Effortless Won’t Cut It for Bruins

Not even floppy red Santa Claus caps can disguise the sadness triggered by the realization that the passion is gone from a relationship.

Three UCLA basketball players donned the headgear for a holiday sing-along before departing for a monumental matchup against Kansas.

Merry, however, they weren’t.

A humiliating loss at home to Northern Arizona on Tuesday -- UCLA’s third defeat in five games -- had the Bruins lamenting their inability to rekindle the flame.

Where did the love go?

“You can’t point fingers at one person,” forward Jason Kapono said. “It’s a collective thing. We just aren’t playing with passion, especially on defense.”

Kapono admitted the Bruins had taken Northern Arizona lightly. But why?

Had they been struck by collective amnesia, forgetting losses in two exhibitions and regular-season games against San Diego and Duke?

Blowout victories over Long Beach State and Portland gave them the impression the romance was back for good. So they went through the motions against the Lumberjacks and were scorned by the barely 5,000 fans who risked heartache by showing up at Pauley Pavilion.

Northern Arizona made wide-open three-point shots and a forward named Ryan McDade, who, Kapono swears, is no taller than 6 feet 5, pushed around Bruin post players as if they were rag dolls, notching 22 points and 12 rebounds.

“The effort wasn’t there,” forward T.J. Cummings said. “And defense is all about effort.”

UCLA was as flat as Kansas -- the state, not the team -- prompting head-shaking all around.

“We had good practices, and practice usually carries over into the game,” senior guard Ray Young said. “Then we showed up, or rather, we didn’t show up.”

Arriving with a measure of zeal today is strongly suggested. Passion undoubtedly will be evident in the 17,000 or so fans showing up at historic Allen Fieldhouse, where Kansas has won 43 of its last 45.

The objects of their affection -- the Jayhawks -- have had troubles of their own, lurching to a 5-3 start that includes losses to Oregon, Florida and North Carolina.

Still learning to compensate for the departure of All-American forward Drew Gooden and sharpshooting guard Jeff Boschee, Kansas is averaging 16.4 turnovers.

Guard Kirk Hinrich is off to a slow start and point guard Aaron Miles has been reckless with the ball.

“Regardless of whether this was UCLA or some Division II or Division AA school, we need this win,” Jayhawk guard Keith Langford said. “We need to get some wins under our belts for our team’s sake.”

UCLA defeated No. 1 Kansas last season at Pauley Pavilion by shooting at a high percentage and hustling back on defense to stymie the signature Jayhawk transition game. But Bruin seniors Matt Barnes, Dan Gadzuric and Billy Knight were crucial, and they are gone.

In their place are freshman centers Michael Fey and Ryan Hollins, late-arrival forward Andre Patterson -- who might get his first start since becoming academically eligible a week ago -- and rusty guards Young and Jon Crispin, both of whom redshirted last season.

Journeyman post players such as Jason Keep of San Diego and McDade have bullied UCLA, so contending with Jayhawk All-American candidate Nick Collison (6-9, 255 pounds) is a frightening prospect.

“We have to get position, use our feet and play with the passion we’ve lacked,” Cummings said. “We usually get up for these big games. We’ve won them in the past. This is why you go to UCLA.”

Players also go to UCLA because they know they’ll play in the NCAA tournament. But the Bruins’ 14-year tournament streak -- and maybe their streak of 54 winning seasons -- is in jeopardy.

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(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX)

TODAY

UCLA at No. 19 Kansas

2 p.m. PST, Channel 2

Site -- Allen Fieldhouse.

Records -- UCLA 2-3, Kansas 5-3.

Radio -- KXTA (1150).

Update -- Whose slide will cease? Kansas dropped from a preseason ranking of No. 2 with three losses in four games. UCLA fell from No. 12 all the way out of the rankings after opening with losses to San Diego and Duke. Getting beat by Northern Arizona on Tuesday underscored the impression that the Bruins might not return to the rankings all season. Kansas has won its last two games, beating Tulsa and Emporia State, and is finally beginning to adjust to the loss of Drew Gooden. UCLA forward Andre Patterson is expected to make his first start.