UCLA coach Ben Howland is 3-5 against Arizona since Sean Miller arrived in Tucson. Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

Arizona and UCLA haven’t met as ranked teams in basketball in nearly six years.

The Wildcats went through the choppy waters of the transition from Lute Olson before emerging with Sean Miller at the helm, navigating Arizona into calmer seas as the Pac-12′s most stable program.

Coaching, tradition, facilities, recruiting, fan support … nobody has it better than Arizona right now.

Then there’s UCLA. While the Cats were mired in coaching issues, falling from the Top 25, the Bruins went to three consecutive Final Fours from 2006 to 2008. Since then, UCLA has missed the NCAA Tournament twice, jumping the track with a myriad of player defections and, as described by Sports Illustrated last season, combustible chemistry and rosters filled with knuckleheads.

The league’s bellwether programs have been up and down, failing to intersect as ranked teams since Feb. 17, 2007, when fifth-ranked UCLA won at 19th-ranked Arizona 81-66. That would be Olson’s last time coaching against the Bruins.

It was Olson, almost 30 years ago, who began to make this a rivalry, usually the must-see Pac-12 matchup of the season. The programs have combined to at least share 20 of the past 27 regular-season conference championships.

The rivalry was roaring the late 1980s, catching the eye of Miller, who was a point guard from Pittsburgh at the time.

“Everybody in this country respects the great teams, players, coaches,” Miller said. “When you would watch that game, whether it would be in McKale or Pauley Pavilion, you knew you were getting high quality basketball.”

Tonight’s meeting at McKale nearly matched ranked teams, but Oregon snapped UCLA’s 10-game winning streak Saturday, bouncing the Bruins out of the poll after being No. 24.

No matter what the polls say, the buzz is back. These teams were preseason co-favorites to win the Pac-12. Arizona is ranked sixth in the country. UCLA stumbled early as it awaited eligibility news on freshman Shabazz Muhammad and dealt with the transfers of guard Tyler Lamb and big man Joshua Smith.

The Bruins aren’t deep, but they have the kind of front-line talent that makes all things possible in March.

“I think in fairness to UCLA, they went through a lot of different things in November, not just Shabazz and the uncertainty of when he would be back,” Miller said.

“Like all of us, with freshmen, no matter how talented they are, it takes a while, especially on defense. They were very much a work in progress at the beginning of the year … and you could sense right around Christmas, they started to play better, hit their stride more. …

“It’s a big, big game, no question. I think our conference feels that way. It’s a big game nationally for us. Any home conference game is a great opportunity, and we certainly don’t want to blow that opportunity.

“We completely respect UCLA, recognize their talent, how well-coached they are. How much better they’ve gotten. The things they went through early they’re no longer going through.”

UCLA has three freshmen and a senior transfer point guard, Larry Drew II, in its rotation.

Arizona has three freshmen and a senior transfer point guard, Mark Lyons, in its rotation.

The infusion of new talent, combined with veteran hands such as Arizona’s Solomon Hill and UCLA’s Travis Wear, has re-elevated this rivalry. It’s not quite the old days, but it’s closer than what it’s been.

And it’s the kind of game — on ESPN2 in prime time with a Whiteout at McKale Center — that the Pac-12 needs.

“It’s a great rivalry,” UCLA’s Ben Howland said in his weekly news conference.

“You had Lute Olson there for so many years and did such a wonderful job. A Hall of Fame coach. He really built that program into a national power. UCLA has been a national power since the days of John Wooden. …

“When you have two really good programs playing each other, there’s going to be a rivalry.”

Arizona’s medical staff attends to quarterback Matt Scott after he took a blow to the head in the third quarter. Photo by Andrew Fielding-US PRESSWIRE

When Arizona took the ball for the first time Saturday night, it controlled its destiny in the Pac-12 South race.

But the Wildcats never controlled UCLA and rarely controlled themselves in their most sloppy game under coach Rich Rodriguez, turning in 60 minutes of frustrating football that reset the expectations in the final few weeks of the season.

“It’s embarrassing,” Rodriguez said on in his postgame radio interview on 1290-AM (KCUB0 after a 66-10 loss to the Bruins at the Rose Bowl.

“It starts with me. We thought we had the guys ready, and they weren’t. We didn’t respond well. It was just a long night all the way around.”

Oregon’s victory at USC across town at the L.A. Coliseum had provided a window of opportunity for Arizona in the league race, but that’s basically slammed shut now. UA is 5-4 overall — still ahead of most preseason predictions — but is 2-4 in the conference.

What’s worse is that quarterback Matt Scott left in the third quarter after taking another shot to the head, and linebacker Hank Hobson had to be taken from the field on a cart.

Rodriguez told reporters that Scott “got dizzy” after his helmet hit the thigh of UCLA defensive end Datone Jones as he was being tackled from behind after a throw from his end zone. Expect another round of concussion questions about Scott this week.

The details of the game hardly seem to matter. UCLA scored first and never seemed to stop. That’s about it.

Here it is in overall numbers: The Bruins, 611 yards. Arizona, a season-low 257.

“We didn’t block them. We didn’t get off of press coverage. We didn’t get open. We didn’t throw it right. We didn’t run it right. We didn’t call the plays right. There was not anything we did well,” Rodriguez told reporters.

The Wildcats, who feasted on turnovers in upset wins over Oklahoma State (four) and USC (five), lost the turnover battle 3-0.

Arizona, which committed 14 penalties a week earlier against the Trojans, were flagged 15 times vs. the Bruins.

Rodriguez said in his postgame radio interview that he didn’t see this coming.

“Didn’t see it at all,” he said.

“Not during the week or anything in preparation leading up to it. In the locker room before, the guys seemed really focused. I didn’t sense that at all.”

After a week of excitement following the 39-36 upset of USC, Arizona came out flat … and got flattened. The themes of last week — the Cats staying level-headed, being resilient through adversity — vanished in a blur of UCLA’s new navy blue “L.A. Nights” uniforms.

