Ben Ball Gameday Roundup & Notes

by Nestor on Feb 7, 2008 4:52 AM PST in Basketball Comment 14 comments

Yeah we are all little giddy these days about football and are still basking in the overflowing passion bucket the day after signing day. But we still have a huge basketball game to keep our minds focused on. That’s right. Our Ben Ball warriors are getting ready to take on a very dangerous Cougar team up in Pullman, Washington tonight.

And it sounds like their road trip is off to a tough start. So much for having a smooth trip via a charter flight. From Kuwada in the OC Register:

In theory, hiring a charter was a great idea. The UCLA basketball team could avoid the hassles of commercial travel and make it to the Palouse for its game tonight at Washington State in a much less taxing manner.

The players were excited about it because would be able to stretch out in their own rows on the plane and the flight would take three to four hours, tops.

In reality, that proved a major inconvenience.

They took off from the Hawthorne Airport and had to make a stop for more fuel in Elko, Nev. From there, they were not allowed to land at the Pullman airport as planned because of inclement weather it has been snowing much of the day.

The Bruins were diverted to Lewiston, Idaho, where they landed a little after 9 p.m., or 8 1/2 hours after they left campus for the airport. And that was not the end of their journey.

The team then had to bus from Lewiston to their hotel in Moscow, Idaho, just across the border from Pullman. On a clear summer day, that trip might take an hour. But snow has been piling up on the highway since about 7 p.m. The Bruins did not arrive at their hotel until 10:20 p.m.

Yikes. Hope our guys at least had some decent rest last night. They will need to be alert and fresh going up against a hungry team:

"They definitely are more dangerous just because they're going to be really hungry," UCLA freshman sensation Kevin Love said.

The Cougars have lost three of four, and a no call at the end of the Arizona State game might be all that separates WSU from a four-game losing streak. However, the Cougars made just four turnovers in a well-played (except for missed free throws late in the game) overtime loss to Stanford last week, and that helped WSU coach Tony Bennett take an upbeat approach to the UCLA contest.

"We've got an easy one coming up Thursday, so we should be OK. I'm not too worried about that," he joked.

Bennett is upbeat because his team just like our Ben Ball warriors always come to play (especially at home) with a tough defense. They have hit a rough patch in their recent games from the three point shooting line (as BBR notes they shot only a "combined 8 of 32 for a frigid 25% from beyond the arc" against Cal and Stanford last week). But we all know how their shooting can come back on like lighting after what we witnessed during our last game at Pauley when they rained in 7 3 pointers in last few mins of the game. They can be deadly. More on today’s game from BBR’s preview:

Despite their recent shooting woes, the senior-laden Cougar team remains tough to beat especially at home in Pullman - mainly a result of their outstanding defense.

Coach Tony Bennett's team plays a tough brand of man-to-man defense that applies pressure on the ball while aggressively playing the passing lanes.

Washington State enters this week leading the conference and ranked third in the nation in points allowed per game at 55.2 while holding opponents to 41.1% field goal shooting.

The Cougars boast three double-digit scorers on the offensive end. Derrick Low (6'2, 196, Sr) leads the offense with 13.9 points per game. Kyle Weaver (6'6, 201, Sr) and Aron Baynes (6'10, 270, Jr) are adding 11.9 and 11.4 points per game, respectively.

Low is a tough competitor whom the Cougars look to for the big shots. He has developed a quick shot release over his career and is tough to guard as he uses screens effectively to ward off defenders. He's shooting almost 40% from beyond the arc.

Russell Westbrook will get the assignment against Low. Westbrook did a good job of shutting down high-scoring freshmen James Harden and Jerryd Bayless in last week's Bruin wins over both Arizona schools.

Kyle Weaver is a good ballhandler and a solid distributor but the spider-like Weaver is known for his defense. He will be matched-up against UCLA's best perimeter scorer, Josh Shipp.

Read rest of the preview here.

