Looking to close a wound

Less than a month gone by and, already, the memory fades.

"Seems like a long time ago," Michael Roll said. "I wasn't even thinking about it till you guys brought it up."

Maybe the UCLA swingman and his teammates would rather not dwell on their loss to Arizona State at Pauley Pavilion last month.

A game in which they fumbled away an 11-point lead. A game in which they staggered the last 8 minutes 14 seconds of regulation without a point before losing in overtime.

"For whatever reason," center Alfred Aboya said, "we couldn't buy a basket."

Actually, the 11th-ranked Bruins think they know exactly what happened, and tonight they have a chance for equal measures of redemption and revenge against Arizona State at Tempe, Ariz.

There is more at stake than wounded pride.

A victory over the 18th-ranked Sun Devils would keep UCLA atop the Pacific 10 Conference standings. This game also serves as an acid test for a team that seems to have turned a corner, winning four games in a row.

"Everybody saw how they dismantled Notre Dame on Saturday," Arizona State Coach Herb Sendek said. "It seemed like they could have named the score."

The last time these Pac-10 contenders met, the Bruins pulled ahead and somehow gave up trying to penetrate Arizona State's matchup zone. Camping on the outskirts, launching perimeter shots, they went cold.

"We're going to learn from this game," senior Josh Shipp said.

The lesson took a while to sink in, UCLA splitting two games against the Washington schools before making a shift, bringing the defensive heat.

"Just trying to speed the game up," Aboya said. "Creating a lot of turnovers."

The guards began putting more pressure on opposing ballhandlers -- USC's Daniel Hackett ran the offense with his back to the basket last week -- while Aboya asserted himself inside, denying the post feed.

In each of their subsequent four victories, the Bruins forced double-digit turnovers, which translated into 24 points a game. By comparison, they scored 10 points off turnovers against Arizona State.

There has been another crucial difference. Working in the half-court offense, they have attacked the basket far more aggressively, either shooting or drawing fouls.

"Definitely just trying to get in there and get contact," guard Jrue Holiday said after a win over California. "All the good teams get to the free-throw line."