<p>After a fantastic freshman season, capped by dominant performances in the NCAA Tournament, Luc Richard Mbah a Moute seemed poised for a breakout sophomore season.
<br/>When the forward poured in a career-high 24 points while grabbing 11 rebounds against BYU to open the season, it looked like a sign of things to come.
<br/>However, while the sophomore has been an imperative part of the Bruins? success this season, his numbers have settled back to earth and both his rebounding and scoring averages are right around where they were last year.
<br/>Mbah a Moute has only reached double digits in points twice in his last nine games. With Josh Shipp out for at least the USC game, Mbah a Moute will be counted on to play a wing position in addition to his regular power forward duties and will likely have more opportunities to score.
<br/>?We have to get him some more shots,? UCLA coach Ben Howland said. ?He?s definitely capable. ... He can go off anytime and score quite a few points.?
<br/>While Mbah a Moute scoring numbers have not exploded the way some thought they might, Howland has still seen improvement in a variety of ways.
<br/>?I think he?s better than he was (last year),? Howland said. ?He?s a year older, he?s a year more experienced. He?s doing more to make plays for others this year. He?s really doing a nice job distributing the ball.?<br/>Another quantifiable area in which Mbah a Moute has improved this year is steals. He averaged 1.1 steals a game in his freshman season and has doubled that output this year, averaging exactly 2.2 steals a game. Mbah a Moute has been using his quick hands and feet to get in passing lanes and cause turnovers, which has led to many fast-break opportunities for UCLA this season.<br/>Against Michigan on Dec. 23, Mbah a Moute had a career-high seven steals in a game the Bruins ended up winning by 37.<br/>?When he?s playing at his peak performance, he?s really truly something to appreciate,? Howland said. ?He?s playing a lot of minutes. ... It?s just hard to take him out because he does so much.?</p>