Not even in a 49-0 loss at Oregon, did Arizona play so poorly in all phases, which included a fumbled punt by Richard Morrison early in the second quarter. He dropped the ball while running forward and trying to make a diving catch, and UCLA recovered at the UA 39.

The Bruins quickly scored for a 28-0 lead.

For the fifth time this season, Arizona allowed more than 600 yards in a game.

“We’re hanging on at times anyway and all that, but we’ve been able to hang on and overcome and be more resilient,” Rodriguez said. “This evening, we weren’t able to do that, and that’s disappointing.”

What next?

The Cats return home Saturday for an early Homecoming kickoff against Colorado (11:30 a.m., FOX). The Buffs have been outscored 261-51 during a five-game losing streak, so Arizona, no matter Scott’s injury situation, should get the sixth victory it needs for bowl eligibility.

After that, the outcomes of games at Utah and vs. Arizona State are anybody’s guess.

This was Johnathan Franklin on his way to the first of six first-half touchdowns for UCLA. Photo by Andrew Fielding-US PRESSWIRE

Arizona’s week of excitement and anticipation came crashing down Saturday night at the Rose Bowl, as UCLA whipped the Wildcats 66-10.

The Bruins dominated from the opening possession, ending a five-game losing streak to UA.

Arizona falls to 5-4 overall and 2-4 in the Pac-12, but the major concerns are a possible head injury to quarterback Matt Scott and the health of linebacker Hank Hobson, who was taken off the field on a cart.

The Wildcats will try to get bowl eligible next Saturday with a Homecoming game vs. Colorado, beginning at 11:30 a.m.

* * *

Wide receiver Richard Morrison comes in at quarterback late in the game. He could be an option next week, depending on the status of Matt Scott.

But Morrison shows his rust at the position, fumbling a handoff exchange. UCLA would have added a score on a fumble return if Johnny Jackson hadn’t tracked down a Bruins lineman from behind.

* * *

Now, it’s 66-10 with 5:47 to play. That marks the most points ever scored against Arizona in a Pac-12 game. The previous record was 63, set by Oregon in 2001.

* * *

It really no longer matters, but, for the record, UCLA scores again. It’s 59-10.

* * *

Arizona sophomore Hank Hobson has been down on the field for several minutes, and is now taken off the field, immobilized, on a cart. He took on a block early in the play and then collapsed at the end while trying to pursue. There is 12:55 left in the game.

* * *

Offensive lineman Chris Putton leaves for the locker room early in the fourth quarter. No word on the potential injury.

* * *

With about 20 minutes left in the game, it appears Ka’Deem Carey’s night is done, too. No need to expose him to injury. Depending on Matt Scott’s health, Carey might have to carry the load next week vs. Colorado.

* * *

Matt Scott leaving the field. Pac-12 Network announcers say that the trainers took away his helmet, and that Scott was having trouble focusing and answering questions on the sideline. Another week of concussion talk?

* * *

It keeps getting worse for Arizona. QB Matt Scott appears to hit is head on the knee of UCLA defensive end Datone Jones while being taken down from behind after a throw. This time, it might really be a concussion. He’s out of the game with 6:23 to go in the third quarter.

Backup quarterback B.J. Denker is in … and wastes no time in losing a fumble while scrambling.

One play after that, UCLA’s Brett Hundley throws a 28-yard touchdown pass to Joseph Fauria for a 52-10 lead.

* * *

Ka’Deem Carey goes airborne on a 2-yard dive to score Arizona’s first touchdown of the night with 7:18 to play. That was Carey’s 13th rushing touchdown of the season, tying him with Nic Grigsby (2008) for third on the UA’s single-season list.

UCLA leads 45-10.

* * *

UCLA has 431 total yards with 9:58 to go in the third quarter, and the Bruins have pushed their lead to 45-3 with a 25-yard field goal. The Bruins can pretty much do whatever they want. QB Brett Hundley is 19 of 22 for 224 yards, with 15 consecutive completions. UCLA has rushed for 207 yards.

* * *

This might become relevant: The most points ever allowed by Arizona in a Pac-12 game is 63. That was against Oregon in 2001. Truly, a Mackovic-ian effort.

* * *

Halftime. An incredibly disappointing effort in all phases for Arizona.

* * *

This should be a fun locker room at halftime. UCLA scores. Again. With less than a minute before halftime. RichRod has his frown-y face on. Bruins lead 42-3. On the plus side, you now have the rest of your night free.

* * *

So we just chalk this up to one of those nights?

* * *

It’s too easy for UCLA. The Bruins are more determined than, say Washington and USC were, to run the ball right at the Wildcats. It’s working. UCLA is dominating the line of scrimmage, Arizona’s tackling is the worst it has been all season, and the Johnathan Franklin scores on a 2-yard run for a 35-3 lead with 3:07 left in the second quarter.

* * *

Surprised RichRod didn’t go for it on fourth-and-5 from the UCLA 10, but Arizona does get on the board with a 27-yard field goal from John Bonano. So that’s something. UA down 28-3 with 6:47 to go before half.

* * *

Kyle Quinn didn’t start but he’s now at center for Arizona. He misses three full games because of an ankle injury.

* * *

Arizona’s defense is a mess, letting receiver Jerry Johnson run free across the field. He makes the catch, breaks a couple of tackles down to the 1-yard line after a 46-yard gain. Damien Thigpen takes it in for the touchdown and a 28-0 lead (!) with 11:14 to play before halftime.

* * *

This sums up Arizona’s night: After the defense finally makes a stop, Richard Morrison fumbles the punt catch and gives the ball right back to the Bruins.

* * *

This sums up Arizona’s defense so far: After a sack by Marquis Flowers puts UCLA on third-and-17 from the 1, the Bruins convert with a pass over the middle to tight end Joseph Fauria.

