Trip to the Northwest Could Be Just What the Doctor Ordered for UCLA

PULLMAN, Wash. —  Just when the UCLA basketball team can use it the most, along comes the lower division of the Pacific 10 Conference.

Step up, eager Bruins, for games in the next 8 days against Washington State, here tonight at Friel Court, Washington Saturday at Seattle and Oregon next Thursday night at Pauley Pavilion.

All three have records below .500, and UCLA ripped Oregon 3 weeks ago, 97-66.

Lately, though, no game is a gimme for the Bruins.

They have lost 3 of 5, although it should be noted that nobody really expected them to win at Oregon State or Stanford. They weren’t close in either game.

But the 2 they have won since the rout of Oregon were against Arizona State and USC, both of which may be worse than their next 3 opponents, and they struggled for a half against injury-racked Arizona State and needed a last-second shot to beat the Trojans, still winless in the Pac-10.

“We would certainly like to be a little bit better than we are,” Coach Jim Harrick said of the Bruins (10-5 overall, in the Pac-10), who are 1 1/2 games behind Arizona and a half-game behind Stanford. “We could be worse, also.

“We’re in a decent position in our conference. We haven’t lost any games we didn’t figure to.”

Harrick said that UCLA’s next 5 games, including dates at Pauley Pavilion against Oregon State Feb. 5 and USC Feb. 8, could go a long way in determining the Bruins’ desirability to the National Collegiate Athletic Assn. tournament selection committee.

“If we win the next 5, we’d be 15-5 and still second or third in the conference, knocking on the door,” Harrick said. “We’d certainly like to make some hay. We’ve just got to go out and be a little more consistent.”

Among the most inconsistent Bruins this month, surprisingly, have been veterans Kevin Walker and Pooh Richardson.

The 6-foot 10-inch Walker has 17 rebounds in his last 5 games, and scored only 3 points in the losses at Oregon State Jan. 8 and at Stanford last Saturday. Walker, who averaged 16 points in UCLA’s first 3 games, has scored in double figures only 4 times in the Bruins’ last 12 games. In 2 games last week, he made only 4 of 14 shots.

“I think Kevin has some things to overcome,” Harrick said. “Physically, we know what he can do. Mentally, I think he’s a little tough on himself and when he is, he doesn’t perform quite as well. We’re working on it.”

“I still expect a lot out of him--maybe more than he’s able to produce.”

Richardson, in UCLA’s last 5 games, has almost as many turnovers, 22, as he has assists, 26. He fouled out trying to guard Oregon State’s Gary Payton, who burned the Bruins for 20 points, 9 assists, 7 rebounds and 7 steals, and Stanford’s Todd Lichti, who made only 6 of 16 shots but led the Cardinal with 18 points.

“Pooh has gotten into a habit of trying to do too much, and when he does that, he turns it over,” Harrick said of the Bruins’ only senior starter. “I want him to relax and let the game come to him. When he does, he’s a lot better.”

And so are the Bruins.

“It’s a simple game,” Harrick said. “But it’s a very difficult game to play well. Most teams have trouble from time to time.”

At this point, though, it’s time for UCLA’s woes to end, Harrick said.

“I think it’s important that we win some games in a row,” he said.

The victims are lined up.

Bruin Notes

Washington State (6-10, 1-6) has had losses of 42, 18 and 27 points in its last 3 games--against Stanford, Oregon and Oregon State. . . . Senior forward Brian Quinnett has averaged 18 points a game and leads the Cougars in scoring. . . . Washington State ended UCLA’s season last March, beating the Bruins, 73-71, in the second round of the Pac-10 tournament at Tucson.

UCLA was whistled for a season-high 31 fouls in its 84-75 loss at Stanford last Saturday. Pooh Richardson and Keith Owens fouled out, and four other Bruins ended the game with 4 fouls. . . . Don MacLean and Trevor Wilson attempted their first 3-point shots of the season against Stanford as UCLA, battling to overcome an 11-point halftime deficit, tried a season-high 13 treys, making 3.

In 6 games since Darrick Martin replaced Kevin Williams in UCLA’s starting lineup, Martin has averaged 36 minutes, 11.7 points and 4.5 assists a game while Williams has averaged 10.4, 1.4 and 0.6. . . . After the trip to Washington this week, UCLA will play 7 of its last 10 games at Pauley Pavilion.