AGAINST THE ODDS: Do the Cal State...

AGAINST THE ODDS: Do the Cal State Northridge Matadors have a chance to beat highly ranked UCLA in today’s basketball season opener (C10)? Believe it or not, Las Vegas thinks they do. “We see upsets all the time,” says oddsmaker John Avello. . . . But don’t buy those Final Four tickets just yet. Asked for the odds on CSUN going that far, Avello says “there isn’t a number high enough for that.”

ON THE TUBE: Win or lose, the Matadors will get more than the usual exposure in today’s game. . . . The contest will be televised on cable at 2 p.m.

EMPOWERED: Women were once told they couldn’t have it all. Well, try telling that to the women at Everywoman’s Village in Van Nuys. The Village, as it is now known, serves 7,000 men and women and offers classes ranging from sensual dance to power blackjack and tai chi (B4).

WRECKING BALL: Eight months after it was condemned because of quake damage, the five-story Van Nuys building that once housed the Valley’s largest public health center started to come down (B3). . . . The demolition, above, was started during the Thanksgiving weekend because of lighter traffic.

CELEBRATION: Hanukkah has hit the big time, according to Zev Garber, professor of Jewish studies at Valley College in Van Nuys. Garber says the holiday appeals to intermarried Jews “overwhelmed by the threatening nature of Christmas. It’s a way to assert equality with the non-Jewish partner.” . . . In today’s religion column (B15), Garber talks about the holiday’s spiritual and militaristic elements.

LANDMARK: The folks at Disney have found another way to catch our fascination. The featured attraction is the new animation building, just off the Ventura Freeway near the Buena Vista Street exit. . . . It includes a two-story version of the cone hat worn by Mickey Mouse in the “Sorcerer’s Apprentice” segment of “Fantasia” (B1).