Irish Are Not Impressed

Parting shots by opponents can be especially painful to a team not playing up to expectations.

Parting shots by opponents can also be dead-on accurate because they have no reason to mince words.

“They were a team that was really sloppy,� Notre Dame guard Chris Thomas said. “They didn’t have a lot of confidence.�

They, of course, were the Bruins, who lost to the Irish, 75-60, Saturday after falling behind by 20 in the first 12 minutes.

UCLA (11-14) has lost 11 of its last 13, reaching depths unimagined two months ago.

On defense, UCLA can’t begin to keep up with quick guards such as Thomas, who dart into the lane unimpeded. The Bruins don’t defend the outside shot well either, and they rarely get a steal.

Oh, and they are wimpy too.

“They were skinny inside,� Thomas said. “All we had to do was give them a shot fake, get them in the air, and we’d get open every time.�

On offense, what early in the season was a patient UCLA attack that resulted in open shots has dissolved into a one-on-one free-for-all that appears every bit as unorganized as anything drawn up by previous coach Steve Lavin.

One reason the Bruins don’t pass much is that they don’t catch the ball well. Interior passes, especially, result in turnovers more often than baskets.

Oh, and they’re wimpy too. Or did the Irish players already mention that?

“It’s just a different style,� said Tom Timmermans, the Irish center who scored a career-high 20 points. “I think they really struggled with our big bodies.

“I don’t think you can compare it to any Big East game. I didn’t even have to ice down.�

Notre Dame Coach Mike Brey recalled the bruising teams UCLA Coach Ben Howland put on the court when Howland was at Big East rival Pittsburgh the last four years.

“Even though they ran Pittsburgh stuff, they don’t have Pittsburgh bodies,� Brey said.

Brey pulled Howland close during the postgame handshake and whispered encouragement.

“I just told him to hang in there,� he said. “Ben’s going to have this place really going in a few years.�

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UCLA’s total of 110 steals is one of the lowest in Division I. Without freshman forward Trevor Ariza, the Bruins would easily be the worst.

Ariza has 35 steals, a respectable total compared with those of fellow starters T.J. Cummings (three), Ryan Hollins (10), Cedric Bozeman (13) and Dijon Thompson (19).