* * *

Arizona forced to punt and the first quarter ends with the UCLA up 21-0.

* * *

RichRod goes for it on fourth-and-1 from the UA 34 with just less than two minutes to go in opening quarter. Ka’Deem Carey converts with a 3-yard run up the middle. A big play for so early in the game.

* * *

Arizona is still looking for its first first down, while UCLA has scored three times and is up 21-0 with 3:31 in the quarter. The Bruins went 85 yards for their latest TD, capped by a 17-yard pass from Brett Hundley to Jordan Payton.

* * *

Lots of football left but “L.A. Nights” looking a lot like “Eugene Nights” so far for #ArizonaWildcats.

— Scott Terrell (@Scott_Terrell) November 4, 2012

* * *

The bad start has gotten worse. UCLA takes advantage of the fine field position following the bad punt and finishes off a 34-yard drive with a nifty change-of-direction run from QB Brett Hundley. Arizona is down 14-0 with 9:48 to go in the opening quarter.

Arizona was down 14-0 to Oklahoma State, and was down 15 points in the third quarter against USC … and it still won both games. His team has “no panic,” Rich Rodriguez says.

We’ll see if the Cats can stay cool and climb back tonight.

* * *

Arizona starts its game on offense with a three-and-out. And then Kyle Dugandzic shanks a punt for 19 yards. Brilliant analysis here: NOT the start UA wanted.

* * *

Oregon finishes off USC 62-51 in a wild game from Los Angeles. That means that as Arizona takes the ball for the first time tonight, it controls its destiny in the Pac-12 South. Win four consecutive games, and the Cats will be headed to the conference title game.

* * *

UCLA senior Johnathan Franklin gets the school career rushing record and a 37-yard touchdown on the first possession of the game. He has really excelled this season in the spread offense of coordinator Noel Mazzone, which has given Franklin more space to use his cuts and speed.

The Bruins lead 7-0 with 12:27 to go in the first quarter.

* * *

Shaq Richardson is back as a starting cornerback after giving way to Derrick Rainey in the past two games.

* * *

UCLA won the toss and will receive. Let the shootout begin!

* * *

Nick Foles’ Pac-12 record of 930 completions lasted about 11 months. USC’s Matt Barkley broke it on the Trojans’ first possession today against Oregon.

* * *

Arizona will be wearing white helmets, white jerseys and red pants.

* * *

Getting closer to kickoff for the Arizona-UCLA game from the Rose Bowl tonight. Here are several Bruins to watch, and some pregame links to help get you ready:

RB Johnathan Franklin — It is almost certainly going to be a special night for the senior, who needs just 21 rushing yards to break the school career record of 3,731 held by Gaston Green. He will be looking for his first big game against Arizona, however; he has rushed for only 91 yards on 28 carries in three previous meetings against the Wildcats.

TE Joseph Fauria — As we know, Arizona has had trouble defending the tight end, and here comes Fauria. “Where do all these tight ends come from?” said coach Rich Rodriguez. “These 6-8, 250-pound athletic tight ends?” Fauria (6-7, 255) is technically a “Y receiver” in UCLA’s scheme, but he’s a tough matchup by any name. Six of his 22 catches have gone for touchdowns.

WR Devin Fuller — Name familiar? He was one of Arizona’s top quarterback targets last winter, but he ended up signing with UCLA. Coach Jim Mora recently decided to pull him out of his redshirt season and use his athleticism at receiver (and he also was used as a punt returner last week). Fuller is getting more comfortable in the offense, catching a 15-yard touchdown pass last week when he beat the defender inside after a nifty fake to the outside.

QB Brett Hundley — The redshirt freshman from Chandler has completed 186 of 280 passes for 2,190 yards, with 18 touchdowns and eight interceptions. He can gain big chunks of yards on the ground, either by design or on scrambles. “I remember when he came out of high school,” Rodriguez said. “I knew this guy was going to have great success no matter where he went.”

OLB Anthony Barr — The junior, converted from a running back/receiver in the spring, has been a revelation on defense. He is 6-4, 235 and gets to be in attack mode off the edge in UCLA’s 3-4 defense. “Here we go, another tall, athletic guy,” Rodriguez said. “I think he’s a phenomenal player. He’s fast off the edge. You’ve got to have great technique (against him). He gets by a lot of tackles with his athleticism and speed. If you don’t have good technique, if you don’t set right, if you don’t have proper footwork, he’ll embarrass you.” Barr has 12 tackles for loss, including 8.5 sacks.

FS Tevin McDonald — The sophomore is one of the top young defenders in the league. We’ll see if he keeps a cooler head — and doesn’t target Arizona quarterback Matt Scott’s head — as much as his older brother, USC’s T.J. McDonald, did last week in Tucson.

LB Eric Kendricks — Another talented sophomore for UCLA with good bloodlines. His older brother, Mychal Kendricks, was the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year last season as a linebacker at Cal. Eric had a career-high 17 tackles last week at Arizona State and has a team-high 74 stops.

* * *

My Arizona-UCLA prediction

Preview: Resilient Wildcats set for key key game against UCLA

Arizona’s Tevis, after ‘excruciating’ injury, puts best foot forward again

Arizona’s injury report: Looking good for Kyle Quinn

Javier Morales at WildAboutAZCats.net has pregame notes, including a look at top NFL prospects in the game.

L.A. Daily News: UCLA coach Mora heaps praise on Arizona’s Matt Scott

Solomon Hill and Arizona solved UCLA in two of three meetings last season. Photo by Gary A. Vasquez-US PRESSWIRE

Arizona or UCLA? The classic Pac-12 basketball debate is back.

The Wildcats and Bruins combined to win 12 of 13 conference championships — and a national title for each — between 1986 and 1998. They won five of six league crowns from 2003 to 2008.

But they each missed the NCAA Tournament in two of the past three seasons, and the league has suffered right along with the two storied programs.

