Bruins look to wipe out competition in duck hunt
By Daily Bruin Staff
Jan. 25, 2001 9:00 p.m.
MEN’S BASKETBALL PREVIEW vs. Saturday 5 p.m.
Pauley Pavilion TV: Fox Sports Net Radio: 11:50 AM
By AJ Cadman
Daily Bruin Senior Staff
It has been almost 17 years since the last time the Oregon Ducks
flew south during the winter and claimed victory in Westwood.
And while history has a way of repeating itself, the UCLA
men’s basketball team won’t take anything for granted
from this year’s Oregon squad.
After a 78-74 loss to the No. 25 USC Trojans Thursday night at
the Sports Arena, Oregon (11-5, 2-4 Pac-10) invades Pauley Pavilion
for a game against UCLA (11-5, 5-1) Saturday. It will be the second
contest of a five-game stretch against the conference’s top
teams for Oregon, with Arizona and Stanford still to come.
“Oregon is definitely a team that likes to get out (on the
break) and run,” said junior forward Matt Barnes after the
Bruins’ victory over Oregon State Thursday night. “We
will just have to do what we do and see what our press can do
against them.”
The Bruins, meanwhile, understand that a win tomorrow is
imperative to hold serve in the Pac-10 standings. With No. 1-ranked
Stanford appearing to run away with the conference title after
coasting to a win over Washington Thursday, UCLA can claim the No.
2 spot in the Pac-10 outright, ahead of idle Arizona, with a win
Saturday.
The Ducks are led by senior forward Bryan Bracey, who is atop
the conference-scoring charts at 19.3 points per game and leads the
Ducks on the glass at 7.2 rebounds per contest. Entering the
showdown with UCLA off consecutive double-double performances
against the Washington schools last week, Bracey, Oregon’s
sixth man last year, is shooting a blistering 53.5 percent (100 for
187) on the season.
“It will be a great matchup for me individually and for
the team,” Barnes said of his defensive assignment Saturday.
“I’ll be ready for the challenge.”
Meanwhile, senior guard Earl Watson showed little indication
that a bruised lower back and hip will slow him down. Starting for
the 113th consecutive time Thursday against the Beavers, he was on
the floor for a team-high 30 minutes.
“Every day, I am working hard and the trainers are working
hard,” Watson said of the rehabilitation process. “But
I was pleased to know that if I don’t go out and score or put
up big numbers, I am still able to help and contribute to the
team.”
With the second-best offense in the conference (83.2 ppg) coming
to town on Saturday, it is essential for sophomore Jason Kapono and
Barnes to play well on both ends of the floor to offset
Bracey’s partners in crime: Frederick Jones (13.9 ppg) and
Anthony Norwood (12.8 ppg).
“The last three games prior to Arizona were probably the
best that (Kapono) has put together in his career,” said UCLA
head coach Steve Lavin of the squad’s leading scorer.
“But there are gonna be some nights where he is shutdown.
“And Matt (Barnes) has been as consistent of a performer
as there has been on the team, game by game.”
With the surging Bruins playing as hot as any team in the Pac-10
thus far, UCLA hopes to take sharp aim Saturday in the college
basketball version of “Duck Hunt.”
