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Sophomore center Lorenzo Mata has come back from injury to be one of the Bruins' big contributors

Through four games in the NCAA Tournament, UCLA sophomore Lorenzo Mata is averaging 8.5 minutes, 2.3 rebounds and 2.3 points per game.

That’s exactly 8.5 minutes, 2.3 rebounds and 2.3 points more per game than his coach and UCLA fans expected of Mata just a few weeks ago.

On the bench since Jan. 12 after he fractured his right tibia in a freak collision with teammate Jordan Farmar, all signs of Mata’s return pointed toward next year.

Senior Ryan Hollins had assumed dominant control of the center position by playing the best basketball of his career.

Freshman Alfred Aboya solidified his role as Hollins’ backup.

Even UCLA coach Ben Howland, at his weekly press conference before the Bruins’ final pair of games of the conference season on Feb. 28, said Mata was still a “long ways away” and doubted he’d make a significant impact on the court this season.

One problem. No one told Mata.

Against Memphis in the Elite Eight, the sophomore scored the third-most points (four) and pulled down the third-most rebounds (six) for UCLA, helping to send the Bruins to their first Final Four since 1995. Significant enough?

“I guess I changed coach’s mind,” said Mata, who returned during the Pac-10 Tournament and has seen his minutes increase ever since.

“(The leg) started to feel a lot better at the end of the season so I was just out there practicing and coach watched me.

“It’s still a little sore. But it’s the NCAA Tournament, man. I’m doing whatever I can to be out there.”

There were plenty of times, however, that Mata didn’t think he’d be able to play in the NCAA Tournament.

The sophomore thought the pain in his leg would subside a short time after sustaining the injury. He became frustrated when he was still experiencing throbbing pain in the leg weeks later.

Yet Mata didn’t let that dissuade his rehabilitation. He found a home away from home at the Acosta Center adjacent to Pauley Pavilion, where he spent three hours every day strengthening his leg.

“There was a point that it was really hurting a lot, and I didn’t know what was going to happen,” Mata said. “I was just trying to stay positive. I’m glad I got it back.”

It’s not the only injury this season that Mata has had to recover from.

On Dec. 1, he sustained a concussion in practice and missed the next two games.

On Dec. 17, he had several teeth knocked out at Michigan, but remained in the game.

On Jan. 7, he slightly fractured his nose at Arizona State and remained in the game with tissue in his nose to stop the bleeding.

Mata’s presence in the NCAA Tournament is as much a product of his determination as it is a precaution against something similar happening to one of his teammates.

“You never know when someone’s going to go down,” Mata said.

Especially with this year’s Bruin team.

LATE-NIGHT DISTRACTION: On the night before UCLA’s game against Memphis last Saturday in Oakland, Howland said autograph seekers were knocking on many of the Bruin players’ doors well past midnight. In Indianapolis, Howland said there would be full-time security in the hotel to ensure what happened in Oakland isn’t repeated. While several Bruins slept peacefully before Saturday’s game against Memphis, Hollins said someone was knocking on his door during the wee hours of the morning. “But the way he played,” Howland said, “I’m going to have someone knocking on his door most of Friday night for our game this Saturday.” Hollins finished with 14 points and a team-high nine rebounds against the Tigers and was named the Oakland Regional’s Most Outstanding Player.

NOTHING’S FREE: UCLA went 20-for-39 from the free-throw line against Memphis last Saturday, with Hollins the biggest repeat offender, making only two of 11 foul shots. Against Alabama the week before, the Bruins only made five of 13 shots from the charity stripe, which hasn’t been that charitable to UCLA in the NCAA Tournament. In the game against Memphis, Howland said Hollins in particular was going through his free-throw shooting routine way too quickly.

“Hollins was so sped up, so amped up, that his routine was twice as fast as you’d want it to be,” Howland said. “He just has to slow down and take a nice breath. There have been studies that when you take a breath, it relaxes your nervous system.

“That’s poor coaching. I’m the free-throw coach. It’s my fault. Imagine if we had lost that game, not only how I would feel, but how the players would feel for missing all of those free throws.”

THE DIVE: UCLA freshman Luc Richard Mbah a Moute said he’s received a lot of praise for his role in the Bruins’ dramatic come-from-behind victory over Gonzaga in the Sweet 16. He said almost none of it had to do with his lay-up with 8.6 seconds remaining that gave UCLA the lead. Instead, his friends have commented on his ensuing steal with 2.6 seconds left, which involved a maneuver more commonly found on a soccer field than a basketball court. Trailing Gonzaga point guard Derek Raivio, Mbah a Moute dove from mid-court and cleanly stole the ball from underneath Raivio, stopping just above his own 3-point line. “I played goalie in soccer (back in Cameroon), and I always really wanted the ball,” Mbah a Moute said. “When I saw it (Thursday), I knew I could get it. I’m not sure if it was a soccer move, though.”

DRIBBLERS: Howland said senior center Michael Fey, who has played only four minutes in the NCAA Tournament, could likely see court time helping defend LSU’s Glen “Big Baby” Davis. “(Fey’s) big body could definitely be a factor for us,” Howland said. “When we’re talking about Big Baby, we need big bodies.” Davis is 6-foot-9 and weighs in at 310 pounds. … This being Howland’s first Final Four, the UCLA coach called up two coaches who’ve already been there and done that. One was Jim Harrick, the last coach to lead UCLA to a national championship in 1995. The other was Memphis coach John Calipari, whom Howland just beat to get to the Final Four. … The Bruins leave Wednesday for Indianapolis.