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LOS ANGELES -- After beating up on mostly lesser competition, things are about to get serious for No. 11 UCLA.The Bruins play at No. 1 Kentucky on Saturday before facing Michigan and Ohio State, a challenging start to December after they cruised past UC Riverside 98-56 to close out the first month of the season undefeated.UCLAs 8-0 start is its best since coach Steve Alfords first season in Westwood three years ago.Weve done a phenomenal job through eight games of sharing the ball and helping each other score, Alford said.Isaac Hamilton scored 27 points, tying his career-high with seven 3-pointers, and freshman T.J. Leaf added 18 points and 10 rebounds for UCLA.Aaron Holiday had 18 points and Thomas Welsh had 12 points and 12 rebounds. Lonzo Ball, the nations assist leader, set a freshman game assist record with 13 for the Bruins, who were coming off winning the title at last weeks Wooden Legacy. They hit nine of their 13 3-point attempts in the second half.Three games in four days, finals are starting and Kentucky looming on the weekend, this isnt an easy game no matter who were playing, Alford said. I liked our guys mindset. Thats all we talked about the last 48 hours. Once again, this team did a really great job of coming out and having a great mindset.Secean Johnson scored 17 points despite foul trouble and Chance Murray added 13 points for the Highlanders (1-4). Freshman Dikymbe Martin was held to five points after scoring 15 against Utah last week.They can score so easy, they put so much pressure on your offense, Highlanders coach Dennis Cutts said. You just cant match their offensive potency.Five of UCLAs first six baskets in the second half were 3-pointers and Hamilton hit four of them, extending the Bruins lead to 59-35.Hamiltons sixth 3-pointer launched them on a 13-0 run that included another 3 from him and made it 69-35.When the ball moves like that, youre bound to hit shots like that, he said.Ball set up his teammates with several nifty passes. He and Leaf teamed up three times in the second half. Ball dunked off Leafs alley-oop pass and on the Bruins next possession he set Leaf up for a dunk. Ball fed Leaf for another dunk later in the half that made it 85-42.Guys were hitting shots and I was getting them the ball, Ball said. Everything was clicking.The Bruins put the game away in the first half when they shot 58 percent and opened with a 23-9 run.The Highlanders defended better and outscored the Bruins 16-8 to close to 31-25.UCLA ran off 11 unanswered points, including Balls first points of the game on consecutive baskets, and led 42-27 at halftime.BIG PICTUREUC Riverside: The Highlanders have just one win in their first five games, but they have played some good competition. They lost road games to Portland (16 points), UNLV (12 points) and Utah (18 points) before losing to the Bruins. Their lone win came against Fresno Pacific. Last year, they won 14 games, second-most in the Division I history of the program under fourth-year coach Cutts, who has things on the upswing.UCLA: The Bruins have beat up some easy competition on their way to an undefeated start. That all changes Saturday when they face No. 1 Kentucky on the road. The game will be a barometer of where they stand against the nations best.POLL IMPLICATIONSUnless the Bruins can duplicate their upset of top-ranked Kentucky a year ago, they figure to drop a spot or two in the rankings with a loss at Rupp Arena on Saturday.BALL ROLLINGBall broke Pooh Richardsons freshman game assist record of 12, set against Washington State on Jan. 11, 1986. The school record of 16 was set by Earl Watson. For the first time in eight games, Ball didnt score in double figures. He took just three shots.I just take what the game gives me, he said.TIP-INSUC Riverside: The Highlanders fell to 0-5 all-time against the Bruins. ... Martin was averaging a team-best 12.5 points and came in leading the team in several other categories.UCLA: The Bruins ranking matches their best since Feb. 9, 2009. ... They are one of two undefeated Pac-12 teams. ... G Prince Ali, who had right knee surgery in July, could return by late December. ... F Alex Olesinski has missed eight games so far with a stress reaction in his left foot.UP NEXTUC Riverside: Visits Santa Clara on Dec. 13, capping a stretch of three straight road games.UCLA: Plays Kentucky on Saturday for the third consecutive season. The Wildcats have been the nations top-ranked team in each of the meetings. The Bruins upset them 87-77 last year at Pauley Pavilion for the schools first win over a No. 1 team since 2003. In 2014, the Wildcats won in Chicago by 39 points.---More AP college basketball: www.collegebasketball.ap.org and https://twitter.com/AP-Top25 . Vans Schoenen Sale Dames . A lawyer for MLB, Matthew Menchel, confirmed Wednesday the league dropped its case against Biogenesis of America, its owner Anthony Bosch and several other individuals. The lawsuit had accused Biogenesis and Bosch of conspiring with players to violate their contracts by providing them with banned performance-enhancing substances. Vans Schoenen Belgie . Durant finished with 24 points and 13 rebounds, Jackson matched his career high with 23 points on 10-of-14 shooting and Lamb scored 12 points on 5-of-7 shooting, lifting the Thunder to a 94-88 win over San Antonio and snapping the Spurs 11-game winning streak. http://www.vansschoenenbelgie.be/ . Barcelona also left injured defenders Carles Puyol, Javier Mascherano and Jordi Alba out of its squad for the trip to Glasgow. That means that Marc Bartra will probably start again in the centre of the defence alongside Gerard Pique. Vans Schoenen Sale . 