UCLA falls to Minnesota in NCAA tournament opener

UCLA’s basketball season is over.

Is Ben Howland’s tenure as Bruins coach?

Minnesota knocked off UCLA, 83-63, Friday night in a second-round South Regional game at Austin, Texas.

The Bruins (25-10) went out with a whimper, shooting poorly and obviously outmanned by an athletic team with far more depth.

IN-DEPTH: Shabazz Muhammad’s father planned to mint NBA millionaire

Andre Hollins led the rout, scoring 28 points for Minnesota. Austin Hollins (no relation) added 16 points. The guards were a combined nine of 14 from three-point range.

Minnesota (21-12), which came in with a record of 5-11 in its previous 16 games, shot 50%, making 31 of 62.

UCLA was led by Shabazz Muhammad, who scored 20 points in what was probably his last college game.

It was a quiet 20. He was six-of-18 shooting, finishing up by missing a contested layup while a wide-open Norman Powell stood by the basket watching, as time expired.

Eight of Muhammad’s points came at the free-throw line. He did not make a field goal attempt in the first half.

UCLA shot 31.7% against a Minnesota zone, including four for 22 from three-point range.

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Minnesota has pulled away to a 79-56 lead with about four minutes left to play by scoring in 10 of 11 possessions.

The exception: a missed alley-oop dunk.

Shabazz Muhammad leads UCLA with 18 points -- about his average -- but it’s been a very quiet game.

That extra year seems to have cost him a step.

Muhammad is six-of-16 shooting and has just three rebounds and one assist. He also doesn’t have a foul, even though UCLA has played man-to-man all game.

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Minnesota leads UCLA, 69-54, with 6:48 left in regulation.

Comparing the backcourts:

Minnesota has Andre Hollins with 24 points, six rebounds, four assists and zero turnovers, and Austin Hollins with 14 points, eight assists, four steals and one turnover.

UCLA has Larry Drew II with two points, one rebound, three assists and four turnovers, and Norman Powell with 10 points, two rebounds, four steals and one turnover.

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Minnesota guards Andre and Austin Hollins aren’t related, but they have this in common:

Both are killing UCLA.

The Hollins backcourt has scored Minnesota’s last 16 points, and the Golden Gophers lead, 60-49, with less than nine minutes left in regulation.

Andre Hollins has 21 points and has made four of seven three-point shots.

Austin Hollins has 14 points and is four of five from three-point range.

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Turnovers have been a problem for Minnesota, which came into tonight’s game against UCLA having lost 11 of its last 16 games.

But the Golden Gophers have just five turnovers and are shooting 51.2% against UCLA’s man-to-man defense.

Meanwhile, UCLA has 10 turnovers and is shooting 34.1% against Minnesota’s zone.

Minnesota leads, 54-43, with 11:54 left in regulation.

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A questionable foul call against Tony Parker really has UCLA in trouble.

Parker was fouled by Minnesota’s Oto Osenieks as Parker went up for a shot, then was called for a dead-ball technical -- which counts as his fourth personal foul -- for throwing up his arms and brushing the side of Osenieks’ head.

The play took place with 13:24 remaining in the game. Parker and Travis Wear each have four fouls.

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The pace is picking up in the UCLA-Minnesota game.

Really, it didn’t have a choice.

UCLA cut the Golden Gophers lead to 44-39 on a three-pointer by Norman Powell.

But Minnesota answered with back-to-back threes by Andre Hollins and Austin Hollins (no relation).

Minnesota now leads, 50-41, with 13:24 remaining in regulation.

UCLA has been a second-half team, coming back from larger deficits than this several times this season.

Do the Bruins have aother comeback in them?

Andre Hollins leads all scorers with 14 ponts. Austin has 11.

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One key UCLA player is now heating up.

Shabazz Muhammad is three for three shooting in the second half after going zero for seven in the first half.

Muhammad suddenly leads all scorers with 12 points.

Now the Bruins need senior Larry Drew II to pull it together. Drew, UCLA’s single-season assist leader, has one assist and four turnovers. He’s also one for six shooting.

Minnesota leads, 44-36, with 15:35 remaining in regulation.

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Good news and bad news for the UCLA in the first three minutes of the second half against Minnesota:

The Bruins’ first possession of the half, trailing by 10, was a shot-clock violation. Great for momentum. He is now two for nine shooting.

But...

Travis Wear UCLA’s second-leading scorer available in this game, picked up his fourth foul.

