For three seasons, the UCLA men’s basketball team has thrived with a “one game at a time” philosophy. Players and coaches like to say that every game is equally important. They try to avoid discussion of rankings, tournament seeds or accolades. They admit that it’s sometimes a boring way to look at college basketball.
“You have to prove yourself every day,” coach Ben Howland said. “That’s the main thing. You cannot rest on anything you’ve done; you have to prove it every day as a team and as an individual.”
And the No. 20 Bruins (19-6, 8-4 Pac-10) have not wavered, even as they prepare for what may be the most crucial game of their season, tonight against No. 22 Washington (19-6, 10-3) at Pauley Pavilion at 8 p.m. UCLA’s Pac-10 title hopes likely hinge on this game against the first-place Huskies. It is UCLA’s last opportunity to beat a ranked team ““ they are winless in three tries this season ““ and bolster its NCAA tournament resume. There’s also the memory of a brutal, 86-75 loss the Bruins’ suffered against the Huskies Jan. 24 in Seattle.
But still, the Bruins want to stay poised.
“Every game is a must-win game,” Howland said, smiling, after a reporter asked him about the importance of tonight’s matchup. “At least that’s how I expect that we approach each game.”
Howland’s team isn’t dwelling on its abysmal trip to Arizona last weekend, where the Bruins fell at Arizona State and at Arizona. Those losses dropped the Bruins from first to fourth in the Pac-10 standings and derailed their streak of dominant play.
“It’s not the end of the world,” UCLA senior point guard Darren Collison said. “Everybody’s still in the hunt for the Pac-10 title.”
A win tonight would really help the Bruins in that regard, but it won’t be easy.
Washington poses huge matchup problems for UCLA. The Huskies’ deep, speedy backcourt has stifled Collison’s offensive game in the past. Washington’s senior forward, Jon Brockman, is a future NBA player who always troubles the Bruins, Howland said.
Stopping Brockman will be even more difficult if UCLA senior forward Alfred Aboya, who contracted a stomach virus in Arizona, cannot play. Aboya did not practice Tuesday and said he was unsure if he would play tonight.
In the Jan. 24 matchup, Washington out-rebounded UCLA and penetrated much more efficiently. Freshman point guard Isaiah Thomas led the Huskies with 24 points, but he was only a part of a brilliant team effort. The Bruin big men did not contain Brockman, who finished with 18 points and eight rebounds.
In general, Washington excels in their rebounding and attacks the basket very effectively, Howland said. That formula worked last time against UCLA, when the Huskies reached the foul line 43 times and converted 36 of those attempts (84 percent).
“They out-toughed us,” UCLA senior forward Josh Shipp said. “They pressured us and crashed the boards. We have to take a sense of urgency into this game and know how important it is.”
UCLA players also say they’ve noticed how seriously their opponents want to beat them. The other contenders ““ Washington, Arizona State, Cal and Arizona ““ know they need to dethrone the three-time defending champion Bruins if they want to win the league title.
“They definitely want to come out and try their hardest,” Shipp said. “We do have that target on our backs. But at the end of the day, it’s up to us; we have to go out there and battle and prove we are the No. 1 team.”
With only six games left in the regular season, tonight could be the most important game remaining for the Bruins. A win could help establish momentum for a late-season surge and revive their chance at a Pac-10 title. It’s also a big step in rekindling their brilliant stretch of play earlier this month, when they trounced USC and Notre Dame at home.
“I thought we were playing great coming out of that homestand,” Howland said. “But now we have to go back and earn it again.”
Collison said the Bruins are ready. He understands the Huskies’ strategy to pressure him relentlessly, and he said the team knows how physically the Huskies like to play.
“It’s nothing we aren’t prepared for,” he said. “We just have to go out there and prove it.”