A few choiced Bruin Basketball morsels to whet the appetite for tonight's tussle with No. 8 Texas at their corral.
This one is from the official UCLA Men's Basketball site
GAMEDAY CENTRAL
DATE: Thursday, Dec. 4, 2008
SITE: Frank Erwin Center (16,755)
TIP-OFF: 6:05 p.m. PT
TELEVISION: ESPN2 and ESPN360.com
TALENT: Dave O'Brien (play-by-play) and Jay Bilas (analyst)
RADIO: AM 570
TALENT: Chris Roberts (play-by-play) and Tracy Murray (analyst)
SERIES: UCLA leads the series 2-1
SERIES vs. TEXAS
This is just the fourth meeting between UCLA and Texas with the Bruins leading the series 2-1. All three prior meetings have been in Pauley Pavilion with the Bruins losing last year's meeting 63-61 in the Pac-10/Big 12 Hardwood Series on Dec. 2, 2007. D.J. Augustin threw up a prayer from the baseline with seven seconds left and the score tied at 61. His prayer was answered by Damion James, who grabbed the airball and slammed it home for the win, ending his night with a double-double of 19 points and 10 rebounds. Augustin, who also finished with 19 points and added four assists, was the only other Longhorn to reach double figures in scoring. The Bruins had four players reach double-digits in scoring, led by Luc Richard Mbah a Moute's 14 points. Darren Collison chipped in 12 points while Kevin Love and Josh Shipp each added 11 points. UCLA trailed 37-25 at halftime and by as many as 16 points in the first half (30-14 at 4:58).
POLLING UCLA
UCLA sports a national ranking of No. 9 in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll and No. 12 in the Associated Press poll, released on Dec. 1, 2008. UCLA has been ranked in the top 25 in the Associated Press poll for 60 straight weeks (since the 2005-06 preseason rankings). Texas is ranked No. 8 in both polls.
BRUIN INJURY REPORT
Freshman guard Malcolm Lee sprained his right ankle (grade one) while junior forward Nikola Dragoviæ suffered a left knee contusion in practice on Nov. 24. Senior center Alfred Aboya sprained his left wrist in the Michigan game (Nov. 20) and later aggravated the injury against Southern Illinois (Nov. 21). All three played in the Bruins' last game, a 89-54 win over FIU (Nov. 29).
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This one puts it in perspective of possible repurcusions in March as well as the warning to stay off of chicken nuggets & curly fries...
UCLA-Texas matchup could pay off in March
By Brian Dohn, Staff Writer
LA Daily News
Updated: 12/02/2008 10:38:51 PM PST
It seems like eons until the NCAA men's basketball selection committee locks itself in a conference room in Indianapolis and begins formulating the bracket for March Madness.
Yet, if the Pacific-10 and Big 12 conferences hold to form, that committee could look at Thursday, when No. 12 UCLA plays at No. 8 Texas, to determine the seeds for two of the nation's top teams.
"I think when it's all said and done, they're going to look at this game because Texas is going to be one of the top teams that is going to have a chance to have a good season, and so are we," UCLA senior point guard Darren Collison said. "If we do what we're supposed to do, then they're going to end up looking at this game as one of the biggest matchups."
It could have added importance because UCLA (4-1) is picked to win what is expected to be a weak Pac-10. UCLA, which lost to unranked Michigan, and No. 19 Arizona State, which lost to Baylor, are the only conference teams ranked.
A quality non-conference road victory would help the Bruins immensely.
"They're a team that would not surprise me at all if they were playing in Detroit (in the Final Four) in April," Bruins coach Ben Howland said. "They'll win the Big 12, in my opinion."
Texas (5-1) has an experienced starting lineup with three juniors, led by 6-foot-7 wing Damion James (14.5ppg, 8 rpg), and two seniors, including 5-11 guard A.J. Abrams (15.8 ppg). The Longhorns also do not have a freshman playing a significant role, while UCLA has five freshmen in its rotation.
"This would be a big win for us," Bruins wing Josh Shipp said. "They're a top 10 team. They're highly touted. If we can win this game, it's going to do something for us."
Different look
When the Longhorns beat UCLA 63-61 last year at Pauley Pavilion, Howland said Texas played plenty of zone defense. In scouting Texas this season, Howland said they have not played zone.
"They're a much more defensive team in terms of getting pressure (on the ball), switching everything, doubling ball screens, doubling the post," Howland said. "Their defense is way different than it has been in the past. I think it's made them really difficult to try and score on because they're so athletic, so long."
Texas' opponents are shooting 34 percent from the field and averaging 55.5 points per game.
Fashion statement
Shipp was wearing a neoprene sleeve on his shooting elbow, but he continually deflected any questions as to what was ailing him, or if it was affecting his shooting.
"Style points," he said when asked why he was wearing the sleeve.
Also ...
Howland said backup freshman guard Jerime Anderson missed Monday's practice because of illness after eating chicken nuggets and curly fries. UCLA's freshmen have not been available to the media during the usual Tuesday press meetings. A UCLA official said it is because they are all in classes during the fall quarter.
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And finally, Coach B wants to talk to you (yes, you) about Texas in HD video...c/o the LA Times blog for Dec 3 2008.
Link:
Coach Ben speaketh
OK, I guess enough of the yakkin. On to the business at hand. Good luck in Austin, Mighty Bruins!
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