Setbacks aren’t just irksome for Ben Howland. They consume
him.
Since UCLA’s first Pac-10 loss, a demoralizing 25-point
flogging at the hands of Arizona Saturday, Howland has immersed
himself in game film in an attempt to determine exactly what went
wrong.
“I’ve seen the tape four times now,” Howland
said. “It doesn’t get any better. Each time I watch it,
I pick up mistakes I hadn’t seen before.”
That’s not what the Bruins want to hear heading into what
could be their toughest game of the season ““ a match-up with
No. 2 Stanford tonight at Maples Pavilion in Palo Alto.
Substandard defense and rebounding, two aspects that UCLA (9-4,
5-1 Pac-10) has typically excelled at this season, were the primary
reasons for why the Bruins regressed against Arizona. Howland
pointed to an inability to block out effectively, stop dribble
penetration, and an inability to defend the 3-pointer as areas in
which his team must improve if it is to slap Stanford with its
first loss of the season.
To a certain extent, the Cardinal (14-0, 6-0) pose an even
greater challenge for UCLA than the Wildcats did, particularly in
the front court.
Stanford starters Rob Little and Justin Davis each average
double digits in points and are relentless on the glass. Off the
bench, senior Joe Kirchofer adds grit and strength to the Cardinal
lineup while sophomore Matt Haryasz is a superb shot-blocker and
can score in bunches.
Such a physically imposing frontline could be a difficult
matchup for the slender 215-pound Ryan Hollins, who will be making
his first start of the season as center for the Bruins.
“Stanford’s definitely the most physical team
we’ve seen,” Hollins said. “They’re big and
they’ve got good players. It’s not a coincidence
they’re the No. 2 in the nation.”
Collapsing its defense around the Cardinal big men would be a
risky proposition for UCLA because Stanford is capable of heating
up from the perimeter.
The most deadly 3-point stroke belongs to senior Matt Lottich,
who may hold the title of best clutch-shooter in the conference.
The Bruins will have to do a better job of containing him than they
did of Arizona guard Salim Stoudamire, who buried six 3-pointers
against them Saturday.
Junior Josh Childress can also stroke it from the outside for
the Cardinal, who feature five players averaging more than 10
points per game. Childress, however, is more dangerous as a slasher
than as a shooter, especially now that he is finally healthy after
returning from a foot injury earlier this month.
“Now that Josh is back, it makes it harder to guard
us,” Stanford coach Mike Montgomery said. “We can score
inside, we can score outside, and we’ve got great depth. But
the reality is we’re winning with defense and
rebounding.”
That’s the formula UCLA would like to employ as well.
Outrebounded, outhustled, and outworked by Arizona Saturday, the
Bruins are looking to redeem themselves and to avoid losing two
straight games for the first time all season. After enduring a
two-hour tongue lashing from Howland during Monday’s film
session, they expect an improved defensive effort this weekend in
the Bay Area.
The Bruins have won three of their last four games in Palo Alto,
with their only loss coming by one-point last season amid their
disastrous nine-game losing streak.
“For some reason when we go up to Stanford, we always play
well,” point guard Cedric Bozeman said.