CATHY JUN Jason Kapono protects the ball
from a Team Concept opponent earlier this month as Bruin teammate
Dan Gadzuric watches.
By AJ Cadman
Daily Bruin Senior Staff
Cal State Northridge, the UCLA men’s basketball
team’s opponent in its home opener, won 20 games last season,
came within seconds of clinching a berth in the 2000 NCAA
Tournament, returns four starters and received votes in both
national polls for the first time in school history.
So Northridge (1-0) isn’t afraid of the Bruins.
“They’re UCLA, but we’re not going to go in
there intimidated,” said Matador junior forward Joey
Busch.
Busch and his teammates will face the No. 15 Bruins (1-1)
tonight in Pauley Pavilion at 7:30 p.m.
The Bruins pulled a Jekyll and Hyde act in last week’s
exhibition game against the EA Sports/California Southwest
All-Stars after a strong performance at the previous week’s
IKON Coaches vs. Cancer Classic in New York.
MEN’S BASKETBALL vs. Tonight 7:30 p.m. Pauley
Pavilion
Against the All-Stars, UCLA went cold from downtown and
struggled to contain its opponent’s transition defense. The
Bruins hope to feature the intensity tonight that they showcased in
the Big Apple against No. 3 Kansas and No. 22 Kentucky.
“We’ve tried to concentrate on the defensive end of
the floor ““ our most glaring deficiency,” said UCLA
head coach Steve Lavin. “It’s still early but we need
to shore up our transition and post defense and contest shooters on
the perimeter.”
Sophomore forward Jason Kapono will be starting tonight. X-rays
after Wednesday’s game showed no signs of a broken nose from
an elbow to the face just five minutes into the exhibition
match.
The Matadors enter tonight’s contest coming off a 90-73
non-conference home victory over Howard on Sunday. Busch, a
6-foot-7 transfer from Chaffey College, was 9-of-10 shooting and
grabbed 12 boards. UCLA junior forward Matt Barnes is likely to be
assigned to contain Busch, who will be key in Northridge’s
success this season.
“Northridge is very talented and return a lot from last
year,” Lavin said. “They attack well in transition
offense and are very aggressive in their 1-2-2 zone
(defense).”
Matador head coach Bobby Braswell, whose ballclub was tabbed the
favorite to claim the Big Sky Championship this season, will also
look to senior center Brian Heinle for added production. The
team’s leading scorer last season at 14.6 points per game and
a All-Conference performer, Heinle had 13 points and 10 boards two
nights ago and helped Northridge shoot 44 percent for the game.
“Our players want to win the conference and make it to the
(NCAA) tournament,” Braswell said. “We know that we
will not surprise teams like we have in the past. Everyone will be
prepared to play us, so we have to be prepared to play our best
game day in and day out.”
UCLA, meanwhile, returns to action that counts, as the
exhibition part of the season is over. For Lavin and the coaching
staff, the ability to keep the ballclub focused is a daily
ritual.
“It’s a challenge on a daily basis to convince our
players that you always must have a focus on effort and
execution,” Lavin said. “That’s what creates good
habits. Otherwise, it will come back to haunt you down the
road.”
The Bruins see the upcoming five- game homestand, along with
their matchup against Georgia Tech at the Wooden Classic in
Anaheim, as an opportunity to smooth the rough edges on defense and
help strengthen team chemistry.
“We’ve been very committed in practice to working on
our defense since Kentucky,” freshmen forward T.J. Cummings
said. “We tried not to look too far ahead and just keep it to
our next opponent. If the defense tightens up, we know that we can
score points and be a very tough team.
With that type of attitude, it will only be intimidation staring
at the Matadors tonight.