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ANAHEIM — Needing a healthy dose of inspiration heading into finals week, I spent Saturday afternoon at the Arrowhead Pond watching UCLA basketball. While the Bruins’ win over Nevada distracted some students from their studies, it simply reaffirmed the importance of intelligence and preparation in my mind.

Ben Howland’s squad put on a clinic of these qualities against the Wolf Pack, resulting in a textbook win that should motivate every student on campus this week.

With plenty of off-time since their last contest, the Bruins designed and executed a brilliant game plan, something I’ve learned not to take for granted after my last experience watching a UCLA team.

Defensively, the Bruins were quick to neutralize the Wolf Pack’s strength. Staring at the match-ups beforehand, Nevada’s powerful inside game of forward Nick Fazekas and Chad Bell spelled trouble for UCLA’s weak interior presence.

Those fears were allayed with a week’s worth of scouting that led to effective double teams and sharp scheming.

“We know everything they’re running, so unless there was a new wrinkle, we were pretty much there for every play,” senior Cedric Bozeman said.

Being there meant sagging off up top to take away the flex cut by the post player. It meant helping out down low and forcing Nevada to score from the perimeter.

By the end, it meant holding the Wolf Pack to a season-low 56 points and handing the team its first loss of its season.

“(Ryan Wright) remembered the assignments,” Howland said of his freshman center, who anchored the defensive effort in the paint. “We did a lot of things that take a lot of mental preparation. I’m proud of the whole team.”

While the week’s worth of planning was instrumental on defense, it was largely instinct and intellect that paved the way on offense. From its very first basket, a fast-break lay-up by Arron Afflalo off the opening tip, UCLA played to its strength – the backcourt.

Smaller but faster, the Bruins looked to get out and run early. By halftime, they had 10 more fast-break points and a nine-point lead.

When those open court opportunities weren’t available, the Bruins played even smarter. There really isn’t any other way to explain how they scored 12 more points in the paint, despite hardly any production from the post players. In fact, Wright was at his best when furthest away from the basket, setting screens that gave Afflalo room to shoot and Jordan Farmar room to drive.

UCLA’s big men were smart enough to realize the ball should stay in the hands of those two. Farmar and Afflalo were smart enough to take charge.

Howland was smart enough to let them.

“I was trying to be aggressive and score,” Farmar said. “(Darren Collison) did a good job finding me and coach called a couple plays for me.”

The offensive game plan was simply a matter of the Bruins buttering their bread. The defensive strategy wasn’t exactly rocket science either.

Nevertheless, Saturday’s win wouldn’t have happened without the diligent preparation and smart execution that went into it.

After listening to Afflalo talk about the benefits of studying his opponents’ plays and tendencies, I asked him whether it was anything like preparing for a final.

“The more time we have, the better,” he said.

I wondered whether that allowed any room for procrastination.

“No, not with coach Howland,” Afflalo quickly replied. “He won’t allow it. We practice four to five days straight, all the same things. Walk-throughs and repetition.”

Saturday was certainly something I could get used to seeing over and over again.

E-mail Finley at afinley@media.ucla.edu if you need a Howland-like tutor for some of your classes.