1 position. The Mustangs (6-0), who beat Queens 50-31 last weekend, earned 17 first-place votes and 287 points in voting by the Football Reporters of Canada. Western was last ranked first in the country in October 2011. Vans Schoenen Aanbieding . At a Manhattan federal court hearing, attorney Jordan Siev said his law office has gotten more evidence nearly every day to support its lawsuit accusing MLB and Selig of going on a "witch hunt" to ruin Rodriguezs reputation and career. He said the defendants went "way over the line. MINNEAPOLIS -- Less than a week before the Minnesota Timberwolves open training camp, they still have not heard if franchise icon Kevin Garnett wants to follow Tim Duncan and Kobe Bryant into retirement.No matter what Garnett chooses to do, it is becoming clear that the franchise that drafted him in 1995, the one that he hoped to take over one day, is preparing for life without him.As the Timberwolves have waited for Garnett to make his plans known, they have started discussing several scenarios of moving forward without the 40-year-old alpha wolf, a person with knowledge of the situation told The Associated Press late Wednesday. Those scenarios include a buyout of the final year of Garnetts contract and/or his retirement after 21 seasons in the NBA. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because no agreements have been reached.This is not how it was supposed to go when Garnett returned to the Timberwolves in a trade with Brooklyn in 2015. Flip Saunders had helped mend the fences that were broken after Garnetts first exit from Minnesota in 2007, and the coach and the legend talked about Garnetts desires to one day get into ownership with the Wolves.Saunders died after a brief battle with Hodgkins lymphoma just before last season and the organization had to shift gears. Owner Glen Taylor brought in new leadership in Tom Thibodeau and Scott Layden, and a new vision was born out of sheer necessity.Saunders, who was both coach and president of the Wolves, signed Garnett to a two-year, $16.5 million contract last summer. His plan was to have Garnetts passion and work ethic serve as an example for one of the most promising young rosters in the league. KG could reach Karl-Anthony Towns, Andrew Wiggins, Zach LaVine and Gorgui Dieng on a different and more personal level that the coaches ever could.The plan worked, for the most part. Garnett bonded with the youngsters and was buoyed by their enthusiasm. And the pups soaked up his knowledge and gravitated to his charismatic personality, accentuated by a hilariously foul mouth and a penetrating stare that made them feel both respected and valued. The scene played over and over last season, practice coming to an end and Garnett pulling one or two of the youngsters aside to offer counsel on defending the pick-and-roll, communicating on the court or using their feet to play better ball.Towns was the rookie of the year annd was seen wearing a throwback KG jersey in several public appearances this summer.dddddddddddd Dieng benefited from a trick Garnett showed him that helped him cut down on the times he was called for traveling.But most of Garnetts best work with the team came in practices and on the team planes and buses, where he would hold court and impart wisdom. His balky knee held him to 38 games last season and only five after he made his emotional return to Minnesota in that trade deadline deal in 2015.When Saunders died, Garnett lost his biggest champion in the organization, and perhaps the salesman who could help him assemble a group to buy the Timberwolves from Taylor.League rules prevent Garnett and Taylor from discussing an ownership stake until KG retires. And with Saunders gone, Taylor was forced to look elsewhere for buyers. He negotiated with a group led by Memphis Grizzlies minority owner Steve Kaplan, but those talks stalled. So Taylor added two minority owners this summer to strengthen his financial position.It became clear that if Garnett wanted to buy in to the Timberwolves, he would have to take percentage so small that he would not have the influence and power that he initially envisioned. Garnetts competitive spirit and relative aversion to public appearances and interviews meant a role as a basketball ambassador similar to the one Grant Hill has taken on as a minority owner with Atlanta did not seem realistic.When Taylor decided to fire coach Sam Mitchell, a longtime Garnett confidante, and hire Thibodeau and Layden to set the franchise on a new course, it showed that KG did not have the power within the organization that he did as an MVP winner who led the Wolves to the Western Conference finals in 2004.Garnett is due $8 million this season. The Wolves also have Nikola Pekovic, a hulking center with chronic foot problems that have led the team to conclude he will be of little help on the court. Using two roster spots on big men who cant be counted on to play consistent minutes could be challenging for a team trying to end a 12-year playoff drought.The Timberwolves open training camp on Tuesday, and they still have not heard from Garnett despite repeated attempts to reach him.The silence may tell them all they need to know. ' ' '