top 15 of the NBA Draft and it will take a toll on the conference. The conference will be down this season and a team will not have 12 or 14 chances in conference play to pick up quality wins. In addition, the RPI of Pac 10 teams will not be as high as they were last year for the same reason. That places greater emphasis on non-conference play because for a team to earn a high seed, it is imperative for them to have marquee non-conference win and a couple quality wins out of conference.

Last season, all four #1 seeds had RPI's in the top 5. On top of that, every #2 seed had a RPI in the top 10 and every #3 seed has a RPI in the top 15. You can argue that the RPI is flawed and not a true indicator of which teams are elite (and I would tend to agree with you), but the numbers don't lie. The selection committee places a lot of emphasis on the RPI and if you're aiming for a high seed, you need a high RPI. How do you get a high RPI? Well you not only have to win games, but you must do so against a difficult schedule and pick up road and neutral court wins (if you want to get detailed you need strong opponent's SOS, etc.).

That brings us to UCLA and tonight's game. The Bruins came into this season with three chances to pick up a marquee win or two. While other nice wins are out there, games against Duke, Texas and Notre Dame were UCLA's chance to pick up the marquee win. The loss to Michigan prevented the Bruins from the chance at the Duke win and now there are two chances left to pick up that big win. One of them comes tonight when UCLA plays a team that is not only outstanding, but they get a chance to do it on the road. If UCLA wants to pick up a seed similar to the ones they've had the past two seasons, they need to beat Texas or Notre Dame and they may need to win both.

This doesn't mean that I either expect UCLA to win tonight or that they're chances for a fourth consecutive Final Four are done if they lose tonight. The Bruins can certainly enter the tournament as a #4, #5 or #10 seed and still make it to Detroit, but we have all seen the benefits of being a high seed and playing out west and if the Bruins want to have that advantage again this season, a win tonight could be imperative.

I'm going to begin this with another plea to all Bruin fans to show up to some of the smaller sports and support the Bruins. The attendance numbers for some of the teams is atrocious. Women's basketball is averaging only 719 early on. You don't have to show up to every event, but pick one team and try to follow them closely. Go to games, check up on their results online, whatever it is. If you give these student-athletes just a little of your time by showing up and supporting them, I guarantee you they'll make it worth it with some fantastic play.

Women's Soccer

As I mentioned yesterday, the Bruins defeated Duke 6-1 on Saturday to advance to their sixth consecutive College Cup. The top-seeded Bruins will face another #1 seed in North Carolina on Friday at 4 pm PST. The game will be broadcast live from Cary, North Carolina on ESPNU. Should the Bruins win, they will face another top seed as both the teams in the other semifinal, Notre Dame and Stanford, are also #1 seeds. The final will be played at 11 am PST on Sunday and will be live on ESPN2. Here are some numbers related either to the Bruins' season or the College Cup. 1) The Bruins have allowed only one goal in the NCAA tournament and only five goals all season. 2) With a win on Friday, the Bruins will reach the 23 win mark which would be a new school record. 3) UCLA has recorded three consecutive undefeated home seasons now, a streak of 55 matches. 4) Not only will the College Cup be comprised of four #1 seeds, but the four schools have a combined record of 92-2-5 this season. UPDATE: NCAA.com has highlights of the match versus Duke. Go to this link and click highlights. UCLA/Duke should be one of the options. Click it and the highlights should play on the right side of the window.

Women's Volleyball

The women's volleyball team got a couple of big wins on Tuesday and Friday, then a rather favorable draw on Sunday. First, they took down a good Pepperdine squad in four sets at Pauley Pavilion, led by Ali Daley's 20 kills. Then on Sunday the Bruins beat USC, again at Pauley Pavilion, in a dominating straight set performance. Daley led the Bruins again, this time on her senior day, with 15 kills and 13 digs as the Bruins won 25-22, 25-16, 26-24. The win was UCLA's 20th on the year, wrapping up the program's 10th consecutive 20 win season. On Sunday, the Bruins found out the draw for the NCAA tournament, where they are the #14 national seed and will host their first and second round matches. UCLA will play LSU in the first round on Friday at 8 pm PST and should they win, will play the winner of the San Francisco-Duke match on Saturday at 7 pm PST. A link to the bracket and any other information regarding ticket prices or game times can be found here.

