Text messages from press row . . .

UCLA sophomore Russell Westbrook was a fine choice as Pacific 10 Conference defensive player of the year, but the defensive catalyst for Coach Ben Howland’s defense-oriented Bruins is ball-hawking Darren Collison. . . .

Though Collison’s value has been overshadowed somewhat by Kevin Love’s inside dominance, the junior point guard is projected to be a higher NBA draft pick than former Bruins Jordan Farmar and Arron Afflalo. . . .

UCLA’s 41-point dismantling of Mississippi Valley State evoked memories of 1971-72, when the unbeaten Walton Gang of Bill Walton and Henry Bibby outscored opponents by a national-record average of 30.3 points per game. . . .

The five teams that scored the most surprising upsets in the opening round of the NCAA tournament -- Siena, San Diego, Western Kentucky, Villanova and Davidson -- combined to make nearly 48% of their three-point shots. . . .

Stephen Curry of Davidson, son of former NBA player Dell Curry, led the way by making eight of 10 three-point shots and scoring 40 points against Gonzaga. . . .

His father, in 16 NBA seasons, made 40% of his three-point shots. . . .

Highly touted quarterback prospect Terrelle Pryor of Jeannette, Pa., who signed last week with Ohio State, says USC basketball Coach Tim Floyd courted him, telling him O.J. Mayo needs a small forward. . . .

Does that mean Floyd believes Mayo is staying at USC for another season or that the coach believes Pryor, who led his teams to state titles in football and basketball, is ready to jump to the NBA, as Mayo is expected to do? . . .

One reason Jerry West might actually be interested in taking over as boss of the New York Knicks: Isiah Thomas couldn’t have set the bar much lower. . . .

Speaking of West, that was son Jonnie West who got onto the court for about one minute Saturday in West Virginia’s upset victory over Duke. . . .

The younger West, a redshirt freshman, wears No. 4. . . .

No. 44 was retired in 2005. . . .

Kobe Bryant and the Lakers are scheduled to play only one of their last 13 regular-season games outside California -- April 8 at Portland -- and, if the standings hold up, would open the playoffs against the Golden State Warriors. . . .

The Lakers and Warriors last met in the playoffs in 1991, when Magic Johnson & Co. needed only five games to eliminate the “Run TMC” Warriors of Chris Mullin, Mitch Richmond and Tim Hardaway in a Western Conference semifinal. . . .

Says Denver Nuggets Coach George Karl of the tight race in the West, which could leave the Nuggets out of the playoffs even if they win 50 games: “I call it the Haley’s Comet year of the NBA. Once every 99 years something like this happens. Why I have to be a part of it, I want to know why.” . . .

Of Friday’s result at Indian Wells, where one Russian ousted another in a women’s semifinal, Fark.com noted, “Kuznetsova triumphsova Sharapova.” . . .

While Mitch Mustain and his quarterback competition with Mark Sanchez will draw more attention when USC opens spring practice Tuesday, the Arkansas transfer who might impact the Trojans’ fortunes most notably in 2008 is Mustain’s former high school teammate, sophomore wide receiver Damian Williams. . . .

Williams caught four passes for 61 yards against USC in 2006 and hopes to bring consistency to a wide receiver corps that was up and down last season. . . .

What better way for two-time defending College World Series champion Oregon State to christen its remodeled baseball stadium than with a rainout, as the Beavers did Thursday night with a washout against Pepperdine? . . .

After Joe Torre and the Dodgers played the San Diego Padres to a 1-1 tie in an exhibition at Beijing, you couldn’t help but wonder: Are games that don’t produce winners as unpopular with still-uninitiated Chinese baseball crowds as they are with still-uninitiated U.S. soccer audiences? . . .

Jack Rosenberg of Redondo Beach e-mails to remind that Freeman Williams, a former Manual Arts High star who was a two-time NCAA scoring champion at Portland State in the 1970s, played the role of Duck Johnson in “White Men Can’t Jump,” a 1992 film in which the late Allan Malamud also appeared. . . .

Johnson and Eddie “The King” Faroo, played by Louis Price, are playground legends who take on Sidney Deane and Billy Hoyle, portrayed by co-stars Wesley Snipes and Woody Harrelson, in a pivotal two-on-two championship game that costs Billy the love of his life. . . .

Malamud portrays a “Jeopardy”-playing rocket scientist.

--

jerome.crowe@latimes.com