The early projections are for 2012-13 to be a return to form.

Lindy’s College Basketball Annual, which hits the newsstands next month, ranks UCLA 10th in the country and first in the Pac-12. Arizona, ranked 18th in the country, is projected to finish second.

That sounds about right to UA coach Sean Miller.

“I think UCLA is ultra-talented,” Miller said in an interview earlier this summer.

“One of the strengths that I think you have to give them a lot of credit for is they have very talented players who are upperclassmen. And then they have newcomers who I think are the real thing in Shabazz (Muhammad) and Kyle Anderson, guys who can really hit the ground running.

“They have size, they have a very good coach, and they’re going to be difficult to deal with.”

I have no real beef with the Lindy’s projections for UCLA and Arizona, which were made by long-time hoops writer Frank Burlison, who, as far as I’m concerned, has unsurpassed knowledge of West Coast basketball.

I’d consider the Cats and Bruins as mostly interchangeable in terms of how they look on preseason paper. Lindy’s projects a close race. Fair enough. Your mileage may vary.

What makes little sense is the early bracketology from ESPN’s Joe Lunardi. He pegs UCLA as a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament and Arizona as a No. 6. And then Lunardi has another huge gap to his next tier of Pac-12 teams — Cal as a No. 12 seed and Oregon as a No. 13.

If he thinks so little of the league, how is UCLA going to build enough strength of schedule to garner a No. 1 seed? In his scenario, the Bruins are going to have to nearly sweep their non-conference competition and absolutely dominate the Pac-12. Hmmm. Not sure UCLA will be that good.

But the Bruins, in addition to arguably the nation’s top recruiting class (Arizona is in that discussion, too), return 6-10 forwards David and Travis Wear, and hefty center Joshua Smith, although coach Ben Howland told Mike DeCourcy of The Sporting News that he has been “disappointed” with the big man’s lack of progress in his conditioning.

(DeCourcy has further info on UCLA before the team’s exhibition trip to China. Muhammad won’t be going because the NCAA is investigating his eligibility.)

The Arizona-UCLA battle could be decided by a pair of senior transfer point guards — Larry Drew II for UCLA, and Mark Lyons for Arizona.

The expected resurgence at Arizona and UCLA should be the headline story of the Pac-12, but the bottom of the league should rise, too, reaching more respectable levels. Arizona State (6-12 in the league last season) is putting a lot of faith in now-eligible guard Jahii Carson, and USC is looking to influx of transfers and improved health to turn around a 1-17 mark in the conference.

Those two teams, plus Utah, were ranked No. 240 or worse in the NCAA RPI.

“I’d like to think our conference has grown out of that, and that balance and improvement will be felt across the board,” Miller said.

“I feel like our conference has improved as a whole. I don’t know if there is one team you can look at and say it is not going to be better. In some cases, I think teams can be much better than they were a year ago.”

Miller said being picked No. 18 nationally is an expectation he can deal with after a 23-12 season that ended with Bucknell walking over the Wildcats in a first-round NIT game in McKale Center.

“To me, this year we have a much bigger upside, regardless of where we start,” Miller said.

“We have a bigger team, we have a deep team, we have some key players that have great experience. You put that all together, and I hope that we’re a quality team that I hope hits our stride as we get into February and March.”

Related: Lindy’s projects Solomon Hill as the Pac-12 Player of the Year

The beefy Joshua Smith awaits Arizona's frontcourt; Smith is averaging only 18 minutes per game, though. Photo by Kirby Lee/Image of Sport-US PRESSWIRE

Arizona is thrilled that Reeves Nelson won’t be in a UCLA uniform tonight, although the Bruins’ imposing size and height remains a concern.

UCLA still has the thunderous Joshua Smith, who is listed at 6-10, 305 pounds, as well as the Wear twins — Travis and David — who are long and versatile 6-10 forwards.

The Wildcats, even with Derrick Williams, failed to handle Nelson, who averaged 23.3 points and 12 rebounds in the past three meetings, shooting a ridiculous 28 of 34 from the field. UCLA coach Ben Howland booted Nelson from the team earlier this season.

Smith had 17 points and four rebounds against UA in last season’s game at UCLA, which is a good place to start as we look at three keys to the game.

3. Remember last season

This matchup should still burn for the Arizona veterans. UCLA won 71-49 at Pauley Pavilion on Feb. 26 in the Wildcats’ lousiest performance of the season.

After that game, nobody could picture Arizona coming within one shot of the Final Four one month later.

While the Bruins were superb that day, playing for the last time in Pauley Pavilion before major renovation, Arizona coach Sean Miller said there was more at play than just one team being hot.

“We were miserable, and a lot of it had to do with our own team,” Miller said.

“We didn’t play with great effort. It’s just a reminder that it is so important that we’re ready to play. We can’t really control what the other team has or doesn’t, but what we can really control is how well we play, how hard we play, making sure all of our guys go into the game ready.”

2. Slow down Jones

Based on last season, Arizona wouldn’t seem to have to worry too much about UCLA point guard Lazeric Jones, who scored a total of four points in the two meetings. He was 2 of 10 from the field, missing all eight of his attempts from 3-point range.

Jones is a more productive player this time around, having to become a bigger part of the offense in Nelson’s absence. He is the team’s leading scorer, averaging 13.6 points and shooting 42.9 percent from 3-point range.

“Jones is playing as well as any guard in the conference,” Miller said.

That being the case, look for Miller to hand the defensive assignment to shooting guard Kyle Fogg, the team’s defensive ace.

1. Limit the Bruins’ offensive rebounds

With all of UCLA’s height up front, Miller figures to have to use centers Angelo Chol, Kyryl Natyazhko and Alex Jacobson more than usual.

“It doesn’t have to be in terms of scoring points,” Miller said of the big guys’ potential contributions, “but good play and just using their size against Josh Smith.