Men's Water Polo

Unfortunately, the Bruins saw their season come to an end this weekend. UCLA got off to a good start in the MPSF tournament when they beat Cal 11-8 on Friday. That set them up for a semifinal showdown with USC, but the undefeated Trojans dispatched of the Bruins by a score of 9-5. That sent UCLA to the 3rd place match where they lost to Stanford, 10-7. While the loss to Stanford ended their chances of making the unforgiving 4 team NCAA tournament, there was little chance they'd be selected even if they had beaten the Cardinal. The Bruins finished the season 16-8 and fourth in the MPSF.

Women's Basketball

The Bruins responded well to their first loss of the season at #11 Maryland last week as they won both of their games this week. First, the Bruins racked up their first road win of the season at Cal Poly on Wednesday night by a score of 57-48. UCLA was led by Nina Earl's 12 points and Tierra Henderson's 9 rebounds as the Bruins held the Mustangs to 33.3% shooting. On Sunday, the Bruins kicked off a four game home stand with their largest margin of victory in six years. The Bruins defeated Cal St. Northridge 96-53 as four Bruins scored in double figures and played exceptional defense, holding the Matadors to 32.2% shooting. Up next for the Bruins is two more home games as they welcome Cal St. Bakersfield to Pauley Pavilion on Wednesday and host Nevada on Sunday.

Cross Country

The men's team competed in the NCAA Championships and finished right around where htey were expected to. The Bruins came in to the meet ranked #27 in the country and finished 26th in the season's final race. The Bruins finished fifth among Pac 10 schools with Cal, Washington, Stanford and national champions Oregon placing above them.

Men's Golf

Senior Erik Flores competed in the Western Refining College All-American Golf Classic last week and finished a respectable 10th as he finished the tournament on par. The men's team is done for the season and will be off until the spring season begins in February.

Swimming and Diving

UCLA's swim and dive team will conclude their fall season this weekend with the Texas Invitational in Austin, Texas. The meet is one of the nation's biggest and will provide a good indicator of where the Bruins are heading into the spring season.

Calendar (all times pacific)
Wednesday, December 3
Women's Basketball vs. Cal St. Bakersfield, 7:00 pm- Pauley Pavilion
Thursday, December 4
Women's Swim & Dive, Texas Invitational, All Day- Austin, TX
Friday, December 5
Women's Soccer vs. N. Carolina (NCAA Semifinals), 4:00 pm- Cary, NC, TV- ESPNU
Women's Volleyball vs. LSU (NCAA 1st Round), 8:00 pm- Pauley Pavilion
Women's Swim & Dive, Texas Invitational, All Day- Austin, TX
Saturday, December 6
Women's Volleyball vs. Duke/San Francisco (NCAA 2nd Round), 7:00 pm- Pauley Pavilion
Women's Swim & Dive, Texas Invitational, All Day- Austin, TX
Sunday, December 7
Women's Basketball vs. Nevada, 2:00 pm- Pauley Pavilion

Ticket information for all sports can be found here while facility information and directions for all sports can be found here. GO BRUINS!!!

The top-seeded UCLA women's soccer team defeated third-seeded Duke in the quarterfinals of the NCAA tournament to advance to their sixth consecutive College Cup. The Bruins dominated all aspects of the match and it showed in the score and they came away with a 6-1 victory. The Bruins outshot the Blue Devils 27-7, had 9 corner kicks to Duke's 1 and forced the Duke goalkeeper to make 13 saves while UCLA's Ashley Thompson was only called upon to make two.

"It's just clicking for us right now," said UCLA head coach Jillian Ellis of her team's effort on Saturday. "I thought all 11 players stepped up and were committed tonight. And I'm not just talking about the starters. This was a complete team effort, and I'm just so happy that we were able to advance to another College Cup."

The Bruins scored the first goal of the game when McCall Zerboni found the net in the fourth minute, but Duke evened the game up 10 minutes later. The Bruins were not fazed by allowing their first goal of the tournament though as Lauren Cheney put the Bruins back ahead four minutes later. Despite having complete control of the match, the Bruins struggled to get themselves a cushion. The Duke keeper made a number of fine saves and the ball always seemed to bounce the wrong way for the Bruins as the Blue Devils remained within a goal until just before half when Cristina DiMartino gave the Bruins a 3-1 lead. The second half played out just like the first as the Bruins tacked on three more goals, two by Kristina Larsen and advanced to the College Cup. How might the Bruins fare next week? Ask Duke head coach Robbie Church.

