According to UCLA guard Jordan Farmar, Thursday’s game at
Cal is just like any other game.
Fat chance.
It’s the biggest game for UCLA so far this year.
Period.
With three teams currently jostling for the top seed in the
Pac-10 Tournament, which will tip-off in just a little over a week
at the Staples Center, the Bruins will need to win against the
Bears to keep their hopes of a No. 1 seed alive.
If UCLA loses this one to Cal and Washington beats Arizona State
on Thursday, No. 15 UCLA (22-6, 12-4 Pac-10) will find itself in a
three-way tie for the best record in the conference, with all three
teams having one regular season game remaining on Saturday.
If the Bruins win out, they will be the No. 1 seed in the Pac-10
Tournament. Here’s the dilemma for the team: If the Bears
(17-8, 11-5) and No. 14 Huskies (22-5, 11-5) win out and the Bruins
lose to Cal and then Stanford on Saturday, UCLA could find itself
as low as a 3- or a 4-seed spot in the Pac-10 Tournament, depending
upon Stanford’s performances.
This weekend is important, as it sets the tempo for the
postseason. The Bruins need two wins starting with Cal.
“It’s huge to win the Pac-10 Championship,”
UCLA coach Ben Howland said. “Great thing for whatever team
wins it.
“Usually, teams that finish high at the top of their
league advance the farthest in the NCAA Tournament.”
Sophomore Arron Afflalo recalls his last meeting with Cal, a
Dec. 31, 2005, game that resulted in a 68-61 loss on the
Bruins’ home court.
“I remember (the Cal players) walking off the court with
cocky looks on their faces,” said Afflalo, who had 19 points
in the loss. “It was well deserved. They came into our house
and beat us. They deserve to feel how we felt.
“I was definitely hurt from it. I haven’t forgotten
about it.”
Adding salt to the injury was the fact that Cal snapped
UCLA’s eight-game winning streak and handed the Bruins their
first home loss of the year.
In hopes of a different outcome, Farmar said keys for the game
will be defending and rebounding. The Bruins did neither against
the Bears in their previous meeting.
Cal shot at an efficient 52.2 percent clip, only the fourth
opponent to shoot over 50 percent against UCLA. Conversely, the
Bruins were held to a season-low 36.7 percent from the field. They
also had season-lows in rebounds (25), assists (5) and blocks
(0).
If there was a bright spot for the Bruins in their first bout
with Cal, it was their ability to contain the Bears’ leading
scorer, Leon Powe, to five points. The forward, who averages nearly
20 points a game and over 10 rebounds a game, is an all-around
threat, and Howland recognizes that.
“He was very happy to pass out of the double teams, and
his passing really hurt us,” Howland said. “His
rebounding was also key. He had 12 rebounds in that game. I mean,
if you look at Powe, the man is leading the conference in
rebounding, and also led the conference in rebounding as a
freshman.
“He is an NBA player.”
Aside from dealing with boxing-out Powe, who stands at 6 feet 8
inches and weighs 240 pounds, UCLA will need to put a body on
Cal’s 6-foot-11-inch, 225-pound sophomore center DeVon
Hardin, who averages 6.6 rebounds per game.
This time around, however, UCLA will have 6-foot-6-inch guard
Cedric Bozeman and 7-foot center Ryan Hollins in the lineup. Both
seniors were sidelined because of injuries last time around.
Despite the added bodies, Afflalo is still concerned with
rebounding.
“I don’t know if we have any guy that can hold
them,” Afflalo said. “In my two years here, we usually
just double them when there is any big man with any type of
talent.”
Even though the Bruins arguably played their worst game against
Cal last time (Farmar scored six points on 2-for-11 shooting), the
contest was still close, as no team led by more than seven
points.
“I remember we played them tough, and let them back
in,” Afflalo said. “I don’t ever remember us
being up or down too much. They just played a strong game. They hit
big shots. It happens.”
UCLA is coming in playing its best. Well, at least in the second
halves of games.
After dropping two games to Washington and USC, the Bruins have
won their past two games against the Oregon schools with surging
second-half rallies, with a season-high 52 points against Oregon
State and second-highest of 47 against Oregon.
So it’s not just another regular season game. Afflalo
admits it.
“It’s pretty obvious,” he said. “A lot
rides on this game.”
With reports from Sagar Parikh, Bruin Sports senior
staff.