Garden Spot? Bruins Find Out Today

NEW YORK —  Ben Howland delivered one of those speeches to his team Friday that sends chills up a player’s spine.

And it had nothing to do with the 15-degree temperatures and snow piled up along the streets.

Howland told the Bruins that every great player in the history of basketball has played at least once at Madison Square Garden.

“If you are a basketball player, if you want to continue to be a basketball player, this is where you want to play,” he told them. “And you are playing there [today]. It is a special place.”

One Bruin who did not need reminding is T.J. Cummings. The senior forward began his UCLA career by scoring 24 points against Kansas at Madison Square Garden in the 2000 Coaches vs. Cancer Classic.

“I’m looking forward to going back,” Cummings said. “I’ve had my eye on this game since I saw the schedule.”

Cummings has exceeded that point total only once since, scoring 25 against South Carolina at the 2001 Maui Invitational.

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Madison Square Garden also brings back fond memories for Howland. The Big East tournament is held there every year and he led Pittsburgh to the tournament title over Connecticut last season.

“My greatest experience at Pittsburgh was the Big East tournament,” he said. “Everybody lives for that tournament. It is the crescendo of the season.”

Howland has not experienced the Pacific 10 Conference tournament, but from what he gathers, it is not as captivating as the Big East version. He would like to see the Pac-10 invite every team instead of the top eight, a format that would give the top two teams a first-round bye.

He also believes the conference schedule should be reduced from 18 to 16 games.

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Howland questioned his team’s passion after the loss to USC on Wednesday when the Bruins fell behind by 20 at halftime. He said practices the last two days were spirited and that he might have misread the players.

“If practice is an indication, they do want to win,” he said.

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UCLA will use more zone defense because it suits the team’s personnel. Also, Howland recognized the effectiveness of a zone watching the last four opponents shut down the Bruins with it.

“I don’t think you can consistently beat good teams playing strictly a zone,” he said. “Syracuse is the only team in the country that does it. But we are going to zone more. I don’t hate to do it if it helps us win.”

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TODAY

at St. John’s, 10:30 a.m. PST, Ch. 2

Site -- Madison Square Garden.

Radio -- XTRA 1150/690

Records -- UCLA 9-7, St. John’s 4-13.

Update -- Red Storm guards Elijah Ingram and Daryll Hill could give UCLA problems because they penetrate aggressively off the dribble, something Bruin guards Cedric Bozeman and Dijon Thompson have trouble defending. However, the Red Storm has lost their last seven and defeated only Stony Brook, St. Francis, Holy Cross and Niagara. UCLA lost to St. John’s, 80-65, at Pauley Pavilion last season.