Playing California Needs No Build-Up

No matter how bad the next team on the schedule, no matter how poor its record, UCLA Coach Ben Howland always seems to find a way to portray that team to his players as a potential powerhouse about to take off, as the team that, with a few good bounces, could perhaps be as dangerous as Connecticut or Duke.

This is a tournament team next year if not this year, he’ll say with a straight face.

“He always has a reason why it’s going to be a tough game, even if it’s an Albany or a Coppin State,” said guard Arron Afflalo of his coach’s motivational approach.

But for tonight’s game at Haas Pavilion, no such hyperbole is necessary. The Bruins are not playing Albany or Coppin State. They are playing California, a game behind them in the Pacific 10 Conference with two to play.

The Bruins are playing a team that has already defeated them this season, at Pauley Pavilion in a game when Cal’s best offensive player, Leon Powe, made only one of seven shots from the field and finished with five points.

And perhaps, most alarming for UCLA, it is playing a squad with a powerful frontcourt, an area that has been a weakness for the Bruins. The 6-foot-8, 240-pound Powe, a sophomore, is averaging 19.9 points and a conference best 10.1 rebounds, has 12 double-doubles and has hit the stretch run in full stride, having averaged 24 points and shot 59.7% over the last five games. Beside him is 6-11, 235-pound DeVon Hardin, also a sophomore, who is averaging 8.0 points and 6.6 rebounds. A third big man, 6-10, 220-pound Rod Benson, comes off the bench.

In its first game against UCLA this season, the trio got 23 rebounds as the Bears beat the Bruins on the boards, 32-25.

Although Howland is a strict believer in basic man-to-man defense, he has double-teamed the opposition’s big man in the post with success this season.

“That’s what we’ll have to do against them,” Afflalo said.

*

Howland had been holding out hope that sophomore center Lorenzo Mata, out since breaking a leg Jan. 12, might return by tournament time, but that hope now seems lost.

“I am not counting on Lorenzo Mata impacting our team any further this season,” Howland said.

TONIGHT

at California, 7:30, FSN West

Site -- Haas Pavilion.

Radio -- 1150.

Records -- UCLA 22-6, 12-4 in Pacific 10, California 17-8, 11-5.

Update -- UCLA forward Alfred Aboya is expected to play despite a strained groin that has sidelined him this week. The Bears have lost two of their last three games. In between a double-overtime defeat against Arizona State and a loss to Washington, Cal beat Washington State. A conference sweep over the Bruins would be the Bears’ first since 1993-94.