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.
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| 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.
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| 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.''
Weekly Chatter
The Bracket Buster committee (a few commissioners and ESPN) will get together Feb. 1 to set up the matchups for the event Feb. 22, save Gonzaga-Tulsa. But we can save them time on at least one of them. Barring a collapse over the next two months, Hawaii should travel to Creighton. The event is supposed to be about the best teams going against each other to give mid-majors (or whatever you want to call them) a chance at a quality win during poorly rated conference schedules. Tulsa and Gonzaga is already set so the next two teams on the list should be Hawaii at Creighton, which was already given a predetermined home game. Hawaii doesn't mind going to Omaha and coach Riley Wallace agrees that he wants to play a quality opponent that will help his power rating. Altman agreed, and couldn't wait to get the Rainbow Warriors at home after going to the Island a number of times during his career. Western Kentucky could still be in that next tier below Tulsa and Gonzaga (Creighton could argue that it's the best of the bunch) but the Hilltoppers are so beat up right now that it's hard to be sold on them. Ball State is without its best player for the season (Theron Smith) and UC Santa Barbara has struggled out of the gate. Butler just isn't in this category just yet and Ohio isn't even in the event. If Hawaii and Creighton continue to play well and aren't matched up then the Bracket Buster will lose its credibility.
Wallace is actually glad the Rainbow Warriors are playing in the shadow of Tulsa in the WAC so far. Hawaii, which has beaten Tulsa in the WAC tournament the last two seasons in Tulsa, returns four starters and is off to a 2-0 start. The Rainbow Warriors' next game isn't until Dec. 14 when they travel to San Diego State. This will be the first flight for Wallace since returning to Hawaii from Las Vegas in September following emergency brain surgery for a subdural hematoma.
Providence guard Abdul Mills is out for another four weeks with a groin injury,but isn't going to redshirt and seek an extra season of eligibility. Mills has told the coaches that he wants to play this season and while they wouldn't fight him redshirting, scholarship limits and their incoming backcourt could make the perimeter crowded next season if he were to return. The best-case scenario is for Mills to get back for this season to give the Friars an experienced guard. They couldn't hang with South Florida's Reggie Kohn (10 boards and nine assists) in a loss to the Bulls this week.
Drexel burst Penn's bubble that the Quakers were the best team in Philadelphia among the six schools with a stunning victory this week. The Dragons shot poorly in their first Philly game against Villanova (25 percent and 17 second-half points). Drexel shot 41 percent against Penn, held the Quakers to 36.5 percent shooting and rode 6-8 senior Robert Battle's 21 points to the 71-62 win. Drexel coach Bruiser Flint has quietly and quickly turned the Dragons into a CAA contender in two seasons and will once again become the hot name if any other higher-profile Atlantic 10 jobs open, especially in the Philadelphia to New York corridor.
Stanford coach Mike Montgomery would still look at the NBA if someone came calling with a hefty pay raise (we're talking multi-millions of course), but other than a can't-miss job offer, expect to see Montgomery ride out his career in Palo Alto. Montgomery got the sneak peak he craved when he was an assistant with the U.S. team that failed to medal at the World Championships in Indianapolis last summer. "I was curious to deal with the NBA athlete,'' Montgomery said. "I found them to be older and more mature and with a little extra spending cash then most college programs,'' Montgomery said in jest. "But like anything else, there were some really great guys. I enjoyed the experience and who knows what the future holds.''
Sophomore forward Lawrence Roberts came back from a leg injury for Baylor after missing the first game against Alcorn State and scored eight points against Northwestern State (both were wins for Baylor). Roberts is a must for the Bears to be a factor in the middle of the pack for the Big 12. Roberts broke his leg after last season, but was healthy enough to go on the Big 12 All-Star tour to Scandinavia in August.
The word out of the Paradise Jam in the Virgin Islands is that Michigan did earn its 0-3 record. At least one basketball source involved with the event said the Wolverines were out of sync throughout the four-day, three-game tourney that was won by BYU over St. Bonaventure. The Wolverines whiffed in the event that saw lesser-known teams like Toledo, Virginia Tech and Kansas State all get at least one win. Michigan gave up 80-plus points in two of its three losses. The Wolverines came home and promptly dismissed guard Avery Queen for a violation of team rules. The Wolverines are on a one-year postseason ban and it clearly looks like the self-imposed penalty doesn't mean much because this crew isn't playing well enough to look like even an NIT team.
