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.