UCLA looks to avenge loss to Cal

  MARY CIECEK/Daily Bruin Senior Staff UCLA’s Billy
Knight drives on OSU’s Brian Jackson in the Bruins’
win.

By AJ Cadman
Daily Bruin Senior Staff

From the peaks of victories over No. 1 teams and postseason
success to the valleys of humiliating double-digit losses, UCLA
Head Coach Steve Lavin has never been at this junction before.

Sure, he has won a conference title. But he did it holding onto
the Pac-10’s top spot with two weeks to go in the season. In
1997, Lavin & Co. simply had to stay standing at home against
the Oregon schools and on the road against the Washingtons.

This season, however, the No. 12 UCLA men’s basketball
team (19-6, 12-2 Pac-10) faces the more daunting task of knocking
out conference leader Stanford. But first, the Bruins have to
contend with California (19-7, 10-4) tonight at 7:30 p.m. in Pauley
Pavilion.

“Before practice today, Coach put up one word on the
board: “˜Cal,'” said senior guard Ryan Bailey.
“Just “˜Cal.’ Stanford doesn’t mean anything
if we don’t beat Cal.”

The Bruins haven’t found much recent success at home
against the Golden Bears. They have posted a 2-2 record in the
Lavin era.

Throw into the mix the fact that Cal is fighting for its first
NCAA Tournament bid in four years. Ironically, in their attempt to
upset UCLA, the Golden Bears will increase rival Stanford’s
chances at a third consecutive Pac-10 title.

“We expect UCLA’s best effort on Thursday,”
said Cal Head Coach Ben Braun. “(The Stanford) game
doesn’t take on any significance for them unless they do well
against us. So we’re really standing in the way of them and
I’m sure that their memories are pretty
up-to-date.”

With a conference title at stake, UCLA already has reason enough
to come storming through the gates tonight. But the 92-63 drubbing
they suffered at the hands of the Golden Bears on Feb. 1 in
Berkeley looms large for the Bruins. Since then, they have rattled
off seven straight victories.

“It’s going to be a big game for us to control our
own destiny,” senior point guard Earl Watson said.
“Having the game in Westwood is important because we hope
that our fans show up and make an impact. I expect this place to be
sold out and have everyone show up.”

Also on the line for the Bruins is a perfect 7-0 Pac-10 home
record. Up to the challenge of ending that streak ““ the
Bruins’ last undefeated conference season was 1995-96 ““
is Sean Lampley, the defending Pac-10 Player of the Week.

Cal’s senior forward leads the Pac-10 in scoring at a 20.1
points per game and is seventh in rebounding at seven boards per
contest.

“We have to focus on their whole team,” Watson said.
“Last time, we tried to key in on a couple of players and the
whole team killed us. They have a balanced team. Every player on
this team has to take it upon himself to shut down his
man.”

The Golden Bears believe the Bruins’ iron man is the
catalyst to UCLA’s success on both ends of the floor.

“I think Watson is a big key to their team,” Braun
said. “He makes plays against the shot clock. He directs the
offense. He can get to the foul line. He just does so many
things.”

But the issue of not looking past Cal is essential to setting up
a Saturday matinee in front of a national television audience for
the 2001 Pac-10 championship.

“I think they are a good matchup for us,” Lavin
said. “To this point in the season, Cal handled us on both
ends of the floor better than any team for 40 minutes.

“No one will be looking past Cal. Thursday is our big game
right now.”

For UCLA, both games and the ones that follow are big ones. And
no one knows how to win big games better than the Bruins and their
man at the helm.