"We gave up more set play goals that we have all year. A lot of that goes to UCLA's experience. I've seen a lot of the teams in the Final Four and this UCLA team is as good a team as I've seen in the country. I wouldn't bet against them next week in Cary."

The Bruins will continue their run at the national championship on Friday in Cary, North Carolina against the nation's top program historically, North Carolina. Both the Bruins and Tar Heels are #1 seeds, as are Stanford and Notre Dame, the two teams in the other semifinal. The Bruins and Tar Heels will play in the second semifinal at 4 pm PST and the game will be broadcast live on either ESPNU or ESPN2. Should the Bruins win, they would play at 11 am PST on Sunday on ESPN2 for the national title.

This sets up quite the week for Bruin athletics. On Thursday the men's basketball team travels to Texas. On Friday the women's soccer team will play their national semifinal and on Saturday the Trojans visit the Rose Bowl. Throw in the first and second rounds of the NCAA women's volleyball tournament and we've got ourselves a hell of a week. GO BRUINS!!!

Defenses used to be far better than they are today at the college level. The NCAA has continued to limit the amount of practices, time of practices and contact coaches can have with players. The amount of time players have with coaches is far less than it used to be and it shows on the defensive side of the ball. For the same reasons the WCO is ineffective at the college level (not enough time to practice it), the spread is effective (not enough time to develop solid defensive fundamentals).

It is far easier to be successful offensively than it is defensively with limited practice time. The offense is in control and the defense has to react. On offense a player’s natural athletic ability can carry him very far. If you’re a dynamite athlete you will be successful in open space. If you can get athletes the ball in open space, you don’t need to coach them from that point on. Their athletic ability will handle the rest. On the other hand, if you get a defender in open space, he’s going to lose every time.

Think about the progression of a play. A receiver, running back or tight end just has to run his route. The defender has to read the play, find his way through bodies and get in position to tackle. If the quarterback can get the ball in a playmaker’s hands then he just has to use his athletic ability. A defender has to break down the offensive player, square him up, make a tackle and do all of this while he’s guessing what the offensive player will do. The offensive player is in control because he can do whatever he wants. He’s not bound by what the defensive player is doing. It’s far easier to be the chasee than the chaser. Now that’s just why is harder to be a defensive player than offensive player in one on one matchups.

There’s also the fact that defenders don’t practice the fundamentals often. With decreased practice time, there isn’t time to do intensive tackling, footwork and all the other individual drills. There’s barely enough time to work on scheming to get the players in position in the first place. Let’s see how the spread exploits this.

The spread, in any form, is one of the simpler offenses out there. It essentially works to get one on one matchups all over the field. If you’re going to pass out of the spread then the goal is to spread the field to either force a soft zone, which the offense can nibble at all the way down the field, or to force the defense to play man to man without any safety help or a personnel mismatch in coverage. If players are in one on one matchups the offense is going to win every time because #1, the offense if the chasee to the defense’s chaser and #2, the tackling and footwork of defenders has gone downhill with the amount of practice time.

Now when you’re talking about running out of the spread, the offense does the same thing as they do against the pass. To defend a 3 or 4 wide spread you must be in nickel or dime. If you’re not then you’re forced to play a soft zone that the offense can nibble at all the way down field. Now with a nickel or dime personnel spread wide because of the offensive formation the offense can run the ball against 5 or 6 in the box. That’s a win for the offense every time if they have a decent line because each lineman is allowed to get into a man on man matchup without the responsibility of getting onto a linebacker. At most, there will be one free linebacker and if one linebacker has to defend the entire box against the running back, he will lose to a decent running back nearly every time. The first time the running back will face a challenge is once he gets to the safeties and by then he’s picked up 8 yards.

