At last, UCLA finally gets to learn a little bit about
itself.
Sunday’s game against Boston College in the John Wooden
Classic will be the first real test for the Bruins, who are 4-0 for
the first time in nearly a decade. After beating up on mediocre
teams, UCLA did what it needed to do: build confidence and get some
wins under its belt.
But now, facing a team that made the NCAA Tournament last
season, the Bruins are going to get a chance to taste some real
competition. For the first time this season, UCLA isn’t a
heavy favorite, and in fact the team acknowledges that it has a lot
of work to do in order to extend its unbeaten streak.
“We need a tough week in practice, definitely,”
freshman Arron Afflalo said after Tuesday night’s win over
Long Beach State. “We know we’re 4-0, but that
isn’t something to get cocky about. We couldn’t lose to
those teams. The schedule only gets tougher from here on
out.”
The Eagles aren’t particularly tall, but they are big and
strong, with solid guards and bruising forwards. Boston College is
4-0 in its own right, coming off an 87-46 blowout over Long
Island.
“They have good quickness on the perimeter, they’re
going to get after us defensively, and press us,” coach Ben
Howland said. “They’ve got a great big guy in Craig
Smith.”
Smith, a former high school teammate of freshman Josh Shipp at
Fairfax High School, leads the Eagles in scoring at 17 points per
game, and is second on the squad with six boards a contest. Listed
at 6-foot-7, 250 pounds, Smith is strong enough to cause matchup
problems even though he will likely be defended by one of the
Bruins’ 7-footers, either junior Ryan Hollins or Michael Fey.
Smith is joined up front by sophomore Jared Dudley, the
team’s second-leading scorer at 16.3 ppg and leading
rebounder at eight per game.
Securing the glass will be critical for UCLA, but it’s
something the Bruins have struggled with recently. After being
out-rebounded 38-34 by UC Irvine, UCLA gave up 17 offensive
rebounds to Long Beach State, an incredible total given that the
Bruins had size advantages at basically every position on the
floor. The Bruins will also need to clean up their sloppy play.
Should they commit 18 turnovers as they did against the 49ers
Tuesday, UCLA will no doubt be playing uphill against a solid team
like Boston College. Additionally, the Bruins cannot afford to give
up double-digit leads, as they have been inclined to do in nearly
every game this season.
Still, the game should be a good indicator as to the progress
the Bruins have made thus far this season. Afflalo, for his part,
is confident that UCLA will rise to the occasion.
“This is what I live for. I’m ready for the
challenge,” he said.
“If we play a better team, we won’t fold.”
There are a great deal of questions still surrounding the team,
and with a victory Sunday, the Bruins could go a long way in
answering them. Nobody is certain yet as to what kind of season
UCLA can have, but everyone is likely to find out very soon.
“We have a long way to go,” freshman Jordan Farmar
said. “But, it’s basketball, you just have to
play.”