Anaheim, Calif. ? Playing at home, UCLA struggled to beat Albany and trailed winless Coppin State by five points at halftime, making it appear the 16th-ranked Bruins might be overrated.

It sure didn’t look that way Saturday.

Jordan Farmar scored 10 of his 24 points during a game-clinching 16-2 run, Arron Afflalo added 18 points and eight rebounds, and the Bruins beat No. 17 Nevada, 67-56, in the nightcap of the 12th annual John R. Wooden Classic.

“UCLA’s the best team we’ve played so far,” Nevada star Nick Fazekas said. “They’ll probably be the best team we’ll see all year.”

That statement might seem somewhat shocking to those involved with the programs at Albany (2-5), which lost to UCLA, 73-65, on Nov. 29, and Coppin State (0-7), beaten Sunday by the Bruins, 69-57.

It wouldn’t had they watched this game.

“That was an outstanding win for our team, because we beat a really good team,” UCLA coach Ben Howland said. “This is the same team minus one or two kids who beat Texas in the (NCAA) Tournament last year.

Former UCLA coach John Wooden, center, is greeted by current Bruins coach Ben Howland as the squad celebrates its victory over Nevada in the Wooden Classic. UCLA won, 67-56, Saturday in Anaheim, Calif.

“We won today because we did a great job defensively.”

The Wolf Pack shot 37.3 percent – nearly 11 percent below their season percentage.

The 95-year-old Wooden, who guided the Bruins to 10 NCAA championships in a 12-year span before retiring in 1975, attended the games at the Anaheim Arena.

Darren Collison matched his career high with 10 points, and Luc Richard Mbah a Moute had eight points and nine rebounds for the Bruins (7-1), who shot 52.2 percent.

Fazekas scored 15 of his 24 points in the second half and also had seven rebounds to lead Nevada (6-1), which had won its previous 14 regular-season games away from the Lawlor Events Center in Reno.

“He’s a great player. He’ll be playing in the NBA whenever he leaves college,” Howland said of Fazekas, a 6-foot-11 junior.

Mo Charlo had 13 points and 10 rebounds for the Wolf Pack, who opened the season by winning six straight games for just the second time in school history. The 1951-52 team won its first 14 games.

No. 4 Villanova 90, Longwood 77

Atlantic City, N.J. – Randy Foye scored 27 points, and Allan Ray added 20 as Villanova earned its sixth straight win.

The Wildcats (6-0) used three-point shooting and effective pressure defense to withstand an early challenge, with Foye and Ray scoring from outside and 6-foot-8-inch forward Will Sheridan (13 points) dominating inside.

Michael Jefferson scored 19 and Maurice Sumter 17 to pace Longwood (2-7).

No. 5 Louisville 111, Akron 85

Louisville, Ky. – Taquan Dean scored 22 points to lead five Louisville players in double figures. Dean added eight assists and seven rebounds for the Cardinals (5-0). Louisville shot 60 percent from the floor while posting its highest point total at home since 1999. Romeo Travis led the Zips (3-2) with 21 points.

No. 7 Memphis 97, Providence 89

Providence, R.I. – Darius Washington scored 20 points, and Rodney Carney added 17 for Memphis (7-1). Center Randall Hanke added 18 points on 8-for-11 shooting for the Friars (3-4), who dropped their fourth game in a row, including their second straight to a ranked opponent.

No. 11 Illinois 89, Oregon 59

Portland, Ore. – Dee Brown had 26 points and seven assists as Illinois (10-0) cruised past Oregon in the Pape’ Jam.

Reserve forward Ivan Johnson had 16 points to lead the Ducks (4-3), losers of three straight.

No. 13 Washington 81, New Mexico 71

Anaheim, Calif. – Jamaal Williams led a balanced scoring attack with 22 points, and the undefeated Huskies earned their eighth consecutive victory.

No. 14 Michigan State 83, Wichita State 64

Auburn Hills, Mich. – Maurice Ager scored 21 for Michigan State (7-2). Wichita State’s Paul Miller scored 21 points. The Shockers (7-2) had won four in a row.

No. 19 George Washington 102, Morgan State 75

Baltimore – Pops Mensah-Bonsu had 18 points, 11 rebounds and seven blocks for the Colonials, (7-0) off to their best start in 13 years.

Temple 68, No. 22 Alabama 58

Philadelphia – Dustin Salisbery hit four three-pointers and scored 20 points, leading Temple to its first win over a ranked team in three years. With threes falling and the sizable crowd rocking, the win was reminiscent of days when coach John Chaney routinely was leading the Owls (5-2) deep into the NCAA Tournament instead of the NIT. Jean Felix scored 19 for Alabama (4-3).

No. 24 Arizona 73, Saint Mary’s, Calif. 61

Tucson, Ariz. – Arizona’s Hassan Adams scored 18 of his season-high 27 points after the break for the Wildcats (4-3).

No. 25 N.C. State 92, Appy State 68

Raleigh, N.C. – Andrew Brackman scored 16 points for North Carolina State (6-1).