As you can see, the entire point of the spread is to create one on one matchups. One on one matchups, combined with the inherent advantage of the offense and the diminishing fundamentals of the defense caused by practice time, allows the offense to win nearly every battle. If a defense is far more talented then the offense, the spread can be stopped, but if the talent level is marginally close or the offense has better talent, the defense has close to no shot.

As a coach you just want to put your players in a position to succeed and one on one matchups does that if you’re calling the offensive plays. That is why the spread works. Take the spread to the NFL and it wouldn’t move the ball because #1, NFL defense are faster and #2, NFL defenses are far better fundamentally and schematically because it is their job. They work on it 24/7. College players don’t have that luxury.

The spread is here to stay, at least in the college game and that is why. One on one matchups.

That was my comment on the spread, which I posted as part of the discussion spurred by Rhapsode's great fanpost. Rhapsode was commenting on the term "spread offense" and his belief that the spread i not an offense, but a formation.

The spread is a formation out of which a coach can run different offenses based on the talent available.  Watch Florida, Oklahoma, Texas Tech, and last year's West Virginia team and see what the offenses have in common.  Here's a hint: nothing.  Texas Tech almost never runs the ball while West Virginia tried not to throw the ball.  Sam Bradford is a drop pack passer while Tim Tebow leads his team in carries .  The only similarity between all of these teams is that they will often put  just 5 men up at the line and always have multiple split out receivers.

As you would expect, some disagreed with Rhapsode, including bucknellbruin.

the “spread” can actually be referred to as an offense. The “Pro-Set Offense”, which USC runs, is actually just an offense based off of pro sets, or pro-set formations. Our offense, which is common in college football, is the multiple offense, because it is run out of multiple formations. Hence, since Leach, Meyer, etc use primarily spread formations, the offense is referred to as the “spread”.

Then SuperBruinMan chimed in with his thoughts.

The problem is that Urban Meyer and Rich Rodriguez run the spread option, which is different. Too often they get lumped together, even though the spread option is more just a variation on the triple option.

The object of Rhapsode's post was to differentiate between the spread formation and the spread offense, however I believe he made a more poignant statement with this comment.

What I am trying to say is that scheme and play calling, whether out of the spread formation or a more conventional formation, need to fit the personnel available.  One offense or another does not guarantee more points, better recruits, or more wins.  Besides, like in basketball, the true goal is efficiency.  If you score on every possession, it doesn't matter if your drives take 1 minute or 10.

So in Rhapsode's opinion, Norm Chow's offense will be fine so long as athletic players who fit the system are recruited. While Norm Chow's offense could in fact be successful, is it really the way UCLA should go? It's very easy to argue that the Bruins should definitely be going the way of the spread when you consider that 7 of the nation's top 10 teams and the nation's 11 highest scoring offenses are running the spread. When you see those numbers, it's very easy to side with those who believe the spread is the way to go. That type of offense, whether the spread option or any other form of it has been very successful as of late. Of course, the team would need talent to be effective regardless of the scheme, but what about the future of the offense?

There's another side to that as well though. Defenses are starting build around the ability to stop the spread. Rhapsode also made this observation.

If you haven’t watched Oklahoma’s defense, it is something to behold. I don’t think I have ever seen a faster defense. This defense was built to stop spread offenses, whether they run or pass. There is speed at every position and the defense can clearly (after TTU) keep up with 5 receivers streaking across the field. However, this defense is very vulnerable to a good power running game.

I really think that Oklahoma is running the future of college defenses. This will combat the up and coming programs that can now sling the ball around the field and run toward open space. Eventually, this kind of defense will probably become so prevalent that coaches who run dinosaur offenses (see Big 10) will become innovators. Suddenly, their slow, unoriginal, running offenses will be able to plow right through the middle of new quick defenses.

Which side do you fall on? Is the spread an offense or a formation? Do you believe in the spread and believe it is here to stay? Should UCLA and other developing programs go with the spread? The possibilities of this discussion are endless so go at it.

Women's Soccer

UCLA advanced to the quarterfinals of the NCAA tournament with a win over USC on Saturday night at Drake Stadium. The 1-0 result gave the Bruins a modicum of revenge after being ousted by the Trojans in last year's College Cup. You can read my write up of the match here and between that and the official site's wrap you should have all you need to know about the match. A couple notes about the match I'll throw in there. The crowd of 3,114 was the largest to ever see a tournament match in Southern California and part of that crowd were Bruin athletes from other sports including multiple basketball and football players. The Bruins now advance to the quarterfinals on Saturday when they will host Duke at Drake Stadium. Kick off is slated for 7:00 pm..