“He’s such a dominant player when he gets the ball deep. He can really put fouls on your frontcourt, and they do a great job of getting him the ball. It’s one of the keys — to try to negate or minimize his effect, which is sometimes easier said than done.”

Smith and the Wear twins have done an excellent job on the offensive glass, which has been problematic for undersized Arizona. The Cats gave up 22 offensive rebounds to Florida and 16 to Gonzaga, both losses.

Not only do the Cats want to limit easy second chances, but grabbing their share of the defensive rebounds will let Arizona push the pace of the game and not let it turn into a half-court grind.

As usual, 6-7 power forward Jesse Perry will get the start at center for Arizona and he looks forward to getting into a running game while Smith — about 90 pounds heavier — is guarding him.

“I have a big edge,” Perry said. “He can’t run with me.”

Related on TucsonCitizen.com:

Scott Terrell: This week in the Pac-12: Arizona looks for rare wins in Los Angeles

Arizona’s streak of consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances, held together by string and bubble gum by interim head coaches in the past two seasons, finally snapped Thursday Thursday afternoon at 25 years.

UCLA eliminated the Wildcats 75-69 in the quarterfinals of the Pac-10 tournament at Staples Center in Los Angeles.

First-year coach Sean Miller coaxed a 16-15 record out of his young team, getting a winning record with victories in its final three games of the regular season. That late surge allowed the Wildcats to be a viable candidate for the NIT, which unofficially does not invite teams with sub-.500 records.

The first round of the 32-team NIT will be held Tuesday and Wednesday at on-campus sites.

The NIT likely will include such traditional powers as North Carolina, UConn and even Memphis, which is coached by former Arizona player and assistant coach Josh Pastner. The Tigers lost Thursday to Houston in the quarterfinals of the Conference USA tournament.

“It’s about doing the best we can do, and we would be honored to be in the NIT,” UA assistant coach James Whitford said on the KCUB 1290-AM postgame show.

“There is going to some really good teams in it. UConn is going to be in it. North Carolina is going to be in it. There are going to be some teams you are traditionally used to seeing in the NCAAs — Arizona, obviously being one of them — that aren’t going to be there.

“That tournament is a very good tournament … and we hope to be a part of it.”

Arizona needed to win the Pac-10 tournament to grab the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. Arizona’s streak was two off the all-time record, set by North Carolina. The new longest streak belongs to Kansas, which will be making its 21st consecutive appearance next week.

HALFTIME
Arizona has been a second-half team lately and will need to be again after trailing UCLA 37-33 at halftime of a Pac-10 quarterfinal at Staples Center.

The Wildcats allowed far too many easy baskets to the Bruins, and UCLA freshman post player Reeves Nelson schooled any of three UA defenders — Derrick Williams, Kyryl Natyazhko and Alex Jacobson.

Arizona won its final three games of the regular season despite trailing at halftime in each of those games.

UCLA shot 63 percent in the first half — and Nelson had 12 points and six rebounds — but the Bruins couldn’t shake the Wildcats.

“You know, UCLA is really good on offense; I don’t think they get enough credit,” UA coach Sean Miller told Fox Sports Net at halftime. “With Reeves Nelson playing, he really gives them an inside presence and he’s hurt us, obviously. We have not had an answer for his physicality.”

Nelson had missed the previous four games because of any eye injury. For Arizona, forward Kevin Parrom, who had missed four games because of a foot injury, played and moved well i the first half.

In beating UCLA last week, Arizona held the Bruins to 33.3 percent shooting in the second half. In a double-overtime win over USC on Saturday, the Wildcats held the Trojans to 31.7 percent shooting after halftime.

PREGAME:
Arizona coach Sean Miller said he considers his Wildcats and UCLA to be evenly matched, with the betting line favoring the Bruins by one point.

Arizona won both regular season meetings, including a 78-73 victory in Tucson a week ago. It was a two-point game with 17 seconds left.

That was part of a regular-season three-game winning streak in which Arizona won all three games after trailing at halftime. The Cats were down 14 to UCLA in the second half.

The ensuing confidence from those games is the best thing Arizona could have hoped for. Miller said, “We’re not fighting ourselves.”

“It’s not to where we have nothing to play for, we’re not playing well, we’re beaten down, we have no energy. To me, we’re the furthest thing from that type of team. I don’t know if that means we’re going to win or not. But we’ll see where that goes from there.”

Meanwhile, UCLA claims it is optimistic, too.

Arizona starts two freshmen — Freshman All-American forward Derrick Williams and forward Solomon Hill — and could play as many as five in this afternoon’s Pac-10 quarterfinal against the Bruins at Staples Center.

If healthy big man Reeves Nelson is back in the starting lineup for UCLA, the Bruins also will start two freshmen (forward Tyler Honeycutt being the other).

Miller admitted his young players could be affected by the pressure of the tournament setting in an NBA arena.

“We have a lot of freshman with great experience, but this is a first,” he said. “This is different.”

Arizona has won three in a row against the Bruins, dating to last season. Before that, UCLA had won eight in a row in the series.

Check back later for more on the Arizona-UCLA game, which start a little after 1 p.m. Tucson time.

Now, the teams meet again Thursday in the quarterfinals of the Pac-10 tournament in Staples Center in Los Angeles. And Nelson is back from an eye injury that kept him out for four games.

Nelson, a freshman, is averaging 11.0 points and 5.5 rebounds and is shooting 63.3 percent from the field (107 of 169).

“Reeves Nelson is one of the most talented young players in our conference,” Arizona coach Sean Miller said.

“His field goal percentage is striking. What he does is he gives UCLA that option on the block, and he’s a physical player who can get to the free throw line. To me, he makes them a much better team on offense and on defense. Just really a physical, aggressive player that all coaches love to have on their team.”

UCLA was 1-3 in the games Reeves missed. He and UCLA forward Tyler Honeycutt were selected to the Pac-10′s five-man All-Freshman team. Arizona forward Derrick Williams is the league’s Freshman of the Year.

