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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Ucla Marches Through Fab February But Bruins Aren’t Overly Anxious To Inherit No. 1 Ranking Just Yet

So far, it’s been a fabulous February for the UCLA Bruins, and they’re hoping it’s just part of the buildup for a fabulous finish.

“Our goal was to get better as the season progresses and we think we’ve done that,” said Ed O’Bannon, who scored 27 points, including a school record-tying seven 3-pointers, in the Bruins’ 104-88 win over California on Thursday night.

The win was UCLA’s eighth straight and stopped a three-game losing streak to Cal, which had handed the Bruins their last loss 100-93 Jan. 28 at Pauley Pavilion.

More important was the impressive fashion in which the second-ranked Bruins (20-2, 13-2 Pac-10) negotiated a grueling four-game stretch. Over the past nine days, the Bruins defeated Top 25 opponents ASU, Arizona and Stanford before finally beating Cal.

“I’m happy it’s over. We’ve won, so it’s been a lot of fun,” said O’Bannon, who topped UCLA in scoring and rebounds in each of the past four wins.

“These four games - it’s been a heck of a stretch,” said UCLA coach Jim Harrick, who has guided the Bruins to seven consecutive 20-win seasons. “When you have seniors play like that, it helps you.”

O’Bannon and fellow seniors center George Zidek and point guard Tyus Edney have been at their best during UCLA’s run, helping the Bruins close in on a seventh straight NCAA tournament berth and a second Pac-10 title in four years.

Zidek has asserted himself as an inside force, and came through with a career-high 25 points against Cal. Edney has been setting up the Bruins’ offense beautifully, handing out 21 assists in the past two games.

“That’s the best I’ve seen them play in a long time,” Cal coach Todd Bozeman said. “UCLA has a great club … they definitely deserve to be No. 1.”

A win Sunday against Duke could very well do just that for UCLA. Oklahoma’s upset last Monday of top-ranked Kansas left the No. 1 spot up for grabs.

Not that Harrick or his team is all that anxious to claim the top spot.

“If you stay around six or seven (in he rankings) and then stay undefeated in the second half, they’ll put that silly crown on your head,” Harrick said. “We can’t worry about that.”

O’Bannon said the only poll that matters to the Bruins is the one determined on the court in the NCAA tournament.

“We want to be No. 1 at the end of the season,” he said.