Wachovia Center

VS. VIRGINIA COMMONWEALTH Time: 6:45 PDT. On the air: TV: Channel 2; Radio: 1150, 710. Where: Wachovia Center, Philadelphia. Records: UCLA 25-8, Virginia Commonwealth 24-9. Record vs. opponent: First meeting. Update: When asked about VCU forward Larry Sanders, UCLA Coach Ben Howland quipped: "First of all, I was a fan of the 'Larry Sanders Show.' " But seriously, folks, Howland knows his Bruins must find a way to score against the shot-blocking Sanders and the rest of the defense-minded Rams.

It wasn't what UCLA seniors Darren Collison, Josh Shipp and Alfred Aboya had envisioned. Not sitting on the bench in the final disheartening moments of an 89-69 loss to Villanova in the second round of the NCAA tournament at the Wachovia Center. "It's obviously disappointing ending your career on a big down like this one," Aboya said. The trio leaves UCLA with more victories than any other class in school history. Shipp and Collison rank 12th and 16th, respectively, in scoring.

Jim Vandermeer, Tony Amonte and John LeClair scored to lead the Philadelphia Flyers to their 11th straight victory at home, 3-2, over the Phoenix Coyotes on Friday night. The Flyers, who lead the NHL with 38 points, are 12-0-2 at the Wachovia Center this season, the only team unbeaten at home. Robert Esche stopped 18 shots to improve to 8-2-2. Calgary 2, Minnesota 1 -- Jarome Iginla scored with 22.8 seconds left to give the Flames the victory at Calgary.

Something about watching UCLA on videotape impressed the Villanova players. "I mean, their defense is just amazing," guard Scottie Reynolds said. "They like to get up in you and create havoc." Forward Dante Cunningham saw it too. "They battle," he said. That toughness makes the Wildcats think of UCLA -- which they face in the second round of the NCAA tournament this morning at the Wachovia Center -- as another Big East Conference team.

The last few days, UCLA point guard Darren Collison has been testing his bruised tailbone by playing aggressive defense in practice. So far, so good. "That was my main concern, if I could really put pressure on the ball," he said. The senior rated himself at somewhere less than 100% but figures he will be fine when the sixth-seeded Bruins face 11th-seeded Virginia Commonwealth in the first round of the East Regional at the Wachovia Center tonight.

Bruce Springsteen and his E Street Band opened their concert here Friday night with a taut, instrumental rendition of "The Star-Spangled Banner," then segued into "Born in the U.S.A.," his dispirited anthem about the fractured American Dream in the years after Vietnam. It was a defining juxtaposition in the most celebrated show in a series of concerts-as-political-rallies staged in venues across Pennsylvania on Friday as representatives of the pop music world -- including R.E.M.

at Philadelphia 104, Chicago 101: Thaddeus Young scored a career-high 31 points and Andre Iguodala had 25 for the 76ers in the final NBA game at the 42-year-old Spectrum, which is targeted for demolition by the end of this year. Members of the 1966-67 and 1982-83 NBA champion 76ers, including Julius Erving, were on hand for one last game at the dated arena; the team normally plays across the street at the Wachovia Center.