Friday, February 19, 1999
UCLA expects a challenge from Syracuse
M.BASKETBALL: Squad faces solid competition after struggling
with Cal, USC
By David Arnold
Daily Bruin Contributor
In Syracuse, UCLA might finally have found an opponent as
inconsistent as it is.
This weekend, riding a two game win streak over conference foes,
Pittsburgh and Notre Dame, Syracuse (18-8, 9-7 Big East) is coming
to Pauley Pavilion for the first time ever in a nationally
televised game.
The question of the game will undoubtedly be which Syracuse and
which UCLA (18-7, 9-5 Pac-10) will take the court.
If it is the Orangemen that became the first team to beat then
top-ranked Connecticut, and not the team that dropped the next two
in upsets to Villanova and Miami, Syracuse will have the advantage
when it suits up Sunday.
Yet, if it’s the Bruins that fought off a surging USC team on
Wednesday night while hampered by an injured Jerome Moiso and a
sick Baron Davis, and not the team that was blown out by an
unworthy Cal team a few days earlier, UCLA should avoid the
upset.
Of course, sophomore Davis vowed that he "will never let what
happened (against Cal) ever happen again."
About his team’s up-and-down performance, Bruin head coach Steve
Lavin said, "It shows our lack of maturity," referring to the youth
of his squad.
Regardless of their ages, the Bruins still have to deal with not
knowing what their starting lineup will be until the final
hour.
After starting his 18th different line-up of the year with Sean
Farnham and Brandon Loyd against Southern Cal, Lavin said he has no
idea who will start against Syracuse.
For the Orangemen, stability is in the paint with center Etan
Thomas and forward Ryan Blackwell, who have both started the last
61 games for Syracuse.
Thomas is ranked second in the nation in blocks with 4.2 per
game, and, when combined with the assertive Blackwell, is a big
obstacle to any inside offense.
Unfortunately for the Orangemen, though, not one of their
starters has a positive assist-to-turnover ratio. Considering
UCLA’s aggressive defense, which Stanford coach Mike Montgomery
refers to as "extremely active with their hands," the Bruins should
be licking their chops come the weekend’s contest.
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