Bruins 'shocked' by drop in poll

"A lot of guys are shocked," Collison said.

The Bruins can blame their loss to unranked Michigan in a semifinal of last week's 2K Sports Classic at Madison Square Garden. And with a full week of practice before their next game, they can also get back to work.

Much of the talk Tuesday revolved around an offense that has appeared stagnant at times in the early season. The goal is simple.

"Less dribbling," swingman Josh Shipp said. "More passing and ball cutting."

Opponents have had some success in defending off UCLA's screens. Too often, the Bruins have held the ball at the top of the key while the shot clock ticks down.

So players said Coach Ben Howland has them practicing the motion offense to augment set plays.

"Yesterday we worked on it a lot," guard Michael Roll said. "We weren't allowed to run anything else."

Howland talked about other adjustments. He says he thinks Shipp is trying to force things on offense and wants Collison, who has made 61% of his shots, to shoulder more of the scoring burden.

"Darren Collison should take the most shots on the team," Howland said. "He's our best shooter."

The point guard seemed a bit reticent, insisting there are a lot of good players on the team who need to be scoring. He vowed to be more aggressive in attacking defenses and getting to the paint.

But scoring isn't the only issue.

The Bruins were outrebounded against Southern Illinois and are averaging almost 15 turnovers a game. "Yesterday, every time we had a turnover, the team that turned it over had to run," Howland said.

Also, the defense is allowing opponents to shoot 45% from the field.

Center Alfred Aboya, who returned to practice after a scary fall against Southern Illinois, wonders if he and his teammates are being too aggressive around the perimeter, allowing opponents to drive past them.

"You have to be in control," he said.

All this talk of deficiencies and needing to improve might seem overly gloomy with a team that is 3-1 and ranked in the top 20. Such are the expectations for a program that has reached three consecutive Final Fours.

Several of the veteran players talked about the freshmen on the squad -- led by starting guard Jrue Holiday -- who must contribute but are still finding their way.

As to how long the growing pains might last, estimates ranged from two more games to mid-January.

"We have a lot of talented guys," Collison said. "People have just got to be patient with us."

Wharton is a Times staff writer.

david.wharton@latimes.com