All year long, coach Ben Howland has focused his team on one goal: winning the Pac-10 championship.
Tonight, UCLA finally has a chance to accomplish that goal once and for all.
The No. 2 Bruins (25-3, 14-2 Pac-10) can clinch sole possession of the conference title by beating Washington State (23-5, 12-4) in Pullman, Wash.
“You want to say you’re the Pac-10 champions,” sophomore point guard Darren Collison said. “You don’t want to say you’re the Pac-10 champs with the other team.”
Defeating the Cougars in Pullman has proven to be a very difficult task this season.
Washington State is 12-1 at home this season, with its one loss coming to Oregon in overtime.
The UCLA game in particular has been a much-anticipated matchup for Cougar fans ever since it became clear that Washington State was a legitimate contender.
The Cougars have already sold out their games against both UCLA and USC as they close out the regular season this weekend. It’s the first time Washington State has sold out both games of a Pac-10 home stand in 25 years.
“There’s a lot of excitement right now about college basketball up there,” Howland said. “It’s going to be an action-packed deal.”
The Cougars, picked to finish last in the Pac-10 in the preseason conference media poll, are surprisingly the Bruins’ only remaining threat to outright possession of the title.
“Coach Howland has instilled in us from day one how good Washington State was despite what magazines and other people say about them,” junior guard Arron Afflalo said. “We had high expectations about their team.”
Howland made a point of that during a press conference Tuesday and took it a step farther.
“If someone told me they are going to be in the Final Four a month from now, that wouldn’t surprise me,” he said.
Way back in December, the Cougars staged a brilliant effort against UCLA, coming the closest out of any team this season to beating the Bruins in Pauley Pavilion.
Washington State played strong defense and was patient on offense. The team was neck-and-neck with UCLA until the final buzzer.
“We won the game against Washington State the first time, fortunately,” Howland said. “Not often are you going to shoot 32.7 percent and win. We’re going to have to play a lot better.”
First-year coach Tony Bennett has taken the Cougars to heights they have not seen in a long time. He is one of 15 finalists for National Coach of the Year.
Bennett, taking over for his father, the legendary Dick Bennett, has Washington State in a position to reach the NCAA Tournament (and earn a high seed) for the first time in 13 years.
“I think Tony has given the kids a bit more offensive freedom than maybe Dick did the last couple of years,” Howland said. “They feel comfortable in terms of taking a quicker shot or a more guarded shot.”
The Cougars are led by a strong backcourt, with juniors Derrick Low and Kyle Weaver.
Low leads the team in scoring, at 13.9 points per game, and has established himself as one of the top guards in the conference this season.
Against UCLA in the two teams’ first meeting, Low led all scorers with 14 points and also had four assists.
Meanwhile, Weaver has proven to be one of the most versatile and athletic players in the country.
He became the first player in Pac-10 history this season to record 300 points (312), 125 assists (134), 125 rebounds (154), 50 steals (59), and 35 blocks (35) in the same season.
“Low and Weaver as a pair of guards are as good as there is in the country, not just the Pac-10,” Howland said.
Tonight’s game will also be a test to see how far UCLA’s offense has truly come as the season has progressed. The Cougars lead the Pac-10 in scoring, defense and field-goal percentage, and the Bruins struggled mightily to score against them in the teams’ first matchup.
“It’s going to be a fun game; it’s going to be a great environment; a lot’s on the line right now,” Afflalo said.
“You want the conference title for yourself,” he said. “This game is very important.”
AFFLALO AND COLLISON HONORED: Afflalo and Collison were both named to the NABC All-District 15 first team. It was announced Wednesday.
By being named to the All-District team, Collison and Afflalo are now eligible to be named to the All-America team.