UCLA Bruins (9-6, 1-1)
Head Coach Ben Howland
After a string of Final Four appearances, Howland (Is he Fighting On in that picture?) is coming off his worst season as UCLA's boss. Offensively, his point guard handles the ball as much as any lead guard in the country, so their success is dependent on the talent at that position. Defensively, he prefers a physical, clutch and grab man-to-man defense.
KO's Take: "They played all zone last year against us, but they have not played much this year at all. Last year, they were very, very young, so they have gotten older. It's UCLA! They are always very talented."
UCLA's Front Court - Josh Smith (6'10"), Reeves Nelson (6'8"), Brendan Lane (6'9")
Smith (photo) is the biggest talent (literally and figuratively) of the group, but he's not in good enough shape to play much more than 20 minutes per game. However, his per minute stats show dominant potential. Nelson is the Bruins' leading scorer and rebounder with double-doubles in both Pac-10 games.
KO's Take: "Those two guys inside, Smith and Reeves, are really good. They are a great combination together because they both bring different things. We'll have to do a good job with guards helping inside-out against those guys."
Big Al's Take: "Reeves has a lower center of gravity, which makes him a lot tougher to guard. Big Josh has a lot of weight (305 pounds) and he is able to throw it around and move people. They are equally as difficult just in different ways."
UCLA's Back Court - Tyler Honeycutt (6'8"), Malcolm Lee (6'5"), Lazeric Jones (6'0"), Jerime Anderson (6'2")
Honeycutt is second on the team in scoring and rebounding. Lee can be an explosive scorer, but he does not create much for his teammates (1.8 assists per game). Jones starts at the point, but he injured his finger against Washington. Anderson was the starting point guard last season.
KO's Take: "Honeycutt is their premier perimeter player. Malcolm Lee is very good. I expect Jerime Anderson would step in and handle the ball, but I think Lazeric Jones will play."
Strength - Size
Smith is a monster and Nelson plays like one. While Honeycutt prefers the perimeter, he is still 6'8", leads the team in blocks per game and pulls down 7.6 rebounds per contest. While Nikola Vucevic and Alex Stepheson tower over most opponents, the Bruins size could cause real problems, especially when USC goes small.
Weakness - Youth and Identity
While they have grown up from last year, UCLA does not have a single senior on the roster. In the Bruins most recent heyday, you always knew what to expect. Great guard play, gritty defense, depth and general physicality are essential to Howland's teams. While this team is talented, they have yet to prove that they can muscle up and win a fistfight.
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Head Coach Ben HowlandAfter a string of Final Four appearances, Howland (Is he Fighting On in that picture?) is coming off his worst season as UCLA's boss. Offensively, his point guard handles the ball as much as any lead guard in the country, so their success is dependent on the talent at that position. Defensively, he prefers a physical, clutch and grab man-to-man defense.
KO's Take: "They played all zone last year against us, but they have not played much this year at all. Last year, they were very, very young, so they have gotten older. It's UCLA! They are always very talented."
UCLA's Front Court - Josh Smith (6'10"), Reeves Nelson (6'8"), Brendan Lane (6'9")
Smith (photo) is the biggest talent (literally and figuratively) of the group, but he's not in good enough shape to play much more than 20 minutes per game. However, his per minute stats show dominant potential. Nelson is the Bruins' leading scorer and rebounder with double-doubles in both Pac-10 games. KO's Take: "Those two guys inside, Smith and Reeves, are really good. They are a great combination together because they both bring different things. We'll have to do a good job with guards helping inside-out against those guys."
Big Al's Take: "Reeves has a lower center of gravity, which makes him a lot tougher to guard. Big Josh has a lot of weight (305 pounds) and he is able to throw it around and move people. They are equally as difficult just in different ways."
UCLA's Back Court - Tyler Honeycutt (6'8"), Malcolm Lee (6'5"), Lazeric Jones (6'0"), Jerime Anderson (6'2")
Honeycutt is second on the team in scoring and rebounding. Lee can be an explosive scorer, but he does not create much for his teammates (1.8 assists per game). Jones starts at the point, but he injured his finger against Washington. Anderson was the starting point guard last season.
KO's Take: "Honeycutt is their premier perimeter player. Malcolm Lee is very good. I expect Jerime Anderson would step in and handle the ball, but I think Lazeric Jones will play."
Strength - Size
Smith is a monster and Nelson plays like one. While Honeycutt prefers the perimeter, he is still 6'8", leads the team in blocks per game and pulls down 7.6 rebounds per contest. While Nikola Vucevic and Alex Stepheson tower over most opponents, the Bruins size could cause real problems, especially when USC goes small.
Weakness - Youth and Identity
While they have grown up from last year, UCLA does not have a single senior on the roster. In the Bruins most recent heyday, you always knew what to expect. Great guard play, gritty defense, depth and general physicality are essential to Howland's teams. While this team is talented, they have yet to prove that they can muscle up and win a fistfight.
Honeycutt and Lee are the 1-2 scoring punch from the perimeter.
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