UCLA Preview
February 09, 2007 05:49 PM | General
February 9, 2007
GAME NOTES
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – It’s been 20 years since the last time West Virginia University has played host to a non-conference team ranked as highly as UCLA, and its been even longer since the last time a nationally known West Coast program has played at the WVU Coliseum.
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| West Virginia's Darris Nichols drives to the basket for two during last year's game against UCLA at Pauley Pavilion.
Rich Schmitt photo |
“As far as I’m concerned I think it’s huge for this program,” said West Virginia sophomore forward Joe Alexander. “UCLA is such a big name and they’re coming to play here and not coming to Charleston. It’s great for our fans.”
The No. 2-ranked Bruins bring their impressive 21-2 record to the WVU Coliseum for a Saturday afternoon match-up that CBS (Tim Brando and Clark Kellogg) will deliver to 80 percent of the country. The last time the Mountaineers played host to a non-conference team ranked this high was on Dec. 12, 1987, when No. 2-rated Pitt knocked off the Mountaineers 70-64 at the Coliseum.
The last time a program of UCLA’s pedigree traveled across country to play at West Virginia was on Feb. 27, 1983, when Jerry Tarkanian’s No. 1-ranked UNLV team lost 87-78 to West Virginia in a game that was also televised nationally on CBS.
“(Saturday’s game) wouldn’t have been arranged without our friends at CBS,” said West Virginia coach John Beilein. “I think we went some 20 years without being on CBS in February or January and now this is the third time. We’re very proud of that. Nationwide it’s going to be in 80 percent of the homes across the country. That’s pretty good for our state, our University and certainly our players.”
UCLA is making its only true non-conference road trip of the season; the Bruins are playing just their fourth non-league road game in the last three years, having traveled to Michigan last year and making a pair of trips to Michigan State and Notre Dame in 2005.
Saturday will represent just the 15th time since the WVU Coliseum opened in 1970 that the Mountaineers are playing host to a nationally ranked non-conference opponent. The last ranked team to travel to Morgantown was No. 20-rated George Washington on Dec. 29, 2004.
This is the third time West Virginia and UCLA will meet on the hardwood.
Last year, West Virginia jumped out to a big lead against the Bruins and held on for a 60-56 triumph at Pauley Pavilion. The two teams played once before that: UCLA knocking off West Virginia, 95-56 at the Los Angeles Sports Arena in 1968.
Both of UCLA’s losses this season have come on the road at No. 16 Oregon and at Stanford in Pac 10 play.
Six-five junior guard Arron Afflalo leads the Bruins in scoring with an average of 17 points per game. Six-five sophomore forward Josh Shipp is averaging 13.2 points and 3.6 rebounds per game, while 6-1 guard Darren Collison is averaging 13 points and 2.3 rebounds per game.
UCLA is coming off a tough, 70-65 victory at home against USC on Wednesday night.
“That is a tough trip. It’s like a five-hour flight,” said West Virginia sophomore guard Alex Ruoff. “They played USC on Wednesday and they don’t have a lot of time to recuperate.”
West Virginia (18-5) was held to a season-low 47 points in a 13-point loss to No. 7 Pitt on Wednesday night at the Coliseum. The Panthers limited West Virginia to just 32.7 percent shooting including 6 of 27 from 3-point range for 22.2 percent. Freshman Da’Sean Butler came off the bench to lead West Virginia with 14 points.
“We didn’t play tough against Pitt at all and we’re very capable of playing that way,” said Alexander. “Sometimes you come into games and it’s a little bit random. You’re worrying about shooting or worrying about something else and you’ve just got to play like animals. You go through the game and never realize that you’re not playing like that.”
Six-five senior Frank Young leads the Mountaineers in scoring, averaging 14.3 points per game. Six-eight sophomore forward Joe Alexander is averaging 12.4 points per contest.
Tip off is set for 1 pm. There are no tickets remaining. As of five o’clock Friday evening, students were already camping outside the student gate.
“I have a sneaking suspicion that they will see me in the morning,” said Beilein. “That’s really neat that the kids are lining up outside to spend the night. I’m glad that we can bring this type of event to the University.
“We have boosters, ex-players and people coming from all over to see this game. I had somebody call me yesterday. A guy I don’t really know asking me if I had two tickets. I said, ‘No, I do not have two tickets.’”
