At this point, ehh. Fresh off a heartbreaking last-second loss
to USC, the Bruins’ ninth setback in 11 games, UCLA now
trudges on to face Notre Dame on Saturday at Pauley Pavilion. It
will mark the first meeting between the two teams since 1995, when
UCLA won on the road 83-58. That was then. These days, UCLA
doesn’t have much to play for against a non-conference
opponent other than to gain some sense of confidence going into a
Pac-10 tournament it may or may not be a part of.
“We’re just going to take it one game at a time,”
forward T.J. Cummings said. The last time UCLA coach Ben Howland
faced a Big East team, the conference which he dominated in his
final two seasons at Pittsburgh, the Bruins lost 71-55 at St.
John’s. Notre Dame (13-11), meanwhile, is also struggling to
gain its fourth consecutive NCAA tournament bid and will need a win
to snap a two-game losing streak and keep those hopes realistic.
Junior guard Chris Thomas leads the Fighting Irish, scoring 19.1
points per game. He had a career-high 11 rebounds in a 73-59 loss
to Providence on Tuesday.
TOURNEY TIME: If the season were to end today,
UCLA be the seventh seed in the Pac-10 Tournament. The Bruins would
face Washington, who moved into second place ahead of Arizona with
its 89-84 victory in Tuscon on Thursday night. UCLA is currently
tied with USC for sixth place, but the Trojans have the tiebreaker
thanks to their season sweep.
INJURY UPDATE: Guard Brian Morrison is doubtful
for the Notre Dame game due to a sprained ankle. He was not in
uniform against USC, hinting that the injury he suffered earlier
this month has worsened. Forward Josiah Johnson will also likely
miss his fourth consecutive game due to a strained left knee. Notre
Dame forward Torin Francis, the Fighting Irish’s leading
rebounder and second-leading scorer, probably will miss the rest of
the season due to a lower back injury, coach Mike Brey said
Thursday.
With reports from the Associated Press.