M.basketball: Who’s afraid of the big, bad Bears?

It seems the end of the men’s basketball season has come a
little faster than some would have liked.

The Bruins, who began conference play 5-0, have gone from hopes
of leading the Pac-10 to concerns about making the conference
tournament. Coach Ben Howland’s goals have also been abridged
considerably.

“We have to be trying to get, No. 1, a winning
season,” Howland said. “We have to be sure we get into
(the Pac-10 tournament) and build momentum going in
there.”

This weekend is instrumental to all three of Howland’s
current objectives. Tonight, the Bruins (10-11, 6-7 Pac-10) take on
California in Pauley Pavilion with another opportunity to boost
their record for the postseason.

Cal (11-10, 7-5 Pac-10) is currently in fourth place in the
Pac-10, after spending last week in the No. 2 spot behind unbeaten
Stanford.

The Golden Bears’ biggest threat lies in freshman forward
Leon Powe, who leads the Pac-10 in both rebounding and
double-doubles, one of which he notched when the Bruins visited
Haas Pavilion on Jan. 24.

“He has created match-up issues for everyone he’s
played against,” Howland said. “He’s bigger,
stronger and tough ““ he’s relentless.”

Point guard Cedric Bozeman noted the only way the Bruins could
stop Powe would be to force him out of his rhythm with solid
defensive play in the post.

“It has to be a collective effort to try to frustrate him
and wreak havoc on him,” Bozeman said.

In addition to Powe, Cal’s starting lineup includes
threats in forward Marquise Kately, who averages 60 percent
shooting from the field in conference play, and center Amit Tamir,
who scored 19 points against UCLA earlier this season.

But the Bruins’ goals begin with their own play. Howland
still stresses the importance of rebounding, which has played a key
factor in the outcome of UCLA’s games this season.

“I want our guys to keep track of rebounds,” he
said. “It’s a motivator. There is no such thing as a
selfish rebound.”

UCLA is 0-8 when out-rebounded by an opponent, and although the
Bruins matched the Bears in rebounds during their last meeting,
UCLA couldn’t match Cal’s shooting efforts in the
second half as the Bears pulled ahead to win.

“We were right there,” forward Trevor Ariza said.
“We have to contest all their shots and get those
rebounds.”

Tonight’s game will be more than just an opportunity to
seek restitution for the UCLA’s earlier loss to Cal. Every
game marks another opportunity to ensure the Bruins’ a spot
in the Pac-10 tournament, which only includes the top eight teams
in the conference.

“There’s a lot of concern ““ we have to win to
get a seeding in the Pac-10 tournament, so every game is
critical,” Bozeman said.

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