Minnesota's Andre Hollins figures to be a tough matchup for UCLA's Larry Drew II. (Jim Mone/The Associated Press)


LOS ANGELES - As the well-worn proverb goes, the enemy of my enemy is my friend.

Does it extend to basketball as well? Sixth-seeded UCLA will play No. 11 Minnesota in Austin, Texas, on Friday in a matchup many are expecting to be an upset. As the Bruins will open the NCAA Tournament without their second-leading scorer, even Las Vegas favors the lower-seeded Gophers.

The teams have shared only two opponents this season: Stanford and USC.

Minnesota beat both of them before the New Year while UCLA went 3-1 in conference play, including a home loss to the Trojans.

So to figure out how the Bruins might match up against the Gophers, it's worth asking someone who has seen both teams. When asked what to watch for, Cardinal assistant Mike Schrage's first mention was Minnesota's 6-foot-9 forward Trevor Mbakwe.

"He is a warrior," Schrage said. "He cracks in, he ducks in, he embraces his physicality. He hadn't played really well until he played us. That's the part of that game that resonates with me."

Mbakwe had 19 points and 12 rebounds in a Bahamas tournament in November and logged his first double-double of the season in a 66-63 victory over Stanford. He led the Big Ten in rebounding after missing most of last season with a torn ACL and takes 66 percent of his shots at the rim.

The only Bruin who takes more than 35 percent up close is freshman Tony Parker, who has totaled just 14 minutes in his last six games.

Mbakwe too has spent time on the bench lately. Minnesota coach Tubby Smith has been willing to bench his sixth-year senior early because of foul trouble.

Mbakwe has played only 12 pre-halftime minutes in his last two games.

"Two fouls ... there's nothing I can do about that, and Trevor can't play with three," Smith told the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. "He's proven that. Once he gets his first or second foul, he's winding down defensively. And that's a real problem for us, because now an opposing team just throws it inside on him and he's just going to back off."

As for backcourt play, the Gophers' guard depth should come in handy against UCLA, whose second-leading scorer Jordan Adams broke his foot last weekend.

Minnesota played more up-tempo ball during its 15-1 start before slowing down against Big Ten competition. The Gophers could very well revert back to going fast against the Bruins, who also aren't afraid to push the pace.

To that end, there's leading scorer Andre Hollins, a sophomore point guard with a streaky shot. The 6-foot-1, 200-pound point guard dropped 41 points on then-No.19 Memphis in November but followed up the next day with one field goal against Stanford.

"You can't let him get going. He can score at every level," Schrage said of Hollins. "We have a lot of respect for him. We recruited him and know him well. There definitely was a plan to limit him."

UCLA point guard Larry Drew II gives up about 20 pounds to Hollins, but coach Ben Howland has praised his defense in the latter half of the season. Drew, one of the country's most efficient passers, also needs to up his scoring to fill Adams' absence.

Drew is averaging just over 10 points in his last six games but was scoreless against Arizona in the Pac-12 semifinal. Arizona hounded the senior with 6-foot-3 Nick Johnson, one of the few times Drew received significant defensive attention.

If Minnesota studies film from that game, it could try and use Hollins the same way. "

I think Andre, he's a good defender," Schrage said. "Very physical, very strong for his size. Not many teams have gone out and pressured Larry a whole lot this season. I think Andre will be fine against him."