Shabazz Muhammad is one of the best offensive players in the country, but his defense still needs work.

"In high school, I never worried about playing defense at all, to be honest," said Muhammad. "So it was all new to me. It's still not natural. I have to think about it all the time, about staying in my stance, all of the little things you have to do."

UCLA has improved as the season has progressed on the defensive end.

The Bruins currently ranked 23rd in scoring offense and 232nd in scoring defense.

UCLA has investigated the designer backpack Shabazz Muhammad wore following the Bruins' 84-73 win over Arizona on Thursday night.

The school’s compliance office confirmed Muhammad received the backpack as a gift from his family.

The school considers the matter closed.

UCLA's compliance department is investigating a Gucci backpack owned by Shabazz Muhammad.

The NCAA investigated Muhammad's eligibility before the start of the season.

Pat Forde reported that the bag retails for at least $990 and that Muhammad's sister purchased it for him as a gift.

"That's crazy but it's nothing," said Muhammad. "My parents got it for me."

Duke, UCLA, Arizona and Florida have recently inquired about JaQuan Lyle, a 6-foot-4 point guard who is considered one of the top juniors nationally.

"(Those four) have all kind of reached out here in the last couple weeks with the great start that he's had," Lyle’s head coach, Shane Burkhart said. "That's added on to the 10 schools he had already come down to."

Lyle had previously cut his list to Indiana, Cincinnati, Georgetown, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisville, Ohio State, Tennessee, Texas and Xavier.

Lyle has recorded a triple-double in seven of his first nine games this season.

"This past week, we had a tough game against Thurgood Marshall (High School) out of Ohio, but he still had 14 points, eight rebounds and eight assists," Burkhart said. "Those are fantastic numbers, and he gets chastised because he doesn't have more. He pushes himself very hard to be an elite basketball player. He has to continue to grow maturation-wise, and has to understand how hard he has to work every day in order to be as good as he wants, but the start of the season that he's had has been matched by no other that I've been around."

Shabazz Muhammad credits his competitive temperament for pushing him to create high standards while at UCLA.

"I've always had a killer instinct," Muhammad says, "and that's what separated me."

Muhammad’s coaches and teammates laud his effort in practice and his drive to stay late at the gym.

"He's a really fierce competitor, with everything we do, everywhere," said freshman teammate Kyle Anderson.

Las Vegas Bishop Gorman coach Grant Rice raves about how Muhammad raised the intensity level of his teammates.

"If they didn't go 100%, they were going to get an elbow to the face or dunked on," Rice says.

Joshua Smith has decided to transfer to Georgetown.

Smith, who left UCLA this season, chose the Hoyas over Kansas.

Smith has struggled with his conditioning during his tenure with the Bruins.