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This just in on David Brown: he sprained an ankle in practice the other day and can’t play.

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If you are a UCLA fan, you may be asking a natural question:

With David Wear and Tony Parker each with three fouls at halftime, if a UCLA player fouls out, who is next in the rotation?

Guard Jordan Adams has a broken foot, meaning UCLA took only six players who had played much into Friday night’s game against Minnesota.

So, which Bruin is behind Tony Parker for playing time?

Um, well, that’s unclear.

The player right behind Parker in playing time this season is Joshua Smith, who played six games for the Bruins before leaving the team. He has since transferred to Georgetown.

And behind Smith is ... Tyler Lamb, who played a grand total of 14 minutes in one game before he left the team.

Next, with 13 minutes this season, is David Brown, a 6-foot-3 sophomore guard who has appeared in five games.

What do we know about Brown? Well, he played in high school for Santa Ana Mater Dei.

Beyond that, checking out his profile on the UCLA basketball website, he looks like a nice kid.

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It’s halftime of the UCLA-Minnesota game in the second round of the South Regional at Austin, Texas.

Minnesota leads, 35-25, and UCLA’s Shabazz Muhammad hasn’t made a field goal as a 20-year-old. (He came in averaging 17.8 points as a 19-year-old.)

Muhammad has missed all seven of his shots, and he’s not alone in his struggles.

UCLA starters are a combined three for 23.

Only solid work by the Bruins’ bench -- what there is of it -- has UCLA anywhere close in this game.

David Wear leads UCLA with nine points, and has made four of six shots. Tony Parker chipped in three points off the bench.

UCLA has more turnovers, 10, than field goals, eight.

Austin Hollins leads all scorers with 11 points for Minnesota. Trevor Mbakwe has nine points and seven rebounds.

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After a slow start, Minnesota shooters are heating up.

The Golden Gophers are now shooting 50% -- 13 of 26 -- while UCLA has made six of 24 shots.

Guard Austin Hollins leads all scorers with 11 points as Minnesota leads, 33-19, with 4:04 left in the half.

UCLA has six baskets and eight turnovers against Minnesota’s zone.

Bruins starters have made one of 18 shots -- a jumper by Larry Drew II. Shabazz Muhammad has missed all six of his shots. Fellow freshman Kyle Anderson is 0 for 4.

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David Wear is doing his best on the offensive end to keep UCLA in the game.

Wear has made four of five shots and has nine points off the bench.

However, UCLA is also getting beat back on defense and Minnesota has created a cushion, leading 28-19-xx with 5:08 remaining in the first half.

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Empty the bench, UCLA!

With 7 minutes 47 seconds left in the first half, Bruins starters are 1 for 16 shooting.

UCLA reserves are three for three.

Minnesota leads, 20-15.

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UCLA starters had missed their first 14 shots until Larry Drew II hit a jump shot more than 10 minutes into the game.

But more bad news for the Bruins: Tony Parker, who had replaced Travis Wear after Wear picked up his third personal foul, now also has three personal fouls.

So Wear is back in the game ... and Coach Ben Howland is holding his breath.

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Legitimate question: How is UCLA going to score?

Second-leading scorer Jordan Adams is out with a broken foot.

Third-leading scorer is now out with three early fouls.

That leaves Shabazz Muhammad, the Bruins’ top scorer with a 17.8 average, but he’s 0 for 4 shooting in the early going.

However, he has made five of six free throws.

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Nine minutes into the game, UCLA starters are 0 for 11 shooting. Freshmen Shabazz Muhammad and Kyle Anderson -- first NCAA jitters? -- each are 0 for 3.

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Good basketball can be a thing of beauty.

UCLA’s game against Minnesota -- so far -- is something far short of that.

With 11 minutes 42 seconds remaining in the first half, UCLA has made two of 12 shots and has seven fouls. Minnesota is three of 12 and has seven fouls.

Tony Parker, who gave UCLA an early lift, lasted only a few minutes before picking up his second foul.

He’s in better shape than Travis Wear, who already has three fouls.

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There’s been an early Tony Parker sighting.

The big freshman, who has been sitting the bench most of this season, has entered the game and made an immediate impact.

Parker, who is reportedly considering leaving UCLA after this season, made a free throw and added UCLA’s first field goal -- after nine misses -- on a put-back.

