UCLA makes sure it's not sweet for 16

The top-seeded Bruins coasted to a 70-29 win over 16th-seeded Mississippi Valley State on Thursday night in the first round of the NCAA West Regional at the Honda Center. The Bruins (32-3) will play ninth-seeded Texas A&M (25-10) in the second round Saturday. The Aggies beat eighth-seeded Brigham Young, 67-62.

It was a night of offensive futility for the Delta Devils (17-16). They made only 13 of 66 shots for a percentage of 19.7%, the lowest in the NCAA tournament since North Carolina State made 19.5% in 1950. Their 29 points equaled the fifth-fewest in NCAA tournament history and is the lowest since Baylor scored 29 in 1946 in a regional final.

"This score, it could be a lot worse," Mississippi Valley State Coach James Green said. "Let's concentrate on a couple of things. How good UCLA is and what a class group. You know, they're big, they're strong."

Big enough and strong enough that in the first four minutes UCLA had blocked five shots and with 7:09 left in the first half the Bruins led the Delta Devils, 33-8. For the game, the Bruins blocked 13 shots, one shy of the NCAA tournament record of 14 by Kentucky in a regional semifinal in 1998.

Sophomore James Keefe got the first start of his career in place of Mbah a Moute, who remained sidelined because of a sprained left ankle, and with 13 minutes left and UCLA leading, 53-19, all the starters except Russell Westbrook were on the bench, high-fiving each other when freshman Chace Stanback scored and jumping in unison when sophomore walk-on Mustafa Abdul-Hamid made a three-pointer with 38.6 seconds left.

Love, who had pulled a muscle in his back in last Friday's Pacific 10 Conference tournament title game, finished with 20 points, nine rebounds and four blocked shots in 21 minutes. He had 18 points in the first half, including three three-pointers, but there were times the freshman center seemed more willing to watch rebounds go over his fingertips than stretch for them. But Love said his back felt fine.

"I had to get it a little more loose than usual, but I just played through it," Love said. "Being able to rest more today, I hope that will help me on Saturday."