Men's Soccer

After getting hot down the stretch to win the Pac 10 and reach the NCAA tournament, the men's soccer team flamed out in the first round when they lost 1-0 to Cal Poly. The Bruins had their chances, but were thwarted by some quality defending, goal keeping and bad luck. A first round tournament exit must be looked at as a disappointing season in Westwood and it once again brings up the question of whether or not Salcedo is the man to lead this program. I will have a more detailed post on the program in the near future. Prior to Friday's disappointing loss, the Bruins got good news as Michael Stephens won Pac 10 Player of the Year, Salcedo won Pac 10 Coach of the Year and eight Bruins were All-Pac 10 honorees. Stephens and Brad Rusin were also honored by TopDrawerSoccer.com as they were named to the All-Season team. On Sunday, former Bruins were on top of the US soccer world as former player and coach Sigi Schmid, former player Mike Lapper and former player Frankie Hejduk won the MLS Cup with the Columbus Crew.

Men's Water Polo

The regular season drew to a close this weekend for the Bruins in disappointing fashion.#2 UCLA lost 5-2 to #5 Pepperdine to close the regular season ledger at 15-6 overall and 5-3 in MPSF play. Next up for the MPSF tournament which will decide their tournament fate. The Bruins will need to make it to the title game to stay in the discussion to advance to the 4 team tournament. The Bruins open the tournament on Friday versus #4 Cal at the Pepperdine hosted event. Should the Bruins win, they would play either #1 USC or #10 UC Irvine in the tournament semifinals.

Women's Volleyball

Will the heartbreak never end for the #9 Bruins? The victim of so many five set thrillers so far this season, UCLA was the victim again this weekend as they took both #7 Cal and #2 the distance before being defeated. On Friday the Bruins went five sets with Cal, but fell short 15-13 in the final set. It was the fourth consecutive time the Bruins and Bears went five sets and third consecutive time Cal came out on top. On Saturday the Cardinal were too much for the Bruins in the fifth set, winning it 15-11. UCLA has now lost six five set matches this season. While it may have been a tough week for the Bruins on the court, head coach Andy Banachowski got good news as he signed three to LOI's, including the National Junior Player of the Year. The Bruins (18-10, 8-9) close out the regular season this week when they host #24 Pepperdine on Tuesday and #10 USC on Friday. Friday's game will be televised on FSN Prime Ticket.

Women's Basketball

The Bruins split their two games this week, beating Pepperdine 66-55 on Tuesday and losing to #11 Maryland on Sunday in College Park. The Bruins had a productive week in recruiting this week as head coach Nikki Caldwell's first class appears to be shaping up nicely.Two women signed LOI's to play with the Bruins next season, one of whom is ranked by ESPNU as the country's #4 player. It looks like the program is on the way up under Coach Caldwell. Next up for the Bruins (2-1) is a trip to Cal Poly on Wednesday followed by a visit from Cal St. Northridge on Sunday.

Swimming and Diving

The swimmers were off for the week, but the divers competed in the Texas A&M Invitational this week and fared pretty well. Tess Schofiel had the hiighest finish of any Bruins when she finished fifth on tower. The swimmers and divers both take this week off as they prepare for the Texas Invitational on December 4, 5 and 6.

Cross Country

The women's season may be over, but the men still have one meet left and a rather large one at that. The Bruins compete at the NCAA Championships today in Terre Haute, Indiana.

Men's Volleyball

The Bruins competed in the SAC Tournament, an exhibition tournament, this weekend and came away with a 2-1 record. They beat Long Beach St. in their first match 3-1, beat UCSB 3-0 in their second match and then lost 3-1 to Cal St. Northridge, who won the tournament for the second consecutive year. This was the final exhibiton matches for the Bruin as they now prepare for the beginning of the season in January.

Men's Golf

The Bruins will compete in the Western Refining All-America Tournament in El Paso, Texas beginning today.

