SIDELINES

UCLA freshman forward Reeves Nelson was cleared to play after being re-examined Wednesday for a slightly torn retina that required a laser procedure Feb. 22.

Nelson, one of the Pac-10's top freshmen, is averaging 11.0 points and 5.5 rebounds a game.

Meanwhile, UCLA announced Wednesday that reserve center J'mison Morgan has been suspended for a violation of team rules and that senior forward Nikola Dragovic practiced fully Wednesday after spraining his right ankle before the UCLA-Oregon game Saturday.

Early wake-up call Saturday

The Pac-10 Conference gave two of its most fatigued teams a treat this weekend: USC and Arizona will tip off at 11:30 a.m. on Saturday after playing games Thursday night.

For UA, this means a 37-hour turnaround from the end of its game tonight against UCLA. Because USC will face ASU at 6:30 tonight, the Trojans get 39 - but they have to spend two of those hours driving from Tempe to Tucson.

"I was disappointed that we couldn't play it earlier," UA coach Sean Miller said sarcastically. "If we can contact USC, why not just play it right after the (UCLA) game - they can drive to Tucson right after the Arizona State game, and we can kind of kill two birds with one stone."

The reason has to do with TV: Because Arizona wasn't selected for one of the Pac-10's national telecasts Saturday, UA officials had to move it outside of those windows in order to get it on local television.

CBS will carry the UCLA-ASU game at 2 p.m., and Fox Sports Net affiliates are scheduled to take the California-Stanford game at 4 p.m.

O'Neill's return "just another game"

The trip to Tucson will be a homecoming of sorts for Trojans coach Kevin O'Neill, the one-time UA assistant who returned as an assistant and interim head coach two seasons ago. He was named the eventual successor to Lute Olson, but Olson returned after the season and said O'Neill would not be back.

But O'Neill insisted his return to McKale Center would create no extra emotion.

"None whatsoever," O'Neill said earlier this week. "To me that's just another game against a good quality team. I have great respect for Arizona and their tradition. I loved my time in Tucson. But that's just another game."

Unfortunately, O'Neill added, it is also USC's last game because the Trojans have self-sanctioned themselves out of the Pac-10 tournament and any other postseason events because of alleged violations under former coach Tim Floyd.

UCLA brings new look to Tucson

More than any Pac-10 team, UCLA may appear different the second time around for Arizona.

Not only have the Bruins fully converted to a zone defensive philosophy since their Jan. 2 loss to Arizona, but they have an emerging standout in the frontcourt with Tyler Honeycutt.

A prime candidate to make the Pac-10 all-freshman team - along with teammate Reeves Nelson, UA center Derrick Williams and WSU guard Reggie Moore - Honeycutt is averaging 7.4 points, 7.1 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 1.7 steals and 1.4 blocks in conference games after missing much of summer conditioning with a back injury and the first six games of the season with a stress reaction in his right tibia.

Bruce Pascoe

Improved TVs help officials

The increasing availability of high-definition television in the Pac-10 isn't just benefiting fans.

The officials get to see it, too, on screens such as UA's new 20-inch HD screen that replaced the old 7-incher on which officials were forced to view Nic Wise's controversial Lipscomb buzzer-beater.

"Absolutely, it makes a difference," said Bill McCabe, the Pac-10 officials coordinator. "But even if a game is not in high-def, you're looking at it better than on a 7-inch fuzzy monitor."

UA associate AD Suzy Mason, who said the monitor was purchased for $200 from the department's home-events budget, said more high-def monitors are planned for football games, too.

UCLA coach blames self for failures

So how did UCLA go from perennial Final Four participant to Pac-10 also-ran in just two years?

In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, coach Ben Howland pointed the finger at himself.

"You can say I know failure because that's what it has been relative to our expectations here," he says. "It's no fun. I have sleepless nights wondering how the heck did we get here.

"But all of it starts right here with me. I'm in charge of making this program competitive year after year, but I did a poor job of evaluation of some of our recruits - from a talent, as well as a character standpoint."

And it's all happening in the literal shadow of legendary former coach John Wooden, who watched last-place Oregon edge the Bruins at home last weekend.

"It really made me feel terrible,'' Howland told the Times. "Coach Wooden's health has not allowed him to be with us much this season, but he was here Saturday with his championship '70 team watching us play zone defense, turning over the ball and not winning.