Road Is Where Team Thrives

For the first time in his five seasons as a Bruin basketball player, Cedric Bozeman spent the night before a home game in a hotel.

Seeing the beneficial effects of the bonding experience forged on the road, where his team is unbeaten this season, UCLA Coach Ben Howland decided to duplicate those conditions at home last Friday night before Saturday’s game against Arizona, the defending champion of the Pacific 10 Conference.

After staying at a Westwood hotel, UCLA beat Arizona, 84-73, for the Bruins’ first conference sweep of the Wildcats since the 1996-97 season.

“We’ll probably do that all the time now, stay in a hotel at home,” guard Jordan Farmar said.

Whether it’s a matter of bonding or more a case of tight defense, a multi-dimensional offense and disciplined play, the Bruins have become a highly effective road team. Not counting neutral site games, they are 5-0 on the road heading into Pullman, Wash., where they will face Washington State tonight.

The impressive streak began on a snowy December afternoon in Ann Arbor, Mich., where the Bruins played then-7-0 Michigan in front of a sellout crowd at Crisler Arena.

There was a lot going against UCLA that day. The tipoff was at noon, eastern time, 9 a.m. body clock time for the Bruins. And the Wolverines promptly zoomed out in front, 8-0, UCLA missing its first eight shots.

But then, for the first of many times on the road, the Bruins seemed to feed off the harsh environment, rallying for a 68-61 victory. Subsequently, they beat Arizona, Arizona State, Oregon and Oregon State as the visitors.

“On the road, there are no distractions,” UCLA freshman forward Luc Richard Mbah a Moute said. “All you have are your teammates.”

The Bruins will have a lot of numbers working for them tonight. They have beaten the Cougars 12 straight times on the road -- 10 at Friel Court and two in Spokane where Washington State plays some of its games.

Even more daunting for the Cougars (10-9 overall, 3-7 in conference) is that they are facing a first-place UCLA team (19-4, 9-2) ranked 13th in the nation.

When Washington State has faced a nationally ranked UCLA team, the Cougars are 3-60.

That’s ancient history to this season’s Bruins. They are content to concentrate on the road ahead, a road thus far unencumbered by pitfalls.

TONIGHT

vs. Washington State, 5:30 p.m., FSN West

Site -- Friel Court.

Radio -- 1150.

Records -- UCLA 19-4 overall, 9-2 in Pacific 10 Conference; Washington State 10-9, 3-7.

Update -- A key factor for the Bruins is the availability of Farmar. Recovering from a sprained left ankle suffered in Saturday’s game against Arizona, he has been wearing a walking boot. Howland may not make a decision on Farmar until the pregame warmup. Washington State is coming off a 77-64 victory over Washington, giving the Cougars their first season sweep of the Huskies in 12 years.