When the teams met last Thursday, Arizona and UCLA battled to a standstill on the boards, each team grabbing 33 rebounds.

“It was difficult to watch the team lose a few games in a row,” Nelson was quoted as saying by the L.A. Daily News. “It wasn’t necessarily because I wasn’t playing — I’m not going to flatter myself that much. But I think with me playing we have a better chance to win.”

Added Miller about Reeves:

“He makes a difference, particularly that field goal percentage because they do such a good job of getting their good payers the ball in position score. You get him the ball in position to score, he really finishes it well.”

Kyle Fogg scored 51 points in two games against UCLA this season./Photo by WildcatSportsReport.com

There isn’t as much media seating as there used to be at McKale Center, so I was relegated to auxiliary seating behind a basket while Steve Rivera of TucsonCitizen.com sat courtside for the Arizona-UCLA game.

This is simply a way to explain that our usual in-game bantering on media row was reduced to occasional text messages, including one from Steve with more about 15 minutes left in the game: “It’s over.”

Arizona was trailing by 14 points at the time, but let me further explain.

“It’s over” has become something of a joke between us ever since I wrote that about Arizona last season after it dropped to 2-5 in the Pac-10. Then came the game against Houston. I was attending that game with my son as a non-media member and I sent Steve the “It’s o-v-e-r” message when Arizona trailed by 10 points with 52 seconds left.

The game, the season, maybe even the program as we knew it … it all seemed over.

And then Arizona rallied to win in overtime.

Same thing Thursday night. A little less dramatic, but thrilling nonetheless.

The UCLA lead was 12 when Kyle Fogg hit a 3-pointer with 13:28 to go, and I sent Steve back a reply:

“It’s not over until Kyle Fogg says it’s over.”

Damn right.

Fogg poured in four 3-pointers in about an eight-minute span, and his two free throws with 3:19 left gave the Wildcats a 65-64 lead that they would not relinquish.

Arizona won 78-73 and it’s not over by any stretch.

“It doesn’t look like we’re sleepwalking at this point,” coach Sean Miller said.

“We’ve stayed with it. Just when you think things aren’t going to get better, they do. Just when you think we have all the answers, we don’t. But we continue to have that resolve and move forward.”

Arizona hasn’t been great this season. Arizona hasn’t been awful this season. But Arizona, at 15-14 overall with a chance to tie for third place in the Pac-10, has almost always been interesting.

And the thing that Miller counted on the most might finally, just in time, be happening.

The Wildcats are playing their best ball of the season.

In any case, Miller called it his team’s best performance of the season, which came on the heels of a comeback and last-second win at Stanford. Now, all UA needs to do is beat reeling USC on Saturday to continue the momentum heading into next week’s free-for-all conference tournament.

If Fogg had a choice, he’d opt to play UCLA in the first round. The mild-mannered dude turns into Sean Elliott, circa 1989, against the Bruins. Remember Elliott that year? He had a combined 61 points in two games against UCLA.

Fogg’s effort was a reasonable facsimile. The sophomore guard had 51 points in the season sweep, following his career-high 25 in the first meeting against UCLA with a career-higher 26 points Thursday, when he made 7 of 10 3-point shots.

“Felt good out there,” he said.

“I really owe it to these two (Nic Wise and MoMo Jones) because they really did a great job of penetrating and drawing attention so I could get some open looks.”

Fogg is averaging 10.9 points and is now the team’s leading 3-point shooter at 43.0 percent (46 of 107). He’s not the most vocal of kids — and he almost all gets ribbed by teammates for something when he shows up for media interviews. Even the coach jokes.

“He’s quiet,” Miller said.

“I try to give him some of my blood sometimes, a little transfusion on the side just to give him that incredible toughness you need sometimes. That’s not to say that’s he’s not tough, but he has that easy-going style. It serves him well on offense and it’s probably something he is learning how to deal with on defense.

“But nobody chased the cutter more than he did tonight. For him to do what he did on offense while working as hard as he did on defense, that’s a heck of a testament to him.”

Like I’ve always said. It’s not over until Kyle Fogg says it’s over.

Contact Anthony Gimino at anthonygimino (at) gmail.com

Arizona’s 4-20 conference record under Mackovic from 2001-03 was the second-worst three-year mark for any team in the Pac-10. Only Washington State in the past three years (4-23 playing a nine-game league schedule) was worse.

What Mackovic razed, Mike Stoops has raised. Perhaps the 2010s will be better for Arizona.

The chart below is the breakdown of how the Pac-10 fared this decade, with only this season’s bowl games to be played.

Pac-10 All-Decade standings

DECADE NOTES
Best travel pair: Not even USC could lift Los Angeles to this title. The Oregon-Oregon State pairing was the decade’s best with a combined 108 conference victories. The Los Angeles schools were next with 105.

Wither the Washingtons? The Washington schools had a combined 42 league victories in the first four years of the decade, then had a measly 22 in the next six seasons. That’s 1.8 conference wins per team for six long seasons. The last winning league record for a Washington school was WSU’s 6-2 mark in 2003.

Tough to stay on top: Only two of the seven teams that had winning conference records in the 1990s followed up with winning Pac-10 marks this decade — USC and Oregon.

TEAM NOTES
Arizona: The Wildcats are 14-8 in conference games dating to late in the 2007 season. Before that, Arizona was a miserable 16-48 in league games this decade.

Arizona State: Finished with a winning conference record just three times, and went only 2-18 in conference games in the state of California.

Cal: Conference record looks like better when starting with the Jeff Tedford era in 2002: 41-27.

Oregon: The Ducks were superb in the first two years of the decade and in the final two years, posting a 29-5 conference record in those four seasons. In the middle, Oregon was fairly average.

