Published on Saturday, December 12, 2009
By JIM ALEXANDER
ANAHEIM - It's even uglier than we thought.
We knew, and I think deep down even Ben Howland knew, that this was going to be a difficult year for UCLA's basketball Bruins.
But difficult has turned into torturous, and a 72-54 loss to Mississippi State in Saturday's Wooden Classic further exposed the inexperience, the physical immaturity and the talent deficit these Bruins face.
So it's time to ask the question. With five straight losses, a 2-6 record and five freshmen and sophomores among the top seven players, at what point does the coach decide it's prudent to get a head start on developing his team for 2010-11?
"Well, we're going to compete in every game to the best of our ability," Howland said. "Of course, the younger players in our program are going to get to play. We think we've got some kids that have a chance. But the tough part about that is we still want to win every game we can, so it's a fine line here."
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