Calendar (all times pacific)
Monday, November 24
Men's Golf, Western Refining All-America Tournament, All Day- El Paso, TX
Men's Cross COuntry, NCAA Championships, All Day- Terre Haute, IN
Tuesday, November 25
Women's Volleyball vs. Pepprdine, 7:00 pm- Pauley Pavilion
Men's Golf, Western Refining All-America Tournament, All Day- El Paso, TX
Wednesday, November 26
Women's Basketball at Cal Poly, 7:00 pm- San Luis Obispo, CA
Friday, November 28
Men's Water Polo vs. Cal (MPSF Tournament), 3:00 pm- Malibu, CA
Women's Volleyball vs. USC, 3:00 pm- Pauley Pavilion, TV- FSN Prime Ticket
Saturday, November 29
Men's Water Polo vs. USC or UC Irvine, TBA- Malibu, CA
Sunday, November 30
Women's Basketball vs. Cal St. Northridge, 2:00 pm- Pauley Pavilion
Men's Water Polo, MPSF Tournament, TBA- Malibu, CA

Ticket information for all sports can be found here while facility information and directions for all sports can be found here. GO BRUINS!!!

The UCLA women's soccer team saw their season come to a bitter end last season when they lost to USC in the College Cup. Despite having dominated the Trojans for years, USC broke through when it mattered en route to the national championship. This season the top seeded Bruins went undefeated in the regular season, including a win over USC while the Trojans were good enough to earn a #4 seed. Both teams won their first two NCAA tournament matches, which set up a Round of 16 match up between the two programs. USC was looking to prove last year was not a fluke and they were in fact a year in, year out challenger to UCLA, while the Bruins were out to prove that last year as an anomaly.

It was clear to all in attendance that this was no ordinary match. There were over 3,000 people in attendance and there was a buzz of anticipation in the air. Both schools had plenty of support in the stands and both teams had the support of their bands who took every opportunity to play their schools respective fight song. It was a cool evening at Drake Stadium and some of the players choose to wear long sleeves. The Bruins were adorned in their true blue, while USC wore gold.

The Bruins controlled the match early on as they played in the majority of it in the Trojans' third, but some fine saves kept the game scoreless until the 13th minute when the Bruins broke through. A dangerous corner kick by the Bruins forced the USC keeper to tip the ball over the bar, giving the Bruins a second corner. On the second corner, the ball was played to the top of the six yard box where it rattled around before being shot on goal. A USC defender cleared the ball off the line, but the clearance hit UCLA's Kristina Larsen and bounced across the line. The Bruins were ahead 1-0 only 13 minutes in and considering the Bruins had only allowed four goals all season, that lead seemed safe.

After the UCLA goal, the match evened out some as both teams had their share of possession, but neither team threatened to score. In the final 10 minutes of the half UCLA began to take control of possession, just as they had done in early on. The Bruins pressed the Trojans and came close to going ahead 2-0 a few times, but they were unable to capitalize on their chances. Despite their first half dominance, the Bruins only led by a single goal at half time, a scary proposition considering the talented players on the USC side who were capable of a moment of brilliance.

As the second half began, it became clear the Bruins would try to drop as many players behind the ball as possible and defend. Meanwhile, the Trojans were sending players forward and pressuring the UCLA defense. The game got chippy as both sides took some nasty tackles and the rivalry effect was in clear view. The Trojans created their best chance of the night in the 62nd minute when a free kick from 30 yards out bounced around the top of the six yard box and narrowly missed the feet of several Trojans, but the ball was eventually cleared. In the 66th minute, the Bruins almost extended their lead when Christina DiMartino's rocket of a shot beat the keeper, but couldn't beat the crossbar.

The rest of the match saw USC push players forward, while the Bruins were content to defend and look for opportunities on the counter attack. The Trojans were unable to penetrate the stingy UCLA defense and the crowd counted down the final 10 seconds of the match as UCLA avenged the previous season's loss to the Trojans with a 1-0 win. With the victory, the Bruins advanced to the quarterfinals against Duke on Saturday at 6:30 pm at Drake Stadium. The winner will advance to the College Cup in Cary, North Carolina.

For video of the match, check out this, courtesy of USCTrojans.com.

