Players Excited to Get Cal in Opener

Finishing sixth in the Pacific 10 Conference was actually a blessing. That’s the latest lipstick applied to UCLA’s underwhelming regular season.

A higher spot in the standings would have meant a tougher draw in the first round of the conference tournament. UCLA is ecstatic at being matched against No. 3-seeded California, which defeated the Bruins by 18 points Feb. 21 in Berkeley.

“We feel we got a good draw in Cal,” senior guard Rico Hines said. “We are a good fit. We match up with them pretty good.

“They beat a lot of teams bad [at home], but we beat them down here. All the guys are excited about the draw.”

UCLA defeated the Bears, 64-57, in January, using a zone defense that kept the ball out of the paint and forced Cal to attempt 25 three-point shots.

The Bruins went to a man-to-man for much of the game at Berkeley and the quicker Bear guards beat them off the dribble, repeatedly scoring inside.

“Playing a team a third time, there are less surprises,” UCLA Coach Steve Lavin said. “It will come down to your ability to take care of the basketball, or a missed free throw, or who comes up with a loose ball.”

This might be the only game of the four where both teams play with smiles.

The Bruins and Bears--unlike many of their Pac-10 counterparts--embrace the idea of a conference tournament.

Cal, clinging to the No. 25 spot in the rankings, could use a victory or two to gain a higher seeding in the NCAA tournament. UCLA is just trying to reach at least one of its preseason goals.

“There is definitely a sense of urgency,” Hines said. “We set a lot of goals--to win at Maui, to the win Pac-10 regular season--and we didn’t do it.

“Now is our chance to do good things and prove a lot of people wrong.”

Although Lavin used Ryan Walcott at point guard for 16 minutes of the second half against Oregon on Saturday, he made it clear that Cedric Bozeman’s starting job is not in jeopardy.

“Cedric is the starting point guard, and Ryan and Cedric will play together sometimes,” he said. “They are a nice complement to each other. I actually think Cedric and Ryan are right where they should be at this stage in their career.”

Lavin pointed out that other Bruin point guards who played as freshmen went through turbulent times, including Baron Davis and Cameron Dollar. Getting Bozeman--who missed all or part of 11 games in December and early January because of a knee injury--more playing time is another reason UCLA is all for the conference tournament.

“This tournament is great for young players,” Lavin said. “They get to play in a tournament atmosphere in a big place like Staples, then do it again a week later [in the NCAA tournament.]”

*

Cal is the worst three-point shooting team in the Pac 10 at 31.8%, but the Bears are capable of getting hot from long range.

They set school records for three-pointers in a game twice this season, making 14 against Fresno State on Dec. 14 and hitting 15 in a victory at USC on Jan. 24, a game won on a last-second three-pointer by Shantay Legans.