University Of California At Los Angeles

Michael Roll did all right by trading up in 2005. Roll had committed to UC Santa Barbara early in his senior year at Aliso Niguel. But diverting to UCLA on signing day put him on the road to three Final Fours, two of which he played in, and a national title game. Any regrets about his decision? "No way," Roll said, smiling. Roll, a senior guard for the Bruins, will play his final home games at Pauley Pavilion this week, starting Thursday against Oregon State. His final tour might not be a jaunt through another NCAA tournament, as the 12-14 Bruins are struggling to get to .500, but Roll's impact appears to be on those who are following him into the program.

UCLA's inside presence now may rest on the shoulders of one guy who has been on the outside looking in much of the season. The Bruins will learn Wednesday whether freshman forward Reeves Nelson will be available for their game against Oregon State on Thursday. Nelson underwent laser surgery to repair a partially torn retina in his left eye. But UCLA Coach Ben Howland was operating under the assumption that Nelson would not be able to play, which would create minutes for sophomore J'mison Morgan , who has played only 49 minutes in Pacific 10 Conference games.

UCLA's basketball team received more bad news, as freshman forward Reeves Nelson underwent laser surgery on his left eye to repair a slight tear in his retina. Nelson will be reevaluated Wednesday to determine whether he will be able to play against Oregon State on Thursday. He injured his right eye Thursday, when he landed face-first on the court against Washington State, opening a gash that required 15 stitches. "The retinal tear was very far from his central and meaningful peripheral vision and will not affect his ability to see the court," Dr. Steven Schwartz said in a statement.

Reeves Nelson , UCLA's 6-foot-8 freshman forward and amateur stuntman, loped through the hotel lobby Friday fielding jokes about his purple-and-black right eye, which was swollen nearly shut. "You look like a boxer," radio analyst Tracy Murray said. Nelson laughed and replied, "Got the hands of one too." And maybe the head of one. Nelson will be back in the lineup against Washington on Saturday, gruesome looks and all. His Frankenstein appearance was the result of his dunk late in the first half Thursday against Washington State.

In a season of diminishing returns, UCLA can still bank on one thing: success in Eastern Washington. Three things were clear after a 71-51 victory over Washington State at Friel Court Thursday. Tyler Honeycutt was perfect. Reeves Nelson was a mess. UCLA doesn't lose along the Palouse. The Bruins shook off the can-we-make-the-NIT persona that has dogged them throughout Pacific 10 Conference play to win their 17th consecutive road game against the Cougars -- 15 in Pullman, two in Spokane.

Malcolm Lee never heard the pitter-patter of big feet from behind. This was UCLA's first possession Sunday. Lee pushed up through the Trojans' pressure. The next moment, USC forward Marcus Johnson was going the other way with the ball. It was just another step on a tough learning curve for Lee. After last season, Jrue Holiday bolted early for the NBA. Jerime Anderson has been slowed by injury and inconsistency. That has left Lee, a shooting guard by trade, as the team's learn-as-I-go point guard.

Students experience a raft of emotions when they float into one UCLA professor's office. They giggle and gush over Tom Wortham's hundreds of glass figurines, fancy dolls, sheet music and scale models of Huck Finn. Wortham's shelves and file cabinets are stuffed with Mark Twain memorabilia tied to the all-American author's best-known work, "Adventures of Huckleberry Finn." The retired English Department chairman insists he has no love for the knickknacks, toys and Huck-themed gadgets and artwork stacked in corners and mounted on the office's walls.

It's never too early to plan for the Pacific 10 Conference tournament, unless you play for USC this season. For UCLA, there is considerable work to be done with six regular-season games remaining. The Bruins, 11-13 overall and 6-6 in the Pac-10, had the luxury of knowing that an NCAA tournament invitation was set aside for them each of the last five seasons. This season, UCLA will have to be able to string together at least three consecutive victories in three days to win the Pac-10 tournament.

The hard part for UCLA's players wasn't that they lost to USC, though that was bad enough. Their consternation came from the fact they felt they improved . . . and still lost. The 68-64 loss to USC on Sunday was a big step forward from the 67-46 beating the Trojans gave the Bruins last month. But UCLA players, and fans, are not used to judging things in A-for-effort terms. "It's frustrating because that first game, they just came and just took it," Bruins guard Malcolm Lee said.

After two weeks, four games, and a lot of wheel spinning, UCLA's basketball team is facing the exact same situation as before. The Bruins play five of their last seven games before the Pacific 10 tournament on the road while trying to remain relevant in the conference race. So reclaiming the conference championship will need to be done away from Pauley Pavilion. That makes the spin easy heading into Sunday's game at USC. "At home, you want to get going, you want to make a shot, you want to hear the roar of the crowd," UCLA Coach Ben Howland said.