UCLA over USC, Women's Soccer

While he is no longer playing football, I figured this would be something of interest. Former football player Chris Joseph won the prestigious Rhodes Scholarship. The Rhodes Scholarship is given to 32 students each year and provides the opportunity for those students to study for 2 or 3 years at Oxford in England.

Joseph started for two seasons at offensive guard before moving to center for his senior season (2007). A two-time first-team Academic All-American, he graduated in June of 2008 with a 3.95 grade-point average. He majored in Geography with a focus on the complex social and scientific causes of deforestation. At Oxford, he plans to do his Masters of Philosophy in Geography.

The final interview process, which took place Saturday, was an all-day process. You can read about Joseph's account of the process here. The candidates began the interview process at 8:45 am and did not find out the results until 9:30 pm.

"We sat in that room until 9:30 pm, when the committee members came into the room. We all stood in a circle and the committee members thanked us for our participation and then announced the two recipients. The first was Scott Hugo, who also goes to UCLA. Then they announced my name. I was stunned. It took about 10-15 seconds for me to realize they had said my name.

This is an amazing accomplishment and it's great to see Joseph rewarded for his hard work in the class room. It's also great to see Hugo, who has ties to UCLA athletics, rewarded as well.

In addition, Scott Hugo, a UCLA senior majoring in Political Science and History, is also a Rhodes Scholar recipient. He is a starter on the UCLA rugby club team and is a junior member of Phi Beta Kappa. He will pursue his Masters of Philosophy in International Relations.

Congratulations to both of them and best of luck in England. Once again we see that UCLA is where champions are made, on and off the field.

Let's start with a look at next season where the UCLA schedule is starting to take shape. According to Dohn, UCLA and Kansas are on the verge of completing a deal that would see the two historic programs face off in '09-'10 and '10-'11.

An agreement is close to being completed for UCLA and Kansas, two of the most successful programs in college basketball history, to play in each of the next two seasons as part of the Pac 10/Big 12 challenge, sources said.

The programs have combined for 16 national titles (11 by UCLA), and they last met in the 2007 NCAA Tournament's Elite Eight, with the Bruins winning 68-55.

With the Bruins already due to travel to South Bend for our return game with Notre Dame next year I expect Kansas to visit Pauley next season and the Bruins to visit Lawrence in 2010. Dohn also has a note on next season's preseason tournament.

Also, the Bruins are scheduled to play in the eight-team Anaheim Classic next season, sources added. The tournament is played at the Anaheim Convention Center during Thanksgiving weekend.

This will provide the Bruins to play quality competition, get exposure on ESPN and get credit for neutral court wins in a building that should be filled with blue and gold. The neutral court games will be a big RPI boost and will help with our quest to stay out west in March of 2010.

Here's what we know of our schedule for the next two years:

2009-2010- Anaheim Classic, @ Notre Dame, Kansas (could be home or away, bet on home)

2010-2011- @ Kansas (again could be home, but bet on away)

In addition, I've heard that we're looking to get in the Preseason NIT in 2010 and w're eying a return to Maui in 2011.

Dohn came through with an update on the Pauley renovation too. The UC Regents approved $6.5 million to be spent on preliminary plans for the renovation and according to the report given to the Regents, the project will cost $175-185 million. Here's what else Dohn had to say.

UCLA still must raise $68 million for the project.

And according to the report, the renovation will include "a below-grade addition at the north side of the structure" for "new basketball locker rooms, sports medicine, media, equipment storage space, and a new multi-purpose reception and meeting facility; and an enclosed concourse at the perimeter of the building with new lobby, restroom, and concession space."

If you want to check out the report that was given to the Regents, you can do so here. This is more detailed than anything we've seen before, but we're still a long ways off from walking into a renovated Pauley. As has been said here before, the Pauley renovation could define DG's legacy at UCLA so let's hope he gets it right. I'm willing to wait a little longer for them to get it right, but at some point it's got to get done. If we begin next basketball season without any concrete plans I'll be worried, but for now I'm taking a wait and see approach.

On a final note, while last night's game was certainly disconcerting, it's not the end of the world. We've had performances similar to last night's before and it hasn't stopped us before. CollegeHoopsNet.com took a look at the Pac 10 the past five years and confirmed what we already know. The Bruins have been the class of the Pac 10 for the last five years, tough early season losses or not.