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Sophomore point guard Jordan Farmar attacks the basket surrounded by Memphis defenders. Farmar ha

OAKLAND — In UCLA’s first meeting with Memphis this season, sophomore point guard Jordan Farmar played perhaps the best half of his college career, scoring 23 of his career-high 28 points after halftime. But the Bruins lost. On Saturday, Farmar scored just four points on 1-for-9 shooting. His first field goal came with 3:13 to play. But the Bruins won. Any guesses on Farmar’s preference? “Me personally, 1-for-9, 50 percent from the free throw line, I couldn’t be happier right now,” Farmar said. “I wouldn’t have it any other way.” No frustrations, no regrets, only satisfaction. It’s that team-first attitude, echoed over and over again, that has come to define these Bruins. “For any guy in our locker room, in our program, in this family, we really know that’s all that matters,” Farmar said. “Nobody cares about individual accolades. That’s why we’re still playing today.” Back in November, Farmar had to single-handedly pull the Bruins back into the game once they had fallen to a 17-point halftime deficit. His late-game heroics Saturday included his tough fade-away with 3:13 left that gave the Bruins a 44-37 lead. And that was it. “I made one when it counted,” Farmar said. “We needed a bucket and I made a big one, and that’s just how it is. You keep face and you keep playing hard.” As the season has worn on, Farmar has appeared to become more and more of an extension of Howland. After every game he extols the importance of defense, of playing hard, of putting the team before the individual. “Jordan is our leader out there,” Howland said. “He is the coach of the floor.” But he still needs some coaching himself. Following the Bruins’ victory, Farmar was instructed to put the regional championship plaque on the table where he was seated for the press conference. At first he happily obliged. But then Howland stepped to the table, and after a few words with Farmar, the star sophomore had put the trophy underneath the table and out of the public eye. Later, one questioner asked Farmar to take the trophy out from underneath the table and talk about what it means. “I’m going to leave it down there,” he said. “At UCLA, no other banner but national championships go up. I’m going to leave it down there until we take care of business.”

SENIOR MOMENT: For the second time in three days, UCLA brought an opponent’s star player to his knees at center court of the Oakland Arena. On Thursday, it was Gonzaga’s Adam Morrison. And on Saturday, following a 2-for-12 shooting, five-point whimper of a showing, Memphis senior Rodney Carney took his turn. “Basically I was reflecting on my whole career, reflecting on having lost the game, reflecting on how we played bad,” Carney said. “Everything was going through my head. I needed to gather myself.” Carney’s five points represented the second-lowest output of the season for the All-American, who came in averaging 17.5 points per contest. “He didn’t play that aggressive game you have to play in this kind of environment,” Memphis coach John Calipari said. “You can’t miss those – those five two-foot shots. That’s a win.” Carney appeared frustrated and bothered all game, and much of that frustration was likely caused by the defensive pressure of Bruin sophomore Arron Afflalo. Or maybe not. “He’s a great defender, but most of my shots I missed were open, open layups,” Carney said. “It was more me than anything. I couldn’t concentrate on knocking down shots. I mean, I was just off. Everyone played terrible.”

A SHIPP ON THE HORIZON: Though sophomore forward Josh Shipp has grown accustomed to his role as a spectator this season, that doesn’t mean it’s without frustration. “It’s kind of tough,” Shipp said after Saturday’s Elite Eight victory. “One side of me wants to play, but the other side is a fan now. It’s just amazing what the guys have done. Everybody was doubting them in the beginning, and to see where they’re at now is amazing.” For Shipp – who appeared in just four games before announcing on Jan. 10 that he would sit out the remainder of the season and seek a medical redshirt – each game is an emotional rollercoaster. “When they’re winning, it’s a lot easier,” Shipp said. “But when they get down, it’s really frustrating and I want to put a jersey on.” And with the Final Four approaching, Shipp didn’t completely rule that possibility out. He said his right hip is about 80-85 percent and he has been practicing in a limited capacity. “If there was (a chance of playing), it would be really slight,” Shipp said. When asked what might compel him to play, Shipp was vague. “I couldn’t even tell you,” he said. “That would be a decision I would make with my mom and Coach Howland. If he wanted me to play I would think about it, but right now I don’t think I would.”

DRIBBLERS: This is UCLA’s 16th Final Foul appearance in the school’s history. That ties UCLA for first all-time with North Carolina. … The Oakland Regional All-Tournament Team included UCLA’s Ryan Hollins (Most Outstanding Player), Farmar, Afflalo, Memphis’ Darius Washington Jr. and Gonzaga’s Morrison. … Memphis’ Shawne Williams made the team’s first 3-pointer of the game with just 13.8 seconds remaining in the contest. The Tigers were 0-for-14 from downtime before that make. …UCLA holds a 7-0 advantage in the all-time series with LSU, the Bruins’ Final Foul opponent.