Pulling rank at No. 2

UCLA coaches and players say they don’t pay attention to the national polls, but at this time of year, when poll position can give an indication of NCAA tournament seeding position, it’s hard for them to not at least sneak a peek.

This week, the Bruins have to like what they see.

UCLA, 26-3 overall and 14-2 in Pacific 10 Conference play, moved up in both the Associated Press media rankings and in the ESPN/USA Today coaches poll.

Fourth in both last week, UCLA is now third behind top-ranked North Carolina and Memphis in the AP poll and second behind North Carolina in the coaches’ ranking. After receiving one first-place vote in the AP poll and none from the coaches, UCLA got 12 this week in AP voting and six from the coaches.

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After Sunday’s 68-66 win over Arizona in Tucson, a game televised by CBS, broadcaster Billy Packer asked UCLA Coach Ben Howland about junior forward Josh Shipp’s reluctance to shoot, a point Packer had hammered during the broadcast. Packer had also been hard on Shipp during another CBS telecast earlier this season, when UCLA played Michigan, criticizing him for an end-of-game dunk that Packer suggested was unnecessary.

Howland answered Packer the same way he began his post-game media conference after the Arizona win, praising Shipp for his game-long effort at getting the ball inside to center Kevin Love, who scored 24 points and had 15 rebounds.

Howland also said Shipp was being too unselfish when he passed the ball to guard Russell Westbrook in the last 20 seconds. Shipp is an 83.6% foul shooter, though he missed three free throws early in the game; Westbrook shoots 70.8% from the line. Westbrook missed one of his two free throws, leaving UCLA with a 68-65 advantage but allowing Arizona the opportunity to tie or win the game.

“I always want Josh shooting foul shots at the end of game, Josh or Darren [Collison],” Howland said. “I was like, ‘Josh, I always want you to shoot the foul shots.’ I want Josh getting fouled, always, to close out a game.”

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Former UCLA coach John Wooden remains hospitalized while recovering from a broken left wrist and collarbone he suffered Thursday night in a fall at his Encino home.

Wooden, 97, is still in considerable pain, said his daughter, Nan Muehlhausen, and will probably remain in the hospital until he is more comfortable. Muehlhausen said Wooden was looking forward to UCLA’s Thursday game against Stanford. “If the team clinches the title,” she added, “that would be wonderful for him.”

Muehlhausen also said Howland visited Wooden on Monday and that she expected doctors to soon replace the cast they removed Sunday when her father’s wrist swelled.

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diane.pucin@latimes.com