UCLA has struggled in the beginning of their 11-12 season with controversy surrounding Reeves Nelson and an out of shape Joshua Smith.

"I expected that Smith was going to come back more prepared than last year; he's less prepared," Jay Bilas said "He was a net loss with the turnovers, the buckets he was giving up because he really couldn't keep up defensively. It negated every point that he scored."

Smith has been considered a first round prospect for the 2012 NBA Draft.

Ben Howland reiterated his concerns about Smith's stamina after the game, saying the center "has just got to keep working to get himself in better condition." 

Noah Vonleh is challenging Andrew Wiggins for the top slot in the class of 2014.

Vonleh, who plays for New Hampton, was at the National Prep Showcase in New Haven, Connecticut this weekend.

Vonleh, a 6-foot-7 combo forward, had 19 rebounds on Saturday and 14 on Sunday. He also went 4-for-5 from three on Sunday to go with several buckets attacking the rim off the dribble to finish with 19 points.

"I thought I played pretty good and I shot the ball well," said Vonleh. "I've been working on my shooting and getting my handle better."

Vonleh is receiving interest from Connecticut, Boston College, Syracuse, Kansas, Auburn, Georgia Tech and UCLA.

"I don't let it get to my head," Vonleh said of the attention. "I just play hard and try to get better."

Reeves Nelson missed UCLA's team bus to Los Angeles International Airport and their subsequent flight to Hawaii.

Nelson took a later flight to Hawaii on his own.

"He understands it doesn't look good," Bruins Coach Ben Howland said Sunday.

Nelson was recently suspended for being late to a team meeting.

Shabazz Muhammad has been surprised that coaches attempting to recruit him have mispronounced his name.

“I absolutely can’t stand when people in general pronounce my name wrong,” said Muhammad. “But when coaches do it, it’s really surprising honestly. Throughout my recruitment it’s happened a lot, but a school that just keeps on doing it, they’re pretty much off the list.” 

Muhammad, who is the No. 1 recruit in the class of 2012, is considering UCLA, Kentucky, Kansas, TexasA&M, Arizona and UNLV.

“I’m used to it because people mispronounce my name all the time,” said Muhammad, a senior swingman at Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas). “I understand because of the spelling of it so I’ll let it slide if it’s once or twice, but I’ll politely correct them if it goes past that. But coaches recruiting me, I’d think they would get it right. Seems like you’d want to get that right.” 

Kentucky and Kansas have mispronounced his first name, with Shabazz being pronounced Shuh-BOZZ.

“Coach (Bill) Self said it wrong when I went there at Kansas, and I think he realized it pretty quick and changed it to the right pronunciation,” Muhammad said. “Then one of the assistants at Kentucky said it wrong on a visit and Coach (John) Calipari said it the right way real quick. Then the assistant caught on after that.”

Walt Hazzard passed away at UCLA Medical Center on Friday following a long illness at the age of 69.

Hazzard transferred to UCLA after spending one season (1960-61) at Santa Monica College. He helped lead UCLA to their first NCAA title.

Hazzard was a first-round selection of the Los Angeles Lakers, he played 724 regular-season games and averaged 12.6 points and 4.9 assists during his 10-year career with Los Angeles, Seattle, Atlanta, Buffalo and Golden State.

Six times during those 10 seasons, he ranked among the NBA's Top 10 assists leaders.

The early losses of UCLA could actually help in their recruitment of Shabazz Muhammad, the consensus top player in the incoming class of 2012.

Ben Howland's pitch of "We need you" is something Muhammad has likely already heard, according to the report.

When UCLA was predicted to win the Pac-12 regular season, there was a sense amongst the California locker room that they had been slighted.

“We get to play some top teams, and we’re looking forward to the opportunity to show the nation what we’ve got,” said Brandon Smith. “The ranking, to us, doesn’t matter much. It’s a just a number by our name. We’re out to show what Cal basketball is all about.” 

Cal won their first conference title in 50 years in 2010 and are positioned to compete for another title after a transition year in 10-11.

“We look at that [second-place Pac-12 pick], and anything we can do to get a chip on our shoulder is good,” said Harper Kamp. “We just have to play like we’re the underdog, and we need to prove ourselves night in, night out.” 

While UCLA has lost consecutive games at home to mid-majors, Cal has won its first three games by an average of 21 points.

Reeves Nelson has been suspended indefinitely by UCLA head coach Ben Howland due to attitude problems.

"This is a very disappointing situation for Reeves and our basketball program," Howland said in a statement released by the team. "We have a high standard and code of conduct that our student-athletes are expected to adhere to and Reeves has fallen short of our expectations."

Nelson did not attend Monday's practice, which was supposed to involve a meeting with Howland. The two spoke on the phone.

Reeves Nelson will meet with UCLA head coach Ben Howland to discuss his future with the team.

Asked what the meeting was about, Howland said, "Just his behavior after the game [against Loyola Marymount], for example, walking off the court the other day, a number of things of that nature."

Nelson appeared frustrated for a good portion of UCLA's loss to Loyola Marymount last week.

Nelson, who recently appeared on the regional cover of Sports Illustrated's college basketball preview, has a reputation for sulking and berating teammates.

Shabazz Muhammad, the No. 1 recruit in the class of 2012, continues to put off his college decision. Unlike many other recruits, Muhammad doesn't need to sign early because he can choose any school in the country at any time.

"I think that's a really big advantage for me, to be able to find the style of play that fits me and sit down with my family to talk about which aspects of my game will fit into the programs I like.

"Watching these college games is really going to be an important thing for me."

Muhammad said he took official visits to Texas A&M in September and Kentucky in October.

Muhammad's meeting with John Calipari stands out.

"I think it's probably because it was my last official visit," he said, "but Coach Cal's personality is great. He pushes his players in practice. That's the thing I'm looking for. I'm trying to get better and get to the next level."

He plans to take his remaining official visits to Arizona, which is set to land the No. 1-rated group of early signees, Duke and Kansas. Muhammad also continues to consider UCLA and hometown UNLV, coached by the brother of his high school coach, Dave Rice.