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UCLA will not be shut out. The Bruins finally scored a little more than five minutes into the game on a free throw by Shabazz Muhammad.

UCLA has missed its first seven shots.

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A ragged start for both teams. UCLA has missed its first six shots and is mostly passing the ball around the perimeter against Minnesota’s zone.

Minnesota has missed its first three shots.

A little more than four minutes into the game, Minnesota leads, 2-0, on a couple of free throws by guard Austin Hollins.

The officials are providing most of the action. Minnesota already has four fouls; UCLA two.

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The UCLA-Minnesota game is underway, and the Bruins have missed their first six shots against a Golden Gophers zone.

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So Shabazz Muhammad, UCLA’s prize freshman, is actually a year older than his family claimed.

Some digging by Los Angeles Times reporter Ken Bensinger determined that, and the discrepancy was revealed in his front-page story on Friday.

Muhammad is expected to leave UCLA after this season and make himself available in the NBA draft. So what might this information do to Muhammad’s NBA draft standing?

Apparently not much. Times reporters spoke to a couple of NBA teams on Friday, and the feedback was fairly consistent.

The NBA people, who spoke anonymously because they are not allowed to talk publicly about college players, pointed out that the difference between 19 years old and 20 is what it is -- one year, not four or five.

What the NBA will be looking at is Muhammad’s body of work -- what he’s done; and in some cases, hasn’t done -- in this season in particular.

What they’ll be checking out more than his birth certificate is his performance tonight on the grand stage of an NCAA tournament, with media focus on him, his coach depending on him, and his team needing a top performance from their top scorer, since it will be playing without its second-leading scorer, Jordan Adams, who is out with a broken foot.

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Pac-12 Conference teams won all three games on the first full day of NCAA tournament action, with No. 12-seeded teams Oregon and California both posting upsets and Arizona, No. 6 in the West, posting a comfortable victory over Belmont.

Oregon handled Oklahoma State rather easily in a Midwest Region game, and Cal held off Nevada Las Vegas in an East Regional game.

The conference’s unbeaten slate was snapped Friday when Illinois downed Colorado in an East Regional game.

Now it’s up to UCLA to uphold the pride of the Pac-12 against another Big Ten opponent, Minnesota.

Minnesota comes in wobbling, having won just five of its last 16 games. But UCLA doesn’t have Jordan Adams, its second-leading scorer, who sustained a broken foot in the final seconds of the Bruins’ win over Arizona in a Pac-12 tournament semifinal.

A key player to watch for UCLA is guard Norman Powell, who is starting for Adams. Of course, a lot of eyes will also be on Shabazz Muhammad, the subject of a Los Angeles Times story Friday morning that, among other things, revealed he is actually a year older -- 20 instead of 19 -- than his family had claimed.

The spotlight is also on UCLA Coach Ben Howland. There is a lot of speculation that he won’t be back as coach of the Bruins next season unless his team makes a deep NCAA tournament run.

Howland has told reporters to “talk to Dan” Guerrero, UCLA’s athletic director, about the coach’s job situation.

However, Howland was ready to talk about another UCLA coach in a media session on Thursday.

Said Howland: “I was thinking today, and I want to remind you of this because I think this is a great sideline to this story between these two programs. Is that if it wasn’t for a big storm in the spring of 1948, John Wooden would have been your [Minnesota’s] coach.

“And it’s such a great story, I called Nan Wooden today just to make sure, because I remember reading it and talking to coach about it. That coach wanted to be the head coach at the University of Minnesota coming from Indiana State. That was his first choice. He was expecting a call at a certain hour from Minnesota, and they had such a horrible storm -- shocking -- that it knocked down the phone lines and UCLA in the meantime called and he accepted the job to be the head coach at UCLA.

“And then about an hour later when Minnesota called, he explained to them, ‘I’ve already given my word, and I accepted the position as head coach at UCLA.’

“How different history would have been written had that storm not occurred at that time. It’s just amazing to me, and I talked to Nan today about the fact that they came out in the summer of 1948, and that worked out pretty well for, obviously, the UCLA program and their entire family, which everybody is located in Southern California.

“All of his grandchildren, great grandchildren, his two kids, Jim and Nan, so I think that’s just really a special story. His wife Nellie wanted to be in Minnesota, because she wanted to be close to mom and dad. She wanted to stay close to her roots. And so, our good luck.”

Will see if Howland has good luck starting in a few minutes.

Hiserman is reporting from Los Angeles.