UCLA men's basketball coach Ben Howland clearly believes in second chances after reinstating junior forward Reeves Nelson to the team after he was suspended for poor conduct and missed Tuesday night's 86-66 loss to Middle Tennessee State."I acknowledge there are corrections that need to be made and I'm grateful to Coach Howland to have this opportunity to improve and work on being a positive for our team," Nelson said. "I appreciate the support of my teammates and will be there for them as we move forward."
While Nelson works himself back onto the team, let's take a quick look back at Tuesday night's loss and see what answers we got from the game.
LOWDOWN LOOK BACK
We wanted the following questions answers before the game:
Can Joshua Smith dominate against another big body?
*He sure can on the offensive end, where he collected all nine of his rebounds. But until UCLA figures out all of its defensive issues, we won't know the complete answer.
How much will Jerime Anderson's return help UCLA with its perimeter defense?
*Not at all on Tuesday night. After the Blue Raiders made 10 of its 11 3-pointers, UCLA opponents have now made 20 of 26 shots behind the arc.
Who will emerge as a rebounding force during Reeves Nelson's absence?
*Middle Tennessee State shot so well on Tuesday night, there weren't many rebounds to grab on the defensive end. Nobody besides Smith stood out on the glass, which means the Bruins are still looking for another presence on the glass to join their sophomore center and Nelson.
