UCLA sophomore Russell Westbrook was a fine choice as Pacific 10 Conference defensive player of the year, but the defensive catalyst for Coach Ben Howland's defense-oriented Bruins is ball-hawking Darren Collison. . . .
Though Collison's value has been overshadowed somewhat by Kevin Love's inside dominance, the junior point guard is projected to be a higher NBA draft pick than former Bruins Jordan Farmar and Arron Afflalo. . . .
UCLA's 41-point dismantling of Mississippi Valley State evoked memories of 1971-72, when the unbeaten Walton Gang of Bill Walton and Henry Bibby outscored opponents by a national-record average of 30.3 points per game. . . .
The five teams that scored the most surprising upsets in the opening round of the NCAA tournament -- Siena, San Diego, Western Kentucky, Villanova and Davidson -- combined to make nearly 48% of their three-point shots. . . .
Stephen Curry of Davidson, son of former NBA player Dell Curry, led the way by making eight of 10 three-point shots and scoring 40 points against Gonzaga. . . .
His father, in 16 NBA seasons, made 40% of his three-point shots. . . .
Highly touted quarterback prospect Terrelle Pryor of Jeannette, Pa., who signed last week with Ohio State, says USC basketball Coach Tim Floyd courted him, telling him O.J. Mayo needs a small forward. . . .
Does that mean Floyd believes Mayo is staying at USC for another season or that the coach believes Pryor, who led his teams to state titles in football and basketball, is ready to jump to the NBA, as Mayo is expected to do? . . .
One reason Jerry West might actually be interested in taking over as boss of the New York Knicks: Isiah Thomas couldn't have set the bar much lower. . . .
Speaking of West, that was son Jonnie West who got onto the court for about one minute Saturday in West Virginia's upset victory over Duke. . . .
The younger West, a redshirt freshman, wears No. 4. . . .
No. 44 was retired in 2005. . . .
Kobe Bryant and the Lakers are scheduled to play only one of their last 13 regular-season games outside California -- April 8 at Portland -- and, if the standings hold up, would open the playoffs against the Golden State Warriors. . . .
The Lakers and Warriors last met in the playoffs in 1991, when Magic Johnson & Co. needed only five games to eliminate the "Run TMC" Warriors of Chris Mullin, Mitch Richmond and Tim Hardaway in a Western Conference semifinal. . . .
