UCLA men’s basketball hopes to unravel USC front court in its second matchup against the Trojans

Reeves Nelson has been a crucial part of the Bruins’ front court this season.

UCLA men’s basketball hopes to unravel USC front court in its second matchup against the Trojans

By BRANTLEY WATSON
The Daily Bruin in Men's Basketball, Sports
Published February 1, 2011 Updated: 12:15 AM


During a team’s season, there are always defining moments.

A win at Kansas would have been just that for the UCLA men’s basketball team, but the Bruins came up one point short. Then, the Bruins lost to Montana at Pauley Pavilion in their next game, a loss that seems to have overshadowed a win over Brigham Young, which was the Cougars’ only loss until a few days ago.

But come Wednesday, the Bruins will once again have a chance to define their season when they host crosstown rival USC, who they lost to on Jan. 9.

And if UCLA took anything from that matchup, it was that Wednesday’s game will again be defined by what happens inside the key.

In that game, USC’s starting front court of Alex Stepheson and Nikola Vucevic out-scored the Bruin’s starting bigs Reeves Nelson and Joshua Smith, 33-22, and out-rebounded Nelson and Smith, 20-11 – two telling statistics that ultimately decided the game.

Nelson and coach Ben Howland are well aware of what must change if the Bruins hope to win the inside battle in the second go-around with the Trojans.

“We’re just going to have to focus on them because they kind of drive their team,” Nelson said.

“We’ve got that first game to go on in terms of preparation, but it’s equally difficult,” Howland added. “They are a team that’s very dangerous and they are a hard matchup for us.”

Smith, however, took a slightly different approach as far as what he plans to do in order to neutralize the USC big men, a plan that highlights the Bruins’ aggressiveness on the offensive end.

“They have a pretty good front court with Vucevic and Stepheson, but outside of that they’re really, really thin with their backup post players,” Smith said. “I know for a fact that if we get one of them in foul trouble they’re going to have to put somebody else in. They’re not as effective as they are with both of them in, so that’s probably one of my goals.”

Ironically enough, it is usually Smith hearing the whistle blow, and the referee pointing in his direction.

In the last head-to-head meeting between the two L.A. schools, Smith played much of the second half with four fouls, and has battled foul trouble for most of the season.

And if Wednesday’s game is anything like the first meeting in which 34 fouls were called throughout the course of the game, Smith will have to be extra careful not to put the game in the hands of the referees once again.

“The refs aren’t in my head at all,” Smith said. “I try my best. I haven’t really said anything to the refs really in the last couple of weeks.”

Despite sitting in third in the Pac-10 standings and having barely split their weekend games in Arizona, Smith claims that the Bruins have something that other teams in the conference are lacking.

“We have a pretty good front court and back court,” Smith said. “Half of the teams in the Pac-10 either have one or the other and I feel that we have both. We just have to be the aggressors and make other teams play toward us.”

With reports from Eli Smukler, Bruin Sports senior staff.