UCLA basketball prepares to leave its temporary home

UCLA says farewell to the Sports Arena on Saturday and probably won’t shed any tears about leaving the 52-year-old facility.

Oh, UCLA players say the right things about the place.

“It was all right,” forward David Wear said when asked about the place that served as the Bruins’ main home while Pauley Pavilion was being renovated.

But Wear, a sophomore, had to be honest.

“I am definitely looking forward to getting back to Pauley,” he said. “I’m not going to miss playing in the Sports Arena or staying in a hotel downtown the night before a home game.”

UCLA officials were left with few options this season, but this was never the Bruins’ home, and it was far from a home-court advantage. That will probably be evident again Saturday morning, when UCLA plays Washington, which leads the Pac-12 Conference, in the regular-season finale.

The crowds have been small. While the building bursts with energy when Bruce Springsteen plays concerts there, it often has had a library feel during UCLA games.

Success for the Bruins was sporadic. Losses to Loyola Marymount, Middle Tennessee and Texas set the tone for the season.

Senior guard Jerime Anderson plays his final home game Saturday, and having that moment come closer to USC’s campus than Westwood “will be bittersweet.”

Anderson said playing in the Sports Arena “was not a big deal, but I wouldn’t call it my home court.”

While Anderson will play in his last UCLA home game in the Sports Arena, Wear experienced his first UCLA game there.

“It was a little different running onto the floor,” said Wear, a transfer from North Carolina. “There were not too many people there.”

UCLA has a 9-4 record in the Sports Arena this season and was 4-0 in the Honda Center in Anaheim.

Wear did his best to put a positive spin on a season spent across town from UCLA. Asked what he liked best about the Sports Arena, he said, “Uh, it was a fun place to play. It wasn’t that bad. It was a cool place to play. Our locker room was nice. We had a big locker room. That was a plus.”

Pac-12 tourney path

UCLA, sixth in the conference standings, can finish fifth if the Bruins beat Washington and Colorado loses at Oregon State. The Bruins finish seventh if they lose to Washington and Stanford beats California.

“It makes a difference, no question,” Coach Ben Howland said. But he added, “For us, more about playing the best team in our league [Saturday].”

If the Bruins finish fifth, they will play USC in the first round of the conference tournament Wednesday afternoon at Staples Center. UCLA would face the fourth-seeded team if it reaches the second round.

If UCLA remains in sixth, it will have Utah in the first round Wednesday night. The Bruins would face the third-seeded team if they advance.

If the Bruins finish seventh, they will play Arizona State in the first round Wednesday night and the second-seeded team if they reach the second round.

There are too many scenarios to determine who will be the first- through fourth-seeded teams among Washington, California, Arizona, Oregon and Colorado.

Injury report

Howland expects guard Lazeric Jones and center Joshua Smith to play Saturday.

Jones suffered an ankle injury near the end of the first half against Washington State on Thursday. He sat out the last eight minutes of the 78-46 victory. Howland said the ankle did not swell overnight, and Jones said Thursday night he was confident he would play Saturday.

“It wasn’t that bad, I just rolled it a little,” Jones said. “I had it taped up good. I was fortunate.”

Smith “tweaked” his back against Washington State, Howland said, but it was not considered serious.

chris.foster@latimes.com

twitter.com/cfosterlatimes