As we have mentioned already AA2, Keefe, Mata-Real will have to step up big in LRMAM’s absence. And we will also need some solid mins from Dragovic and Stanback at the wing. More on tonight’s game from AP and the LA Times.

At this point these there shouldn’t be any surprises when it comes to Washington State. Let’s keep our fingers crossed that our guys can maintain the same level of intensity we have seen from them in its last game. If they can come out with a focused, determined effort on defense, and stay patient on offense, we will have a chance to keep the momentum going tonight in Pullman. It will certainly help ease the pain of a brutal road trip.

As usual game thread will go up later tonight. See you there.

GO BRUINS.

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GO BRUINS!

I'm in New York this week...it's going to be a late night! I was here for the Oregon game too...hoping for a similar result.

There's a great article on Kevin Love in USA Today, the kid is pumped! The key will be to stop Weaver tonight, and to defend the perimeter like hawks.

by tasser10 on Feb 7, 2008 9:02 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

They couldn't stop Love then...

... and they can't stop him now. Initially I was much more worried about losing Luc. Obviously, it will be much tougher w/o Luc, but I have faith in the big man. Tasser, where are you watching the game tonight?

by billyknight on Feb 7, 2008 9:22 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

Watching at home

If it's on FSN, otherwise I'm out of luck! Normally some UCLA folks get together but I haven't gotten a message about it this week...

by tasser10 on Feb 7, 2008 11:21 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Its on FSN

In Virginia, at least (CSN - same coverage as FSN national).

by bruinhoo on Feb 7, 2008 12:54 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

the reality of wsu

is they weren't going to get any better as the season progressed.

Only two teams in the conference were set to improve during the season: us and SUC.

I expect us to win out the rest of the season, and suc to end up number 3 in the conference behind Stanford.

"when you've seen how big the world is, how can you make due with this?"

by silverlakebruin on Feb 7, 2008 9:54 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

Dog Fight

IMO, these two games this week are going to be absolute dog fights-tough, hard-fought battles that will go down to the wire. This is a make-or-break game for WSU, needing a quality win to improve their standing for the tourney and to stay in the hunt for the Pac-1o title. They can't afford to lose 3 straight and 4 of the last five, so expect them to lay it all on the line tonight.

1 out of 2 on this trip should be considered a success.

If we play with the same defensive intensity and offensive efficiency that we saw last week against the AZ schools, winning both games is certainly possible. But given what is at stake for the Cougs, coming home with one W should be applauded.

Go Bruins.

by Bald Eagle on Feb 7, 2008 10:23 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

8 1/2 hours after they left campus....

so let's see, that time probably breaks down as follows:

7 hours on the 405
1 1/2 hours en route

Sounds about right to me.

by CAJason80 on Feb 7, 2008 10:48 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

LOL!

Do you know why they call it the 4-O-5?

Because man, it'll take you four o' five hours to get anywhere.

by tasser10 on Feb 7, 2008 11:24 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

For those with Biblical tastes

I always heard it was the Via Dolorosa.

My trip planning strategy always began with staying off the 405.

by Fox 71 on Feb 7, 2008 3:25 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Is it just me

or does that say the snow turned the trip on the highway in Idaho from an hour long ride to a hour and twenty minute long ride? Yes, that's 33% longer, but in the grand scheme of things, 20 minutes hardly seems worth reporting about.

by melliott2 on Feb 7, 2008 11:03 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

that's what it said

but the trip actually should only take 40 minutes tops. So it took at least twice as long.

The Cougars are definitely hungry but have really struggled lately on offense. Did you guys watch the Stanford @ WSU game? You'll have noticed that the Cougar playbook read: "Weaver, take the ball to the hole and get fouled. Next time, Low, you take the ball in and get fouled." etc...

BUT I agree that if the early 3's fall, WSU will be hard to slow down.

by pac10fan on Feb 7, 2008 3:05 PM PST reply actions 0 recs