University Of California At Los Angeles

Not that Jrue Holiday's teammates necessarily want to see him rattled, but they do wonder. What would it take to get under his skin? "I've never met a kid like that," senior Darren Collison says. "Always has the same composure, always has the same look." Steady and calm, even on rough nights, and there have been a few of those at the start of his college career. The freshman guard has seemed a bit tentative once or twice but never had that deer-in-the-headlights gaze.

This is a big deal . . . within the comfy confines of Southern California. UCLA and USC will go another round in their ongoing spat tonight in the Galen Center. Still, this installment seems to have been downgraded from the national stage from a year ago. The Bruins (12-2 overall, 2-0 in Pacific 10 Conference play) come in ranked, as they were a year ago, though at No. 10 instead of No. 4. The Trojans (10-4, 1-1) are still a threat, as they were when they knocked off UCLA at Pauley Pavilion.

After graduating in 2006 from L.A. Windward High, friends Erica Tukiainen and Hailey Dunham went their separate ways. Tukiainen headed for Westwood to play for UCLA, and Dunham went to USC. The junior guards still call each other occasionally and exchange text messages often, but they stay away from one particular topic: basketball rivalry. Today, the two will meet for the first time this season at Pauley Pavilion when the Bruins (10-3) face the Trojans (8-5).

One of those USC-UCLA moments occurred midway through the first half Sunday night, a reminder of the volatile relationship between the two schools. After a USC foul, the Trojans' Daniel Hackett had a few words for UCLA's Drew Gordon, though neither player was involved in the play. Gordon's response was to raise both arms and clip Hackett in the face as he walked away. "I just turned my head and got hit in the face," Hackett said. "I don't think it was appropriate at the time."

Since this contest featured L.A.'s two big universities, let's just say it was sort of like the first chemistry test of a new semester. The first chance to see whether all of the hard work -- the late nights spent studying, the boring lectures slogged through with the help of triple-shot lattes -- has been worth anything.

Talk about a game face. At Sunday's game against USC at Pauley Pavilion, Chinyere Ibekwe's expressions were that of a player pushed to the edge. The UCLA center/forward scowled fiercely any time a defender dug an elbow into her back. Her brow would furrow whenever she pulled down a board. And when she dived for a loose ball and reached out with one arm, her lips curled and her eyes flashed. "I try to play with a lot of passion," Ibekwe said after UCLA beat USC, 87-75.

An elbow to the face. Not enough to draw blood or even leave a mark. Just enough to heat things up. It was still early in Sunday night's game between USC and UCLA when Bruins center Drew Gordon stuck an elbow out at Trojans guard Daniel Hackett, who was doing a fair amount of talking. Mark the time at 10 minutes 37 seconds to play in the first half. The unofficial start of the college basketball season in Los Angeles.

Things were not going well for Nikola Dragovic -- his shot wasn't falling -- but his teammates had a simple message. "They told me to keep shooting," Dragovic said. Good advice. The forward's clutch points in the final minutes not only helped UCLA defeat USC on Sunday night, they also offered a glimpse of what could be. The ninth-ranked Bruins need Dragovic to become an outside threat.

Not long ago, the UCLA coaches posted a certain newspaper clipping in the locker room. The article, from the Tucson Citizen, quoted Arizona guard Nic Wise talking about his team's desire to win at UCLA this season, saying: "That's one thing we focus on every day in practice -- Pauley Pavilion." This from a team that is looking to break a string of seven losses to the Bruins. As UCLA swingman Michael Roll said: "We can't let that happen."

There was plenty to like about the way that UCLA opened up the Pacific 10 Conference schedule, winning three straight games on the road. But the players know their fast start means nothing if they don't take care of business at home. "There's no sense for us to be on the road and win all those games in other people's places if we can't protect our court," guard Darren Collison said.