Kansas' lack of poise, its 21 turnovers and its lack of bench production as well as Oklahoma's exploited inexperienced frontcourt in its loss to Alabama should give Big 12 teams like Texas, Missouri, Texas Tech and Oklahoma State hope that the race is far from over. Both Kansas and Oklahoma looked vulnerable in their first loss, meaning that running the table in the Big 12 this season -- like Kansas did last season -- would be even more of a remarkable feat.
North Carolina's sudden resurgence should push the Tar Heels' rivalry with Duke back into the national spotlight, let alone challenging the Maryland-Duke rivalry within the ACC. Last year, we caught a lot of flak for saying that the Duke-Maryland rivalry was the best in college basketball. It was, for the past two seasons, because the same elite players were on both teams in successive seasons as they competed for the ACC and national title. But Duke-Carolina is the best traditional rivalry and having Carolina being more competitive is good news for the sport. College basketball needs North Carolina to be a player in the ACC and beyond for the casual fan to be interested, especially since the names aren't as familiar with so many stars leaving early for the NBA.
Pittsburgh has, by far, the weakest schedule of any top 10 team. The Panthers tried to get teams to play them home-and-home, but failed. The Panthers' only true test before the Big East might be at Georgia Dec. 31. Ohio State is beat up and might not be at full strength when the Buckeyes visit Pitt Dec. 18 and while Rhode Island looks like a more formidable foe after beating USC in its home opener, the Rams still shouldn't beat Pittsburgh when they host the Panthers Dec. 21. Pittsburgh has no excuse for losing any other games against Arkansas-Pine Bluff, Norfolk State, at Penn State, Southeastern Louisiana, George Mason and Robert Morris.
A few teams have proven in the first two weeks that they won't be an easy out, which means they could stay in the tournament discussion, let alone beating teams that might have counted them as a win. Of course, North Carolina and Stanford get into this talk, but that shouldn't be a total shock. Instead, Saint Joseph's (over BC), BYU (winning the Paradise Jam), St. Bonaventure (finishing second in the Virgin Islands), Rice (beating Tulane and Houston), Portland (beating San Diego State) and San Diego (win over UCLA) will end up being teams to watch because of wins the past two weeks. That means bad news for teams that thought they were getting a win against these teams. Saint Joseph's could suddenly be trouble for Penn, Villanova and Gonzaga; BYU for Creighton, Arizona State and Oklahoma State; St. Bonaventure for BC, Alabama and Connecticut; Rice for Colorado; Portland for Oregon, Oregon State and UCLA; San Diego for possibly Purdue in the Boilermakers' tournament in December.
The buzz out of Maui was this: every coach loves Indiana's Tom Coverdale. And why not? The Indiana senior guard was sensational throughout the tournament and plays with more passion than most players. "He's a baller,'' one coach said. "He's got a city-league game.'' The Maui Invitational champion Hoosiers were, according to one of the coaches, in March form and are far ahead of where they were a year ago when they opened the season in another exempt tournament -- the Great Alaska Shootout.
Kentucky coach Tubby Smith got his players' attention after losing to Virginia. The Wildcats came out with even more intensity for the third-place game against Gonzaga. The Wildcats shared the ball more in the Gonzaga game and their twin tower lineup of Marquis Estill and Jules Camara was too tough for the Bulldogs to handle in the post. Work that magic throughout December and Kentucky will once again be a favorite to contend for the SEC title.
Gonzaga needs Zach Gourde to be more efficient in the post and has to tighten its defense so it doesn't give up easy baskets. Utah must get more go-to play out of Britton Johnsen. ASU was a tough read because the Sun Devils clearly played better when Curtis Millage got eligible for the Utah game Wednesday. But freshman Ike Diogu lived up to his preseason hype with a bullish performance around the basket. The Cavs got the balance they need with Devin Smith making shots and Travis Watson scoring around the basket. The pro buzz out of the tourney was on Gonzaga's Ronny Turiaf, who has added more 3s to his game (and scouts love foreign guys as we know) and Indiana guard Bracey Wright (a big point/combo guard who makes shots).
Playing zone is suddenly hip in college basketball and the reason is that teams don't prepare for it as well early in the season. Stanford fooled Xavier and Florida with a zone that Stanford coach Mike Montgomery said he rarely uses. Kentucky solved Gonzaga's zone to beat the Bulldogs. Virginia used a zone to beat Kentucky (the Wildcats were 2 for 22 on 3s) that former Boise State head coach and present Virginia assistant Rod Jensen put in for the Maui Invitational. Virginia coach Pete Gillen was quoted as saying he doesn't know zones and hiring Jensen certainly made a difference two weeks into the season.
Andy Katz is a senior writer at ESPN.com. His Weekly Word on college basketball is updated Fridays throughout the year.
