Sunday night … college hoops?

Forget the NBA All-Star game. The real big game tonight is UCLA-USC, Part II.

In all my time following UCLA basketball, I can’t ever remember them playing on a Sunday night (7 p.m. PT, FSN/FSN Prime). And not only that, it’s a big game too.

For a full preview, check out Bruin Basketball Report. Hopefully, Luc Richard Mbah a Moute can play tonight (he’s listed as probable).

Losing to USC in football and twice in basketball in the same season would be demoralizing. It better not happen.

***

Reason #1,746 I love Ben Howland: Obviously, everyone would prefer a coach that didn’t make mistakes, but humans aren’t perfect, so that’s not very realistic. So when a mistake is made, I’d like to see it acknowledged and the coach learn from it. Howland, at not realizing that Mike Roll would be out for a long time and James Keefe shouldn’t redshirt the season:

“I knew that with Mike it was a long, long deal,” Howland said. “I struggled with that whole decision, both to redshirt James and to bring him back.

“What an idiot I am to have thought that to begin with. What a dummy I am to have thought otherwise.”

How often do you hear a coach call himself a dummy and an idiot?

(Hat-tip to Bruins Nation for pointing me this.)

43 days ’til Opening Day

There are 43 days left until that best day of the year, MLB Opening Day.

Dennis Eckersley wore the number 43 on his jersey while he established himself as one of the best closers of all time. He was a good starter for the first half of his long career, and he is still fifth all-time in saves, even though he didn’t close at all until his 13th major league season.

Eckersley also won the MVP award in 1992 as a closer — an extremely difficult feat for a closer. Can you imagine that happening today?