I saw this a couple of days ago, and I didn't think it was a big deal, but Coach Bob Burton of Cal State Fullerton is saying that Ben Howland refused to play against the Titans in the first round of the preseason NIT. Now a couple of papers, the OC Register and Daily News are reporting on it. Burton and Howland are friends, and Burton admits his comments were tongue-in-cheek, so there is no big controversy or anything. Obviously, though, the chance for Fullerton to play UCLA in a nationally televised game would be a great thing for their program. However, Ben Howland would have to be an absolute idiot to agree to the game - UCLA would have nothing to gain and plenty to lose by taking on Fullerton. Fullerton, even with as good a season as they had last year, has no prominent standing as a basketball school (i'm trying to be kind here), especially on a national level. Add the fact that Fullerton is located within UCLA's recruiting base, and it's pretty clear why Howland wants no part of this matchup. Burton also said that he's tried to set up games against schools all over the west coast, but pretty much nobody is willing to play them, so it's not just UCLA avoiding them.

i guess this shows how difficult it can be for a team from a small conference to build a program into a major power these days. maybe Fullerton can raise its profile by having its most famous basketball alum, Cedric Ceballos, come out with another rap album. That should help with recruiting in the Lake Havasu area.