Who says big men don’t cry?
On the final weekend of Pac-10 play last season, a UCLA victory
over Oregon State officially knocked the Beavers out of conference
title contention. After the game, several OSU players, including
253-pound Phillip Ricci, were weeping over their lost hopes.
This year, the Bruins tend to have the opposite effect on
opponents. Call it irony, fate or just dumb luck, but with a win
over UCLA (6-17, 3-11 Pac-10) tonight, the Beavers will clinch a
Pac-10 tournament spot for themselves and further knock the Bruins
into the abyss of non-contention.
“It’s ironic,” said guard Ray Young, speaking
of the role reversal from last year. “It’s a big ball
game for both teams, because everyone is trying to make noise in
the Pac-10.”
UCLA will also be looking to make up for a dismal 83-79 loss to
the Beavers (12-11, 5-9) at Pauley Pavilion on Feb. 1. Center Ryan
Hollins got in early foul trouble and only played nine minutes. His
absence allowed Ricci, who finished with 26 points, 14 rebounds and
three blocked shots, to dominate the paint.
“He’s a beast inside,” said forward Jason
Kapono. “And he had a large game against us.”
Hollins hopes the experience he gained from his last meeting
with Ricci will allow him to execute his game plan more
effectively.
“We have to play from and control the paint,”
Hollins said. “And we definitely have to crowd Ricci and have
awareness of where he is at all times.”
And one more thing.
“No ticky-tack fouls,” Hollins added.
If Hollins does get into foul trouble again, expect to see
little-used centers Michael Fey and Josiah Johnson off the
bench.
Neither saw any action in either of this past weekend’s
games, but Lavin has enough confidence in his bench to tap them if
needed.
“We can’t afford our front-line players, T.J.
(Cummings), Ryan (Hollins), or Andre (Patterson) to get in foul
trouble,” Lavin said.
“But if we can, we’d like to utilize Josiah and Fey
more.”
A win tonight will move the Bruins into a tie for eighth place
in the conference with Washington. Washington is off tonight but
will play Saturday at Washington State.
Only the top eight teams in the Pac-10 make the conference
tournament. UCLA hosts Washington on March 8 for the final regular
game of the season.