UCLA is banking too much on expecting its fire to return prior to playing Duke Saturday in Indianapolis.

But UCLA's problems could be deeper than simply not being "up" for a team like San Diego after losing 86-81 in overtime Tuesday -- another loss to an in-state team that they should have defeated.

	Steve Lavin and UCLA suffered a discouraging loss to San Diego in its season opener Tuesday.

Losing to San Diego was akin to falling to Northridge at home two years ago and, worse than losing to Pepperdine last season because the Waves were and are more talented than the Torreros.

But, at least one Division I coach who knows the personnel of both teams told ESPN.com, that San Diego actually might have more talented position players than the Bruins.

He might not be that far off.

The Bruins simply may have been overrated because their talent isn't as good as it once was in the preseason. Remember, the Bruins lost one of the most talented freshmen in the class of 2002 -- a class that is having an impact around the country in most high-profile programs except UCLA.

Evan Burns was supposed to be on the court for UCLA against San Diego Tuesday, instead he's at San Diego State trying to get eligible after he was denied admission by UCLA in September. The 6-foot-7 Burns would have given UCLA that athletic, scoring small forward that they lack. UCLA lost Burns' original primary competition for the position when Andre Patterson (2.3 ppg) failed to get eligible for his sophomore season. So, for now, the Bruins are without the two small forwards that they thought would be competing for the same minutes. The Bruins are hoping that Patterson can still make it on the court for the game at Kansas Dec. 21, but that's only if his grades at Santa Monica City College are up to par.

UCLA is missing an impact freshman to match teams like Arizona in the Pac-10, let alone keeping up with Duke Saturday. The Bruins played freshmen centers Michael Fey and Ryan Hollins only two minutes each against the Torreros, which didn't help the Bruins match San Diego 6-10 big boy Jason Keep (30 points and 16 rebounds). The Bruins staff felt Fey and Hollins simply weren't ready yet. And if you look deeper at the Bruins' talent, it's simply not as good without Burns and Patterson. Senior wing Jason Kapono is clearly a star and one of the best shooters in the country. He averaged 16 points a game last season. And what about the rest of the team? No one else averaged in double figures last year.

The 6-6 Cedric Bozeman, a much-maligned point guard, is still a tough matchup at the point and had eight assists and seven rebounds. But he still only got to the line three times against San Diego. Dijon Thompson certainly earned his keep with 21 points in 40 minutes, but the Bruins had no relief for him to ensure he was fresh for the overtime. Bozeman had to play 40 minutes, too. Ray Young has yet to show that he can be a breakout scorer on the wing. He redshirted because there was a lack of minutes for him last season, but he isn't as much of an impact scorer or as tough a matchup as the departed Matt Barnes was at big guard. T.J. Cummings has yet to be a typical back-to-the-basket scorer to give the Bruins that kind of presence. Penn State transfer Jon Crispin didn't score off the bench. Seldom-used reserve Josiah Johnson did score nine points in 14 minutes, but he's still a developing talent.

The Bruins were able to out-talent teams the last few seasons, but that might be tougher this season. They lack a low-post presence and their shooting (8 of 26 for 30.8 percent on 3s) isn't as consistent. This could end up being coach Steve Lavin's toughest coaching season because he'll need to tinker and tweak this team, especially if Patterson doesn't return, to ensure they can win games when they don't have the most talent on the floor. The question is how often will that be when the Bruins get to the big games like Kansas, in the Pac-10 against the Arizona schools, Oregon, the Bay Area schools and at Georgetown in February, let alone a tougher than expected game against another WCC school, Portland, at Pauley Pavilion Dec. 14.

Drejer still ailing
The saga and soap opera of 6-6 Danish star Christian Drejer's freshman season keeps getting worse. Drejer spurned an offer to play professionally in Italy and chose Florida over Gonzaga and Florida State, but hasn't done anything more than make a cameo in one exhibition game.

And he might not be on the court until the start of SEC play -- at the earliest.

Drejer first got a hip flexor that slowed him throughout the preseason. When he was healthy, he innocently sprained his left ankle. But, unbeknownst to him, he had a virus and an infection developed in the ankle, causing an abscess to form on his ankle -- the size of an orange. The abscess had to be surgically removed. He's out of the hospital in Gainesville, but he'll have to receive antibiotics through an IV for a few more days before he'll be released to start regaining his strength.

Needless to say, his spirits were crushed. His father came from Denmark to be with him so that he wouldn't be too down. But he has rebounded and is driven to get back on the court.

"In the beginning it was tough on him being away from home,'' Florida coach Billy Donovan said. "He came to Florida to go to school and play college basketball. He was getting worse and it was really hard on him. But the worst part is over and now he's doing things to get back on the floor.''

Florida trainer Chris Koenig said he's hoping Drejer will be off his crutches when the team returns to Florida this weekend from New York. He said Drejer couldn't even bend his toes a week ago. But he is getting more movement and the hope is that he can do some strength and cardio work within a week, get back on the basketball court sometime in mid-December for a possible return by January. Koenig said he has never seen a sprained ankle turn into such a traumatic injury.

Regardless, NBA scouts still look at Drejer as one of the top 13 talents in all of college basketball. It's amazing, considering he hasn't played in a regular-season game yet. But the scouts who were at Madison Square Garden this week, said they weren't concerned if Drejer didn't play this season. They are still going on what they saw in Denmark -- a 6-6 point forward who could play one of three positions. But until he's healthy enough to step on the court in Florida -- there will be doubters who simply haven't seen him in this country yet.

Creighton on a tear
The Guardians Classic in Kansas City didn't get the pub that the Maui Invitational and the Preseason NIT did this week simply because it wasn't on television. But the winner deserves just as much hype.

Creighton cruised through the relatively weak field, beating up Texas-Arlington, Furman and IUPUI and then running past Notre Dame in the final, legit game. And it won't be their last.

	Kyle Korver is averaging 20.5 points per game in Creighton's first four games.

Creighton actually might be better than last season, the same team that beat Florida in the NCAA Tournament first round. Creighton has more depth and experience with the additions of JC transfer Kellen Miliner and freshman shooter Nathan Funk. Creighton coach Dana Altman is bringing Miliner along slowly, using him for an average of 6.5 minutes so far (2.5 boards). Funk made two of his first five 3s and could be a spot specialist off the bench. The Bluejays needed a bit more depth. But the difference in this team (even without Terrell Taylor who split after the season) is Missouri Valley Conference player of the year favorite Kyle Korver.

Korver is putting the ball on the floor with ease, making himself more of a threat in a crowd to get his own shot. He's also posting up more efficiently and rebounding with more productivity. Korver beat down the Irish with 24 points and 10 boards and is averaging 19 points, 4.5 rebounds and four assists a game through Creighton's 4-0 start.

"We just need to get everyone's role defined by January,'' Creighton coach Dana Altman said. "And defensively we've got a long way to go.''

And that should include the top 25 soon. Creighton plays host to Brigham Young Dec. 7 and is at Xavier Dec. 31 -- the only two games between Thanksgiving and New Year's that could befall the Bluejays.

"I told our players we can't worry about (not being ranked),'' said Altman, whose team should have received as much preseason pub as at least Western Kentucky, which was ranked. "We just want to be in the top 25 at the end of the season. It's just one of those things that we've got to keep beating people to get recognized.''

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