Some might call it the end of an era. Others would say that era
ended a long time ago. Whatever side of the fence one may sit on,
the fact that it’s an important game appears to be an
undeniable assertion. With No. 15 UCLA (20-5, 10-3 Pac-10) set to
play its last game ever in the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena
when the Bruins visit USC (15-9, 6-7) on Sunday, the focus
won’t be on the past ““ not when the present is so
important. “That game is a huge game for us,” UCLA
coach Ben Howland said. “It’s going to be a very
hard-fought battle, and our team clearly will understand that and
know that by the time we get to Sunday.” By the time they
leave the Sports Arena on Sunday, the Bruins will have played their
last game in a place that once meant so much to UCLA. Before Pauley
Pavilion opened in 1965, UCLA actually called the Sports Arena,
which opened in 1959, their home. The Bruins have a record of
105-27 at the Sports Arena, and John Wooden won two national
championships at the venue, one in 1968 and the other in 1972. With
USC set to move into the brand-new Galen Center next season, that
history will seem all the more distant. It’s the recent
history that will be fresh in everyone’s mind, and
that’s a nice thought for Bruin fans. On Jan. 18, before the
fourth-largest crowd in Pauley Pavilion history, UCLA rushed out to
an 18-2 lead and cruised to a 66-45 victory over USC. Since then,
the Trojans have lost sophomore guard Gabe Pruitt, the team’s
second-leading scorer, to a knee injury. Pruitt injured his knee in
practice on Feb. 6, and the Trojans were swept by the Washington
schools without him. Sophomore guard Nick Young, who leads the
Trojans with 17.3 points per game, has been forced to shoulder even
more of the scoring load. “He’s a great player and a
great kid,” Howland said of Pruitt. “I feel bad for
him. I’m all for having empathy for guys that are hurt.
It’s been happening … all year for us, and it’s
tough.” Howland, additionally, was quite complimentary of
first-year USC coach Tim Floyd, whose team’s 15-9 overall
mark has undoubtedly exceeded expectations. “Floyd has done a
great job coaching that team,” Howland said. “He came
in with four guys in the program. You have to have everything go
right.” But USC isn’t the only team in town that has
exceeded expectations this season. Despite countless injuries to
key players, Howland has his team tied with California atop
conference standings. UCLA leads the league in scoring defense,
allowing just 59.4 points per game, and rebounding defense (29.5
rebounds per game). In last Saturday’s 70-67 loss to
Washington, the Bruins completed 20 turnovers. Sophomore guards
Jordan Farmar and Arron Afflalo combined to go 4-for-23 from the
field. And yet, the team still had a chance to win. “You just
have to credit our players and their maturity and their leadership
within the team,” Howland said. “Overall, it’s
just been incredible.” The Howland recipe for success ““
tenacious defense and solid rebounding ““ would seem to bode
well for Sunday’s showdown, considering USC has been
outrebounded by an average of 10 in the team’s last nine
games. And without Pruitt, many expect the Trojans to continue to
struggle. But it’s a rivalry game, and anything can happen.
For Howland’s part, he is taking full advantage of the fact
that his Bruins didn’t have to play on Thursday this week.
“We’re working on skill development,” he said.
“We’re working on getting better. We’re working
on executing better. We’re working on our conditioning, and
doing a number of things that I think will help us improve as we go
into this final five-game stretch of the season. We’re
pushing toward the most important time of the year.”
ABOYA HEALTHY: UCLA freshman forward Alfred Aboya, who scored a
career-high 15 points against Washington last week, said this week
his knees are “mostly” healthy and are no longer a
bother when he is on the court. Aboya, who had surgery on both
knees during summer, said his focus now is just to build on his
performance from last week, and improve his defense from the center
position. “The offensive performance and the points are
nice,” Aboya said. “But defense wins championships, and
I really need to work on improving my defensive assignments.”
Against USC on Sunday, Aboya will have the task of guarding Trojan
center Abdoulaye N’diaye, who scored seven points against the
Bruins in their earlier matchup this season.
TICKETS FOR SUNDAY: While tickets were in extremely high demand
for the rivalry football game at USC earlier this year, it seems
there are more than enough tickets available for Sunday’s
game at the Sports Arena, which is located adjacent to the
Coliseum. Student tickets are selling for $15 at the UCLA Central
Ticket Office, and general admission tickets are selling for $30.
As of Thursday night, there were still many tickets available. USC
is currently averaging 3,126 people per game for its home
attendance. The Trojans’ largest crowd this season came two
weeks ago against Arizona State, which drew 6,769 people to the
Sports Arena.
RIVALRY UPDATE: UCLA’s game against USC this Sunday counts
for 10 points in the annual Lexus Gauntlet competition between the
two schools. The Bruins will need all the points they can get, as
they trail the Trojans 37.5-15 in the series, which is sponsored by
Lexus. The Trojans have pulled ahead recently by upsetting the
Bruins in men’s volleyball and women’s swimming, sports
in which UCLA usually excels. The Bruins took the trophy last
season; the Trojans held it two years before.
With reports from Bruin senior staff.