Oregon State: It seems almost impossible to believe that this is the same program that went 13-65-1 during the 1990s. From one decade to the next, the Beavers went from having a 17.1 winning percentage to a 60.7 winning percentage.

Stanford: In a six-season span (2002-2007), the Cardinal won only 13 conference games.

UCLA: The Bruins have lost at least four conference games in every season except 2005, when they were 6-2. UCLA can still add to its bowl total as it will be invited to the EagleBank Bowl if Navy beats Army on Saturday, thereby eliminating the Black Knights from bowl eligibility.

USC: The Trojan Decade ended with a thud, but the streak of seven consecutive league titles and seven consecutive seasons with double-digit victories was utter dominance. Those 15 first-round picks are more than twice any other Pac-10 team.

Washington: The far-and-away Pac-10 King of the 1990s (58-21-1) would have tied for last this decade if it hadn’t defeated Cal on the last weekend of the regular season.

Washington State: From 2001 to 2003, no team had more than the Cougars’ 19 conference victories (USC did, too). Those memories will have to keep Wazzu warm; in the seven other seasons, WSU managed a mere 14 league wins.

If you see any corrections, send them to me at anthonygimino (at) gmail.com.

Vote for the top UA football stories of the decade at our sports network partner wildaboutazcats.com

Postgame report: UA’s running back depth takes a hit (and other injury updates)

* * *

UA can breathe a bit easier. The Cats hold on fourth-and-6 from their 31 with 8:10 left. UCLA had previously converted two fourth-down chances on the drive, including once on a pass interference penalty.

UA leads 27-13, and while there is plenty of time for the game to go south (see the Washington game), Arizona is looking reasonably good as long as it does nothing silly on offense or special teams.

* * *

With a chance to put UA up by three scores, Alex Zendejas misses a 39-yard field goal wide right with 11:36 to go. UA has no obvious options behind Zendejas, as the coaching staff has been reluctant to use punter Keenyn Crier in a place-kicking role.

* * *

Kai Forbath is human. The UCLA kicker misses from 52 yards, hitting it low and short, to keep the score at 27-13 early in the fourth quarter. Down two touchdowns, maybe the Bruins should have gone for it on fourth-and-7 from the UA 34.

* * *

Big touchdown for Arizona. Fourth-string running back Nick Booth, on his first carry of the game, goes 6 yards for paydirt on third-and-3. That 10-play, 63-yard drive puts UA ahead 27-13 with 0:34 to go in the third quarter. If the Wildcats stop turning the ball over, UCLA hasn’t shown enough offense to come back.

* * *

You can never have enough running backs. Nic Grigsby (shoulder) is out, Keola Antolin, trying to protect an ankle injury, didn’t play in the first half. Greg Nwoko just left the game, walking gingerly and slowly off the field. Antolin, who has played in the third quarter, is back in. UA could use that bye week next week.

* * *

Just because UA lost a game earlier this month when a pass deflected off Delashaun Dean’s shoe for a interception return for a touchdown doesn’t mean we have seen it all.

How about this?

UA quarterback Nick Foles, throwing a screen pass, nearly has it picked off by LB Akeem Ayers, who had nothing but green field in front of him for a touchdown. He falls to the ground in anguish over his missed scoring opportunity, and that play appears to be over. But the whistle never blew; the officials on the field called the pass a lateral. With most everybody giving up on the play, UCLA safety Tony Dye picks up the ball and runs all alone into the end zone.

The play withstood a replay review … not enough evidence to overturn? You make the call.

In any case, UA’s lead is cut to 20-13 with about 5 minutes to go in the third quarter.

That’s five turnovers for Arizona, their most since last season’s shocking loss to New Mexico.

* * *

Arizona takes advantage of the UCLA fumble, driving to a touchdown, capped by a 25-yard reception by receiver Juron Criner. He took a sideways pass from Nick Foles on the right side and then tip-toed down the sideline and into the end zone. Arizona leads 20-6 with 8:34 to go in the third quarter.

* * *

UA gets a break, forcing a fumble from RB Christian Ramirez near midfield, with CB Devin Ross recovering for Arizona. FS Cam Nelson caused the fumble, his second forced fumble of the game.

* * *

Senior Kevin Craft in at quarterback for UCLA. He was the starter last season, but his 20 interceptions didn’t give him much of a chance to win the job this spring over redshirt freshman Kevin Prince. But Craft started twice this season when Prince was out with a broken jaw. Prince has not been good today, though, going 8 of 16 for 76 yards.

* * *

After the fumbled exchange involving RB Greg Nwoko, second-string Keola Antolin, nursing a tender ankle, made his first appearance of the game, rushing twice on a drive in which UA had to punt to UCLA. Backup QB Matt Scott came in for one play on the drive as a potential wild card, but he was nearly intercepted while trying to hit a screen pass.

* * *

Arizona is doing its darndest to give this game away. Three interceptions in the first half. A missed extra point. And, then, on the first play of the second half, a bad exchange between QB Nick Foles and RB Greg Nwoko results in a fumble, which UCLA’s Datone Jones recovers at the UA 17.

The defense holds, forcing a 33-yard field goal from Kai Forbath, but UCLA moves within a score at 13-6 with 13:59 to go. UA should be well out in front and on cruise control, but is flirting with disaster against an inferior team.

* * *

The game hasn’t turned in UCLA’s favor, but Arizona has stalled and takes an uncomfortable 13-3 lead into halftime. UA quarterback Nick Foles, who entered the game with two interceptions, has been picked off three times, including one in the final minute as the Wildcats were trying to extend the lead.

Foles’ hand was hit as he threw, with the ball popping up into the air. Defensive tackle Jerzy Siewierski made the interception at the UCLA 40.

Also disturbing was that Arizona running back Nic Grigsby left the game in the final minute after taking a hit on his bruised right shoulder. Backup Keola Antolin hasn’t played at all today because of a tender ankle.

