The UCLA Bruins on Wednesday afternoon did what they had to do to beat their crosstown rivals, the USC Trojans 55-40 in the opening round of the 2012 Pac-12 Tournament at Staples Center in Los Angeles. After an ugly first half, the Bruins were somehow up by a point despite not being able to hit the broadside of a barn.
"I really don't know what to say about the first half. Anybody reading this who TiVo'ed the game to watch after work, please save yourself the frustration and just hit delete," wrote Patroclus at Bruins Nation. "Whoever happened to be on the court, they could not hit a shot nor work the boards. UCLA started the game shooting just 3-20 from the field, and finishing the first half 7-30 while losing the early rebounding battle."
Up next for the Bruins will be the No. 4 seed Arizona Wildcats, who will be without point guard Josiah Turner, who was suspended indefinitely for violating team rules. It was a third strike of sorts for the freshman, who has had two other incidents this season.
"And as much as [Arizona head coach Sean] Miller has said Turner isn't a bad kid following those two ordeals, strike three comes with more questions," wrote K_Zim at Arizona Desert Swarm. "An indefinite suspension very well could lead Turner to having the same fate as short-lived Wildcat Sidiki Johnson."
The game Thursday between UCLA and Arizona is scheduled to tip off at roughly 2:30 p.m. PST, and will be televised by Fox Sports West.
Click here for the full schedule and tournament bracket. For more on UCLA hoops, head over to Bruins Nation. For more on USC, head to Conquest Chronicles.