<p>There are many added benefits to being ranked No. 1 in the country. <br/>There is additional media exposure, additional fan support ? and of course, the pride of being No. 1. <br/>According to coach Ben Howland, however, being No. 1 might not be as glamorous for the Bruins as it is made out to be. <br/>?Everywhere (the players) go on campus its all about, ?God, that?s so great, and so wonderful,?? Howland said of the ranking. ?It?s only natural that it affects them.? <br/>Following Tuesday?s game, Howland felt that the ranking was one of the reasons for the Bruins? lackluster play in the first half against Long Beach State. <br/>The Bruins were outrebounded significantly, 25-14, and were out-hustled on most of the loose balls. <br/>After the first half, Howland made sure the Bruins knew they must forget their ranking really quickly, or they were going to lose. <br/>?Yeah, he was mad,? forward Josh Shipp said. ?He was questioning our effort, which is unacceptable.? <br/>Team leader Arron Afflalo understood where Howland was coming from, and was glad to put the ranking out of the way. <br/>?There?s been a lot of hoopla about our ranking, so we were talking about that a little bit as a team,? Afflalo said. ?At halftime, we said we don?t want to discuss that anymore. We said we need to come out with that effort or we?re going to get beat tonight.? <br/>All in all, the reality of being No. 1 is understandably exciting for the Bruins. Even during last year?s national championship run, the highest the Bruins were ever ranked during the regular season was No. 11. <br/>But for Howland, this is definitely not new territory. During his fourth season at Pitt, Howland?s Panthers were consistently in the top 10, and were ranked No. 1 at one point. <br/>Tuesday, Howland used his past experience to make a point for the Bruins. <br/>?My third year (at Pitt), we started off 3-0 in the Big East. We won at Boston College and Rutgers and were in the top 25 for the first time in five years,? Howland said. ?Everybody was back-slapping us, telling us how great we were. Then we lost to Notre Dame at home.? <br/>Howland used the experience not only to help his players at Pitt during his fourth year there, but also brought it up for the Bruins on Tuesday. <br/>If Tuesday?s second half was any indication, Howland?s speech definitely worked.</p> <p><b>DEFENSIVE DESIRE:</b> After the game, Howland complimented his players on their superior outside shooting, but was still hesitant to call the Bruins a better defensive team than they were last season. <br/>?The defense we played in Maui left a lot to be desired,? Howland said. ?We have a long way to go before we can match up to last year?s team in terms of defense.? <br/>Howland was referring to the Bruins? games against Chaminade, Kentucky and Georgia Tech. In all three games, UCLA allowed over 45-percent shooting from the field. <br/>Overall, the Bruins are giving up an average of 66.2 points per game, which is currently good for eighth place in the Pac-10.</p><br><br><a href='; target='_blank'>;