Mbah a Moute will be missed in Washington

Russell Westbrook said it is frustrating that UCLA will be without starting forward Luc Richard Mbah a Moute for Thursday’s Pacific 10 Conference game at Washington State and Sunday’s game at Washington. Kevin Love said it would be nice for the fifth-ranked Bruins (20-2, 8-1) to be completely healthy for more than a game or two in a stretch in conference play.

“We’d be really good,” Love said.

Instead UCLA will adjust its lineup and try not to long for Mbah a Moute’s defensive presence -- “He can guard everybody from one through five,” forward Alfred Aboya says of his teammate’s ability to defensively stifle guards, forwards and centers.

Mbah a Moute sprained his left ankle in Saturday’s 82-60 win over Arizona and will be sidelined for his second consecutive trip. Mbah a Moute, who is still walking in a protective boot, missed both games on the Oregon swing two weeks ago after he suffered a concussion against USC.

UCLA Coach Ben Howland said he was disappointed to see Mbah a Moute’s injury over and over on tape.

“I was so depressed when I got the news, I can’t even express it,” Howland said. “It was a blow, a real downer coming off last week when we probably played our best basketball in back-to-back games. I feel like we had momentum. To lose Luc again for two games is disappointing.”

This season has been busy for Carrie Rubertino, UCLA’s trainer. Point guard Darren Collison, who missed the first six games of this season with a sprained left knee and has played with a bruised left hip for three weeks, called Rubertino the team’s most valuable player.

Rubertino said one key to dealing with high-profile athletes is to earn their trust. Collison said he appreciated that Rubertino called NBA trainers for input on how Collison should have proceeded with rehab and she said she’d do the same with Mbah a Moute.

“Most of these guys have long-term goals after UCLA,” Rubertino said. “The players have to trust I have their best long-term interests in mind.”

It was a happy group of Bruins who received word after last Saturday’s win that they will fly a chartered plane into Pullman today and then from Pullman to Seattle after Thursday’s game at Washington State. As far as anyone can recall, this is the first time UCLA’s basketball team -- outside of NCAA tournament play -- has chartered a plane for a trip.

“It’s grueling to get to Pullman,” Howland said. “We’ve flown through Seattle to Spokane, from Oakland to Spokane and then bus and it usually takes us 10, 11 hours by the time we leave Pauley.”

Love jokingly said he would go to Pullman only on a private charter. “I guess I’ll take my teammates too,” he said.

It’s back to commercial coach after Sunday’s game at Washington.

Among the nation’s 328 NCAA Division I basketball schools, Washington State is third overall in scoring defense (55.2 points a game allowed); Stanford is seventh (57.6) and UCLA ninth (57.9). Wisconsin is first (54.1). In field goal percentage defense, USC is 16th (38.2%), Stanford is 17th (38.5%) and UCLA is 85th (41.7%). In rebounding margin, UCLA is second (10.6 a game). North Carolina is first (12.0) and Stanford is third (10.2). UCLA also ranks fourth in fewest average fouls a game (14.2).

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diane.pucin@latimes.com