No matter the foe. No matter the opponent.
Winning on the road in the Pac-10, especially this season, is extremely difficult.
No. 3 UCLA, which has played only three road games this season, will find that out quickly as they travel to California (12-7, 4-3 Pac-10) tonight to take on the Bears at Haas Pavilion.
“It just shows you the quality of our league,” coach Ben Howland said of the difficulty of winning on the road. “Cal has three road wins. And they won at Stanford.
“That shows you what kind of team they are.”
Luckily for the Bruins (17-1, 6-1), they will have the services of their top rebounder, Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, who missed the Bruins’ last game on Saturday against Arizona.
Mbah a Moute, who had a hyperextended right knee, practiced at 100 percent on Wednesday and will be ready for tonight’s matchup, coach Ben Howland said.
And considering the Bruins’ recent history against Cal, UCLA will certainly need him.
The last time the Bruins traveled to Berkeley, UCLA and Cal were both playing for a chance to clinch the Pac-10 title.
In the game, the Bruins trailed by 11 points at halftime. They needed a clutch second-half performance by then-sophomore Arron Afflalo, who finished the game with 25 points, to win the game in overtime.
“It was just a grind-it-out battle game,” point guard Darren Collison said. “It wasn’t a high-scoring game, but it was a real fun game because it really meant a lot to us.”
The Bruins ended up winning the Pac-10 title and used the Cal victory to propel them through the NCAA Tournament.
The victory against Cal was the Bruins’ third in a row and they won eight games in a row after that to reach the NCAA Final Four.
“It was a huge confidence booster for us,” Howland said. “Winning a road victory like that on the back of Afflalo.
“It really helped us out in the tournament.”
Mbah a Moute’s return tonight means that the Bruins, although they don’t have a chance to clinch the Pac-10 title, will have another post presence in a very important conference game.
Mbah a Moute, who is one of the Bruins’ best on-ball defenders, will likely be matched up against the Bears’ leading scorer, versatile 6-foot-10-inch freshman Ryan Anderson.
“He is going to be a very tough matchup for us,” Howland said. “He can step outside and hit the three. He is having a great freshman year for them.”
Besides Anderson, who is averaging 17.3 points and 8.3 rebounds per game, the Bears feature All-Pac-10 returning guard Ayinde Ubaka and junior guard Omar Wilkes.
Both players had key contributions against the Bruins last season, and Ubaka, especially, had a standout game in the Bears’ victory over UCLA last year at Pauley Pavilion.
“Ubaka is a great player for them,” Howland said. “He can shoot the ball well from the outside, and together, they are just a great-shooting team. Period.”
Considering Cal’s outstanding guards, the Bruins’ advantage tonight will be on the inside.
Since Cal starting center Devon Hardin is out eight to 12 weeks with a stress fracture and backup center Jordan Wilkes is out for the season with a torn tendon, the Bears only have two active players over 6-7.
“We have to utilize our inside presence a little bit,” Afflalo said. “With Cal’s guard play and Stanford’s big men, it’s going to be a big-man trip.”
In the end, the biggest key for the Bruins will be whether they can handle the pressure of playing on the road.
Thus far this season, the Bruins are 2-1 and have played in two raucous road environments: the Galen Center and MacArthur Court.
And with Haas Pavilion expected to have its largest crowd so far this season, it will be another tough matchup for the Bruins.
“Every game in this conference is tough,” Collison said. “We have seen great players and great shooters all season.
“It’s nothing we haven’t seen before, and we’ll be ready.”
With reports from Ben Azar, Bruin Sports senior staff.