Bruins’ loss to Mississippi State is a real eyesore

When the UCLA players gather at Pauley Pavilion today, they can expect a different sort of film session.

Instead of simply reviewing their most recent game, or analyzing an upcoming opponent, they will watch Bruins teams from past seasons.

Teams that parlayed tough defense and a patient offense into winning records. Teams that marched deep into the NCAA tournament.

“Our younger kids, in particular, need to see it,” Coach Ben Howland said. “So they see how it’s supposed to be done.”

And how it wasn’t done Saturday, when the Bruins put up no discernible fight in falling to Mississippi State, 72-54, in the afternoon game of the John R. Wooden Classic at the Honda Center.

Adding insult to the injury of a fifth consecutive loss, this one transpired before Wooden himself, the legendary coach sitting in a box above midcourt.

“It really hurts me that he was here today and we played so poorly,” Howland said. “You just don’t want to disappoint Coach Wooden, and I feel like we’ve done that.”

In a young season slipping from bad to worse -- their record now at 2-6 -- the Bruins looked sadly familiar, especially on offense, where they made only 34.9% of their shots.

It did not help that they faced an opponent that switched adeptly on defense and also had forward Jarvis Varnado, leading the nation in blocked shots. The 6-foot-9 senior announced his presence midway through the first half by swatting a ball into the second row.

As Mississippi State Coach Rick Stansbury explained: “We always know we’ve got the big guy taking care of things around the hole.”

The Bulldogs (7-2) also have a reputation for raining three-pointers, and that’s what helped put this game away before halftime.

UCLA had managed to stay within a basket through the first five minutes before Mississippi State guards Barry Stewart and Ravern Johnson made consecutive shots from long range.

“It kind of takes the air out of the balloon,” UCLA guard Michael Roll said.

Mississippi State, on its way to shooting 47.5% for the game, soon expanded the lead to 21 points and the outcome was never in doubt.

Not with Johnson on his way to a game-high 29 points. Not with this UCLA team.

“No question, coming here and not just getting the win, but getting it the way we got it, was probably the most surprising thing,” Stansbury said.

Were there some positives to take away from this performance?

The Bruins managed a slight edge in rebounds and turnovers. Roll played hard, leading his team with 17 points.

But starting forward Nikola Dragovic shot 0 for 9, finishing with zero points and one rebound in 29 minutes.

And, once again, UCLA stumbled at the free-throw line, making only six of 13.

Freshman Reeves Nelson had an early foul shot sail wide right by a foot.

All of which leads to an unusual film session today, suggested by junior guard Mustafa Abdul-Hamid.

“I’m going to take it to heart,” Howland said. “Maybe it is a good idea.”

david.wharton@latimes.com

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