BRIDGET O’BRIEN/Daily Bruin Senior Staff Andre
Patterson and other freshmen hope to contribute in
tonight’s game
By Christina Teller
Daily Bruin Senior Staff
Trying to predict what will happen next is half the fun of UCLA
basketball.
After following a loss to USC with the defeat of No. 1 Kansas,
there’s no telling what is yet to come from the enigma that
is the Bruin basketball squad (12-3, 4-1 Pac-10).
Will Matt Barnes, who was named Player of the Week by the
Pac-10, Sports Illustrated and College Insider.com, continue his
scalding scoring pace?
Will Dan Gadzuric hit on all cylinders like he did against the
Washington schools the first time around?
Will Jason Kapono find his rhythm again as the scoring threat
that he has been for the past two years?
One thing is for sure: If the Bruins want to maintain an edge
going into games against Stanford and Oregon in the next two weeks,
they have to take care of business in the Valley of the Sun. And
these games aren’t going to be easy.
Arizona State (10-5, 3-3), the Bruins’ Thursday opponent,
is a quick team with a center who is a force to be reckoned
with.
“ASU is a dangerous team,” UCLA head coach Steve
Lavin said. “They spread the floor offensively. They are a
deep, quick, athletic team ““ the kind of team that we have
trouble against.”
Chad Prewitt, the Sun Devils’ 6-foot-9 center, rattled off
27 points in their win over No. 23 Oregon on Jan. 6 and is
fifth in the conference in scoring, averaging 20.7 points per
game.
But while ASU defeated Oregon 95-88, shooting 75 percent in the
second half and 57.4 percent overall, the Sun Devils couldn’t
maintain their scorer’s touch. The following week, they lost
to Washington 81-68, thanks to a mere 32.4 shooting percentage.
While ASU has won just one game against UCLA in the teams’
last 25 meetings, this year’s Sun Devils have won five of
their last six games and nine of their last 12.
But an even bigger test for UCLA awaits them in the University
of Arizona’s McKale Center. An arena known for its
deafening-decibel level is one in which the Bruins have not won
since 1997.
“McKale is similar to the atmosphere at the Forum against
USC,” Billy Knight said. “The fans get really into it.
You can’t really see students, but they have loud alumni at
Arizona.”
But beyond the mystique of the facility lies a formidable
opponent.
The No. 15 Wildcats (11-4, 4-2), written off by many early in
the season, have defeated six ranked opponents, including then-No.
2 Maryland and then-No.5 Florida in their two opening games. But
since then, the Wildcats have suffered two blow-outs at the hand of
Oregon.
Arizona has the conference-scoring leader in their starting
lineup in Jason Gardner, who averages 22.1 points per game. But the
Bruins have a challenge for Gardner in Kapono. The Bruin forward
will return to his usual position at small forward with Cedric
Bozeman most likely in the starting lineup. Kapono, often a more
prolific scorer in the second half, is the kind of player who can
match Gardner’s second-half surges. Gardner has scored 56 of
his last 78 points in the second half.
And with the emergence of Barnes as a three-point threat, the
Wildcats will have to balance their perimeter defense among Barnes,
Kapono and Knight.
“When Matt shoots that well, it leaves Billy and Jason
more open,” Lavin said. “This draws the defenders out,
leaving Dan more open and gaps and seams for dribble
penetration.”
Along with the trio of shooters, Lavin expects to look to his
deep bench as another weapon this weekend.
“After the USC game, we discussed the management of
minutes and decided that we’re going to play our bench and
let them make mistakes,” Lavin said. “We have to let
the kids come of age, fall and pick themselves up.”