Happy New Year

They walked off the floor at Gill Coliseum in Corvallis, Ore., on New Year’s Eve with blank faces and balled fists.

Jordan Farmar, the freshman point guard who wears his baseball cap at a jaunty angle but takes every challenge straight on, had committed nine turnovers. Arron Afflalo, his rookie backcourt mate who had been shocked anyone would predict less than an NCAA tournament appearance for his young team, took only four shots, scored three points and finally fouled out. Josh Shipp, who has been praised most of this season for his basketball acumen, for his ability to locate the loose ball, had eight points and three rebounds.

“That game seems so long ago,” Farmar said Tuesday. “It seems like another time.”

UCLA lost that game at Oregon State, 85-80, after leading by five at halftime. It had been the Pacific 10 Conference opener for a Bruin team that was starting three freshmen. “I knew Oregon State wasn’t usually at the top of the conference,” Afflalo said, “so in that sense maybe it was in my mind the game would be easier than it was. That won’t happen again.”

Tonight the Bruins (16-9, 9-7) play host to the Beavers (16-11, 8-8) in a Pac-10 game with many layers of implications.

First, Oregon State is only a game behind fourth-place UCLA, a surprise for the Beavers, who were picked to finish well into the lower half of the Pac-10. And the Bruins are only a game behind third-place Stanford, which plays host to Washington State and Washington this weekend. There’s a feeling that the third-place Pac-10 team is assured an NCAA tournament bid. There’s also a strong sense that UCLA, if it beats Oregon State and Oregon on Saturday and with its RPI already around 29, will be assured an NCAA at-large invitation.

“Making the NCAA tournament for this team would be a huge accomplishment,” Afflalo said. “I’ve learned that from this season.”

UCLA’s freshman trio has learned a lot more since that loss in late December. They left the floor silently and escaped the gym without speaking. Senior forward Dijon Thompson had said, “I hope they learn from this game.”

Now, Thompson smiles when he talks about his young teammates. “They’ve taught me how to have fun playing again,” Thompson said.

They also analyzed one another and themselves as they prepared to make a final push toward postseason play.

“I think I’ve become better at controlling the tempo and really sharing the ball,” said Farmar, who is averaging 13.2 points a game (13.6 in conference play) and 5.2 assists (second in the Pac-10). “I think Arron has gotten a lot more confident and knows when to be aggressive. Josh has definitely become the smoothest player on the team.”

Afflalo has earned praise from Coach Ben Howland from the first day of practice for being UCLA’s best and toughest defensive player. Last week he was the Bruins’ leading scorer against USC (22 points) and Notre Dame (17).

“I think I’ve gotten better at slowing down a little bit, being more under control,” said Afflalo, who is third on the team in scoring (11.0). Afflalo says Farmar has most improved “at taking care of the ball better,” and thinks Shipp has become better in every area.

“Really,” Afflalo said, “Josh went from not even starting to playing 30-plus minutes a game. I think a lot of people are surprised at what Josh can do.”

Shipp didn’t earn a starting spot until Thompson reinjured a cut on his shooting hand during the Boston College game Dec. 5. But Shipp took that start seriously and never lost his position, replacing Ryan Hollins permanently.

Shipp has rewarded Howland’s decision by being the second-leading rebounder (5.0), ahead of even 7-foot center Michael Fey, and having the third-most steals on the team. Shipp, the quietest of the three, said his improvement had come in being a more confident rebounder.

“Jordan has become much more of a leader,” Shipp said. “He’s really good. He’s not afraid to take us in the right direction, and that’s not easy for a freshman.” And Afflalo, Shipp said, “is a much better shooter now. He’s really found his place on offense.”

The lesson Howland hopes they have all learned is to never look ahead. Last month the Bruins had come back from a successful trip where they dominated Arizona State and led Arizona through most of an exciting game before losing at the buzzer. National commentators were talking up the Bruins and they received some top 25 poll votes. They returned to Pauley Pavilion and were thrashed twice -- by Stanford and California.

“That won’t happen again,” Afflalo said. “For one thing, we’ve already lost to Oregon State. I think we’ve all learned something. Don’t underestimate anyone ever, and don’t overestimate yourself.”

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*--* Pac-10 Standings

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*--* Conference All Games W L Pct. W L Pct. Arizona 14 3 824 24 5 828 Washington 13 3 813 23 4 852 Stanford 10 6 625 16 10 615 UCLA 9 7 563 16 9 640 Oregon State 8 8 500 16 11 593 Arizona State 7 10 412 18 11 621 Washington St. 6 10 375 11 14 440 California 5 11 313 12 14 462 Oregon 5 11 313 13 12 520 USC 4 12 250 11 16 407

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