Bruins head into Maples hoping for repeat of last year

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By AJ Cadman
Daily Bruin Senior Staff

Both sides are saying it’s just another game on the
schedule.

Last season, UCLA shocked unanimous No. 1 Stanford in the final
Cardinal home game of the year. It proved to be their only loss in
Palo Alto last season.

“It was a special win,” UCLA head coach Steve Lavin
said. “It was a must-win for us to get into the (NCAA)
Tournament.”

“It was on Stanford’s Senior Day,” senior
co-captain Earl Watson said, recalling the game. “So they are
definitely looking for revenge. It’s going to be a war. They
are very physical and have great talent. They’re very good
and we realize that.”

Saturday, the circumstances are similar as the Bruins (12-6, 6-2
Pac-10) invade Maples Pavilion for what UCLA hopes to be a
statement rather than a miracle in their game against top-ranked
Stanford (20-0, 8-0).

The Cardinal has imposed its will upon all combatants so far.
Stanford has not been out of the top five in either the ESPN/USA
Today Coaches or the AP poll all season.

Those who doubted the Cardinal’s abilities were silenced
when Stanford beat then-No. 3 Duke 84-83 on Dec. 21 at the Pete
Newell Challenge in Oakland.

For the UCLA coaching staff, Cardinal deficiencies are few and
far between.

“If anyone is going to beat Stanford, they’re going
to have to play a hell of a game,” said Washington State head
coach Paul Graham, whose Cougars fell to the Cardinal 72-61 on
Saturday. “They’re going to have shoot about 100
percent from the field and not turn the ball over. I mean that
sincerely.”

No team so far has shot more than 50 percent against the
Cardinal. Stanford also has a growing list of top marks in the
Pac-10: scoring offense (84.6 ppg), scoring defense (61.0 ppg),
field goal percentage (50.5 percent) and three-point field goal
percentage (41.6 percent) as of Thursday. The Bruins will need to
be ready for anything.

“We aren’t going to focus on any one matchup,”
Bruin sophomore forward Jason Kapono said. “But we
can’t help but be aware of the big three, whether it’s
the Collins twins posting or Casey (Jacobsen) on the outside. If we
cut down on their post-catches and then go out and defend the
three-pointer, we should do well.”

“Our focus is going to be key,” Watson added.
“Confidence is never going to be a problem. We need to focus
on playing smart and being really patient.”

Probably the biggest number both teams say they aren’t
aware of is Stanford’s national ranking.

“No one cares about the No. 1 ranking after the ball goes
into the air,” Stanford senior co-captain Ryan Mendez said.
“We’ve got to prove we’re Stanford every night.
We’ve got to stay relentless and let the score take care of
itself.”

And the response from Westwood?

“It’s a lot of pressure on them because it’s
hard to go undefeated,” Watson said. “They
haven’t lost a game yet and then to have the situation come
up with what happened last year.”

“We’re not worried about them being
(undefeated),” Kapono added. “We just have to go out
and play. We’re not going to go in there scared just because
they’re (undefeated) and No. 1 in the country.”

While Watson and Kapono will lead a cast that includes
impressive juniors Matt Barnes and Dan Gadzuric on the frontline
and freshman T.J. Cummings, all eyes for Stanford will be on their
Big Three.

The Cardinal is a perfect 30-0 when Jarron and Jason Collins
start together for Stanford. The twins have abused opponents in the
paint all season long. They average a combined 26.1 points and 15
rebounds per contest and have worn down the frontlines of any
challengers.

“The Collins twins really understand the game and they
play it well,” Cal head coach Ben Braun said. “They
steal, they pass, they handle the ball. There aren’t any
weaknesses.”

“The way that Stanford wins their games is by destroying
your big men in the paint,” Watson said. “We realize
that and we know we have to be smart.”

With the fifth leading scorer in the Pac-10 (17.4 points per
game) in sophomore wing Casey Jacobsen, it’s easy to forget
Cardinal point guard Michael McDonald. The senior has a
jaw-dropping 4-to-1 assist to turnover ratio, the top mark in the
conference.

UCLA has a lot to face. But the Bruins weren’t supposed to
win last year either and don’t see any reason to run for
cover Saturday afternoon.

“I think we are so much more mature than we were last
year,” Watson said. “You just have to mention once
about being patient and we never have to keep reminding each other.
We’re better than we were last year and Stanford is too.
It’s going to be a fun game.”

If the game is anything like last year’s, Bruin fans
should program their VCRs to save a game that might very well be a
piece of history.