The men’s basketball team’s quest for success on the road continues tonight as the No. 5 Bruins (21-3, 10-2 Pac-10) face conference cellar dweller Arizona State in Wells Fargo Arena.
On paper, the game looks like a glaring mismatch.
The Sun Devils (6-18, 0-13) are winless in the Pac-10, while the Bruins are currently tied for first place in the conference.
But look closer, and you will see that the Sun Devils have been competitive in Pac-10 play as of late, losing by less than five points in their last four games.
They even had a chance to upset No. 10 Washington State at home two weeks ago, but freshman Christian Polk’s 3-pointer rimmed out at the buzzer.
“They are a team that is a problem,” UCLA coach Ben Howland said. “They play a great matchup zone and rebound well. This game has me very nervous.”
The Sun Devils, currently on a school-record 14-game losing streak, are trying to avoid being the first team to go winless in conference play since the Pac-8 became the Pac-10 in 1978-1979.
If they are to end that streak against the Bruins tonight, it will have to be on the shoulders of the Sun Devils’ leading scorers, sophomore forward Jeff Pendergraph and Polk.
In the last game against the Bruins, in which the Sun Devils at one point led 17-6, Polk paced Arizona State with 16 points, while Pendergraph had eight points and three rebounds.
Both can create scary matchups for the Bruins, who are only 3-3 in true road games this season, including having lost their last two.
“We need a road win, simple as that,” junior Arron Afflalo said. “Everyone knows (Arizona State) is 0 and something in the Pac-10, but anyone in this conference can beat you.”
LEARNING CURVE: All freshmen go through a learning curve in their first season in Division I basketball.
For freshman Russell Westbrook, the learning curve was steeper than most.
After averaging 10.6 minutes per game and only playing in situational circumstances, Westbrook was thrust into the starting lineup against nationally ranked West Virginia on the road in a nationally televised game.
The outcome was not good, as Westbrook finished 1 for 11 from the field in a Bruin loss, but that experience will pay off in the long run, according to Howland.
“He is a freshman,” Howland said. “Playing so many minutes on the road is a difficult experience. All those 32 minutes he played, he made a number of plays that he will learn from.”
Westbrook may once again take a starting role tonight against Arizona State if sophomore guard Darren Collison is unable to play. But either way, the Bruins are a better team for having Westbrook gone through that experience, said team captain Afflalo.
“He is a crucial player for us,” Afflalo said. “There are so many times this season he has been critical for us, and we will need him later on in the season.
“I know he will be a better player after what he went through in West Virginia.”
STRUGGLING SHIPP: Sophomore forward Josh Shipp has had a rough stretch as of late. After starting off the season in style, Shipp’s numbers have been down quite a bit since returning from his hamstring injury.
Prior to his absence in the USC game on Jan. 13, Shipp had scored double digits in 11 consecutive games and had scored at least 13 points in nine of those 11 games.
But since his return to the Bruin lineup, Shipp hasn’t scored 13 in a game once in eight games and his rebounding numbers are also slightly down.
Still, Howland expressed nothing but confidence in his starting small forward at Tuesday’s weekly press conference.
“Josh is going to be fine,” Howland said. “He’s been one of the key reasons why we are having a good year. … There’s no way we are where we are right now without Josh and I’m expecting that he’s going to have a real strong finish to the rest of this regular season.”
CAL GAME: UCLA’s Feb. 22 game against California will tip off at 7:30 p.m. and be televised by FSN Prime Ticket.