All in all, it’s been a far less exciting game than last week’s thriller against Stanford. The Bruins, by the grace of those three interceptions, are hanging around despite being out-gained 260-97.

* * *

UCLA scored behind the amazing Kai Forbath. Even after a third-down sack by blitzing LB Sterling Lewis (nice job on the blitzes today from UA), the Bruins are still in field goal range for Forbath, who entered the game 8 of 9 from 50-plus yards in his career. Make that 9 of 10 after he drilled a 52-yard field goal to make it 13-3 with 7:51 to go in the second quarter.

* * *

For as well as things have gone for Arizona so far, they could be better. UCLA came up with a first-quarter interception in the red zone off a tipped pass, and Nick Foles just threw his second INT of the day … and this one just looked to be a bad pass. On third-and-9 from the UCLA 11, Foles threw over the middle and right into the arms of Rahim Moore, who made his second interception of the game.

Moore returned the ball 37 yards to the UCLA 38. UA could be up by 21 or 24 or even 28, but it’s 13-0 with about 13 minutes to go before half.

* * *

End of first quarter. Stat of the game so far: UA receivers have rushed for 60 yards. The coaching staff has seen something in the UCLA defense, and have called four end arounds (or “fly sweeps,” if you prefer) with gains of 20, 10, 14 and 60 yards.

* * *

The UA defense has gotten nastier after last week’s debacle (of course, the Bruins aren’t very good on offense), and free safety Cam Nelson has two sacks off blitzes. His second sack jarred the ball loose from quarterback Kevin Prince, with defensive end Apai Tuihalamaka falling on it at the UCLA 23. The UA offense takes care of business and punches it in for the touchdown on a 6-yard toss to Nic Grigsby.

One piece of bad news: Alex Zendejas missed his third extra point of the season. It might not matter today, but someday . . .

Anyway, UA leads 13-0 late in the first quarter and has all the momentum.

* * *

It’s Arizona on the board first, as Nick Foles shows he can go deep as well as make all the screen passes in the offense. With a little play-action to Nic Grigsby, Foles has plenty of time in the pocket to wait for Juron Criner to slip 5 yard past the UCLA defense (nice stop-and-go move from Criner to fool CB Courtney Viney). Foles throws deep and hits Criner in stride for a 42-yard TD pass and a 7-0 lead with 4:39 to go in the first quarter.

* * *

Nick Foles is the victim of another tipped pass for an interception. Unlike the bounce off the shoe (or the turf) from the Washington game, this one against UCLA was more of a conventional deflection, as the ball went off the hands of David Douglas, reaching up for a catchable pass over the middle. The ball went right into the hands of free safety Rahim Moore at about the UCLA 10-yard line. Moore, who entered the game tied for the national lead in interceptions, now has six.

* * *

Bug Wright, who has missed games because of a knee injury, is back at punt returner for Arizona. He might be a bit rusty, considering he dropped his first attempt at a catch, but he quickly recovered the ball. Wright, because of his elusiveness and speed, gives UA a chance in the return game that David Douglas doesn’t. UA, in fact, has three punt returns all season for a negative 1 yard.

* * *

Arizona begins on defense. Starting defensive end Brooks Reed has missed his fourth consecutive start because of an ankle injury. D’Aundre Reed is starting in his place. We’ll see if Brooks Reed plays at some point.

* * *

Pregame

Three thoughts about this afternoon’s game:

1. How about that no-huddle offense?

It’s not often that Arizona goes into a game wanting to get into a shootout, but this should be one of them. Play fast, create more possessions in the game, take advantage of UCLA’s lack of explosion plays. The Bruins, unlike last season with Kevin Craft at quarterback, can threaten teams deep with redshirt freshman Kevin Prince, but this is a UCLA offense still finding its way. The Bruins still start eight players on offense who are either freshmen or sophomores.

Meanwhile, UA liked what it saw in the second half of last week’s win over Stanford, as the Cats went to a no-huddle offense. Offensive coordinator Sonny Dykes said getting a touchdown late in the first half against Stanford gave the team the confidence it needed to come out in a hurry-up offense. “I had the idea at halftime as I was coming down the elevator, ‘Maybe we should just go no-huddle because it limited a lot of looks they could give us,’” Dykes said. “So, when I asked the offensive players at halftime … everybody was like, ‘Yes!’ It was unanimous excitement.”

2. Can the Cats run?

UCLA has given up a staggering 684 rushing yards in the past three games, which is surprising for a team that has All-American candidate Brian Price at defensive tackle and Reggie Carter at middle linebacker. Granted, the Bruins have played Stanford, Oregon and Cal in that stretch — that’s a combination of good running teams with a couple of superstar backs — but 684 is a lot of yards no matter how you look at it. In fact, it’s more yards than Arizona has given up in six games (644 yards).

Question is, can Arizona attack that rushing defense or will it rely on the quick screen passes that have been so successful in the past two weeks. Much will depend on how the Bruins scheme against UA. “They’re going to do what they do,” UCLA sophomore safety Rahim Moore was quoted as saying in the L.A. Daily News. “They might keep it simple when they run the ball, but it’s the best group of receivers I’ve seen in the Pac-10 since I’ve been playing.”

3. Hope it doesn’t turn into a kicking contest.

UCLA’s Kai Forbath is the best kicker in the country, hitting 17 of 18 field goal attempts this season, with a long of 52. (The 18 attempts in six games tells you that the Bruins are having some red-zone issues similar to Arizona’s.) The most amazing thing about Forbath is that he has made 8 of 9 attempts from at least 50 yards in his career. He has not missed in his past 27 attempts from inside 50 yards. Arizona has marginal confidence in Alex Zendejas, who has made 10 of 12 field goals, none longer than 37 yards, however. He has missed two extra points, often kicking the ball low.

Why wait until Sunday to get your notebook fix? Check out Saturday’s “Nothing but the Notes” from TucsonCitizen.com partner wildaboutazcats.com.