Was at the UCLA vs Miami (Ohio) game the other night at Pauley. Miami almost upset the Bruins thanks to excellent spacing offensively and sharp execution. SF Michael Bramos finished with 22 for Miami.
UCLA PG Darren Collison (pictured here) may have been the difference in the game. He absolutely shut down Miami PG guard Kenny Hayes, who went 7-7 from 3-point range the night before against Weber State.
Against Collison, Hayes was 1-6 from the field. Collison has great quickness (quick hands!) and can really defend, applying full-court pressure to Hayes.
Offensively, Collison pushes ball and really looks to get in the lane. He's an excellent penetrating point. He finished the game with 16 points (only 3 assists), but his two big FTs late in the game to help UCLA beat Miami, 64-59.
At the game, I heard someone comparing Collison with Patrick Mills, the St. Mary's PG who was a member of Australia's Olympic team this past summer in Beijing. They're about the same size (6-0), though Collison is a senior and Mills is only a sophomore.
After watching Collison the other night, and having seen Mills play about a dozen times last season as a freshman, I really believe Mills could contribute as much or more to an NBA team than Collison.
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