When the No. 2 UCLA men’s basketball team takes on Maryland tonight in the semifinals of the CBE Classic, the Bruins will have to face challenges that they haven’t seen so far this season.
The Bruins (3-0) will be playing on the road for the first time all season at the Sprint Center in Kansas City and will once again be playing without star point guard Darren Collison, who sprained his left knee in the first preseason game of the year on Nov. 2.
“We run the risk of being in difficult situations against some very good teams,” UCLA coach Ben Howland said. “We’ve got our hands full in a neutral site, but that’s just the way it is.”
Sophomore guard Russell Westbrook will start as the Bruins’ point guard and will have the tough task of breaking down the Terrapin press.
Westbrook was exposed to a press in UCLA’s most recent game against Cal State San Bernardino, but one that isn’t nearly as effective as Maryland’s.
The challenges for the sophomore won’t stop there, however, as he will be matched up defensively against Greivis Vasquez, a 6-foot-5-inch guard who, like Westbrook, played against some of the world’s best over the summer.
While the UCLA guard was doing so recreationally, Vasquez put in some time as a member of the Venezuelan national team.
“I watched him against our Olympic team and he played very well.” Howland said. “He’s going to be a true test for Russell, both from the standpoint of defending him and also leading us.”
Westbrook’s teammates maintain faith in their young leader, as he has already helped guide the Bruins in their first three games of the year, including an impressive line of 23 points, 15 assists and just four turnovers in UCLA’s first two games of the CBE Classic.
“Russell has got to come in and play composed, and he’s got the confidence to do it,” freshman Kevin Love said.
The trust is mutual, however, as Westbrook credits much of his confidence to the ability of his teammates to handle the ball well and to find openings in the defense.
“I feel real comfortable,” he said. “My teammates can handle the ball as well as I can.”
UCLA will also be playing without sharp-shooter Michael Roll, who has missed all three regular season games after rupturing his plantar fascia during a practice.
Howland hopes to have Collison and Roll back by Nov. 28 when his team takes on the George Washington Colonials at home, but the coach also realizes that a more realistic return time for Roll would be closer to the Bruins’ Dec. 2 game against visiting No. 16 Texas.
The winner of the matchup between UCLA and Maryland will play the winner of the other semifinal game between Missouri and No. 12 Michigan State on Tuesday.
The last meeting between the Bruins and Terrapins dates back nearly a decade to Nov. 27, 1998, when Maryland defeated UCLA by a score of 70-54.