Loss to Northridge doesn’t rattle UCLA ““ it’s too early

  JESSE PORTER/Daily Bruin Senior Staff Bruin senior
co-captain Earl Watson soars over Cal State
Northridge’s Jeff Parris. MEN’S BASKETBALL
PREVIEW vs. UCLA vs. UCSB Today 7:30 p.m.
Pauley Pavilion

By AJ Cadman
Daily Bruin Senior Staff

The Bruins don’t lose that often to a non-conference team
in Pauley Pavilion ““ six total defeats in 11 years.

So one could chalk up Wednesday’s upset loss to Cal State
Northridge as just one of those bad breaks destined to come
along.

And with that attitude, the UCLA men’s basketball team
looks to avoid the dubious distinction of losing two such contests
in the same season for the second time since 1989-90, as the UC
Santa Barbara Gauchos (0-3) ride into Westwood tonight at 7:30.

The drawing board has been written on, erased and written on
again in this early season. But a 1-2 overall record and an absence
from both national Top 25 polls do not have emergency sirens
flashing in Westwood. The Bruins understand what they need to do to
get the job done, and defense is atop the list of adjustments they
hope will open up the rest of the UCLA arsenal.

“Instead of us adjusting to other teams, our goal is to
get teams to adjust to us,” senior point guard Earl Watson
said. “We want to create the tempo.”

One would first look at sophomore forward Jason Kapono’s
off-night with six points on 2-of-8 shooting as the culprit behind
the ballclub’s defeat on Oct. 21 against the Matadors. Kapono
is UCLA’s second leading scorer with 16.3 ppg.

But Watson and the rest of the Bruins know that one person does
not hold the key to the team’s success or failure.

Instead, they know their inability to make crucial stops late in
the game was to blame.

“Jason is only a sophomore. He’s going to have games
like this,” Watson said. “We can’t put all the
pressure on his shoulders and blame the loss on him. We
didn’t pick each other up when we needed to.”

“Initially we were discouraged,” said UCLA head
coach Steve Lavin. “But at the same time, it’s a
veteran group and they know how long a college basketball season
is. They know you can’t allow one win or one loss to dictate
the outcome of the entire season.”

Tonight Santa Barbara head coach Bob Williams brings in a
ballclub that will look to defend UCLA tight in the half-court set
and not get into a shootout.

Led by senior shooting guard LaRon Bryant at 13.0 ppg, the
Gauchos’ 6-foot-2 inch go-to guy will be shadowed all evening
by junior Ray Young.

Young should put the clamps on Bryant, while continuing to shoot
the ball effectively early in the 2000 campaign. The 6-foot-3
offguard is averaging 15 ppg thus far and helps complement Watson,
UCLA’s top offensive threat in the backcourt with 18.7
ppg.

“(Santa Barbara) is a little bit short in terms of
depth,” Lavin said. “Hopefully over the course of the
game we can be effective in wearing them down.”

The Bruins realize the importance of their remaining early
season non-conference schedule. With upcoming games against the
Gauchos, Yellow Jackets, UC Irvine and Hawaii before showdowns with
No. 6 North Carolina and upstart Purdue, the Bruins have little
margin for error as they enter the conference schedule after the
New Year.

Lavin’s main concern for his squad, however, is keeping
them hungry and focused solely on the opponent ahead.

“I think they were really discouraged afterward,”
Lavin said. “They got past the initial disappointment and
reality that sets in with a loss. They just turned it around
knowing that they have a game (this) week.”

“We just have to bounce back and stay mentally
tough,” Kapono said. “We had a stretch of games last
year where we struggled, bounced back and played hard. We have to
take it one game at a time.”

The Bruins have faced adversity before. If precedent is any
indication, the Gauchos might want to ride out of Los Angeles on
the horse they rode in on.