WOODEN CLASSIC

At Arrowhead Pond

Game 1

UCLA vs. Georgia Tech

* Time: Noon

* About UCLA: The Bruins (2-2) blew a 13-point lead in losing to Cal State Northridge and an 11-point lead before rallying to defeat UC Santa Barbara. “We tend to sleep,” forward Matt Barnes said. “It’s a 40-minute focus deal. We have all the talent in the world, but we have a tendency to lose focus.” Forward Jason Kapono is averaging a team-high 18.3 points a game, one of five Bruins in double figures. Point guard Earl Watson, averaging 16 points, has 32 assists and 13 turnovers.

* About Georgia Tech: The Yellow Jackets (3-1), projected to finish in the bottom third of the Atlantic Coast Conference, opened the season with victories over Wofford, Charleston Southern and Davidson before losing Tuesday at Iowa, 85-67. Center Alvin Jones is averaging 18.5 points and 9.8 rebounds, team highs, and the 6-foot-11 senior has blocked 17 shots. Guards Tony Akins and Shaun Fein are each averaging 14.3 points, and Akins has 21 assists and six turnovers. The Yellow Jackets are shooting 49% overall and 48% on three-pointers.

* Keys to the game: UCLA center Dan Gadzuric scored 21 points against Santa Barbara Wednesday, manhandling the undersized Gauchos. Today, Gadzuric draws Jones, an excellent shot blocker who weighs 265 pounds and led the ACC in free throws last year. If Gadzuric can’t contribute offensively, or if quick fouls picked up against Jones force him to sit out, the Bruins will be forced to run and shoot three-pointers. That could tire the Bruins, who play a six-man rotation of Kapono, Watson, Gadzuric, Barnes, Ray Young and T.J. Cummings. Six Georgia Tech players are averaging at least 10 minutes a game.

UCLA LINEUP

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P Player Ht Pts F Jason Kapono 6-7 18.3 F Matt Barnes 6-7 8.5 C Dan Gadzuric 6-11 14.3 G Earl Watson 6-1 16.0 G Ray Young 6-3 15.3

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GEORGIA TECH LINEUP

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P Player Ht Pts F Marvin Lewis 6-3 13.0 F Jon Babul 6-7 5.3 C Alvin Jones 6-11 18.5 G Tony Akins 5-11 14.3 G Shaun Fein 6-3 14.3

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GAME 2

USC vs. Utah

* Time: After Game 1

* About USC: The 15th-ranked Trojans were hoping Jeff Trepagnier would play today, but Coach Henry Bibby suspended his senior guard Friday for “a violation of departmental policy.” Trepagnier missed the unbeaten Trojans’ first three games while recovering from a stress fracture in his left foot. Bibby said that sophomore guard Nate Hair, who has not played because of a knee tendon strain, is fit and available for the game.

* About Utah: The 18th-ranked Utes are without Coach Rick Majerus, who is in Las Vegas undergoing therapy on his right knee. But they are 3-1 under assistant coach Dick Hunsaker (4-1 overall), so they have adjusted. Utah’s lone loss was to Georgia in the Puerto Rico Shootout. The Utes are young--only one starter is back--but have held opponents to an average of 54.4 points a game. Free throws could be an issue: Utah is shooting only 69.6% from the line.

* Keys to the game: Rebounding and discipline. USC has not been a good rebounding team this season, while Utah has out-rebounded opponents by an average of eight a game. The Trojans, who have been pointing to this game to validate their ranking, must not try to do so much individually that they destroy what they do best collectively--passing to the open man, helping out on defense. The Utes are facing a good shooting team that is comfortable in a wide-open game or a half-court game. Utah has to absorb USC’s runs while at the same time control the game’s tempo.

USC LINEUP

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P Player Ht Pts G Brandon Granville 5-8 16.3 G Desmon Farmer 6-4 11.0 F David Bluthenthal 6-7 13.3 F Sam Clancy 6-7 21.3 C Brian Scalabrine 6-9 11.7

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UTAH LINEUP

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P Player Ht Pts G Kevin Bradley 6-0 11.8 G Kevin Spivey 6-1 5.0 F Phil Cullen 6-9 7.8 F Jeff Johnsen 6-4 11.8 C Nate Althoff 6-11 9.2

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