LOS ANGELES - UCLA will need all the bodies it can muster in an opening-round NCAA Tournament game Thursday against Bob Knight's sixth-seeded Texas Tech team (20-10), with its guard-oriented motion offense and helping man-to-man defense.
But backup guard Brian Morrison, one of the Bruins' two seniors who play, hasn't practiced since suffering a deep thigh bruise Saturday in practice.
"It's a little better today," Morrison said before practice Tuesday, although all he was expecting to do was shoot a bit before the workout.
"It's the worst we've had this year," UCLA Coach Ben Howland said of the injury.
"It swelled up a lot," Morrison said of the injury that resulted from teammate Matt McKinney's knee. "I think I'll be able to play Thursday."
If Morrison plays, he will be wearing a thigh pad to protect it.
"It will hurt if he can't play," UCLA freshman point guard Jordan Farmar said. "His minutes would have to be picked up by all of us, a little bit from everybody."
The timing works for UCLA (18-10), at least.
"We've been off a week," Farmar said in reference to the Bruins being upset by Oregon State in the first game of the Pac-10 Tournament last Thursday, while Texas Tech had to play three tough games in the Big 12 Tournament last weekend. "Defense is all about hustle and effort."
Texas Tech is all about getting scoring from its top three perimeter players, 6-foot-2 senior Ronald Ross (17.0 points a game), 6-1 sophomore Jarrius Jackson (15.3) and 6-5 freshman Martin Zeno (13.2).
"They do things like some of the Pac-10 teams we've played," said Farmar, agreeing with his coach that Washington State offers the most similarities. "Only they do it with better athletes."
"And they really push it," Howland said, unlike the slow-down Cougars. "It's a tough matchup for us."
Exposure Time
It will be worth it to sit around Tucson all day Thursday, Howland figured, to play the fourth game in Tucson and last game of the day. "It's the national game," Howland said. "They'll be seeing it all over the country. That's great for the program." With Knight just 28 wins away from erasing Dean Smith's mark of 879 for a college basketball coach, every game now matters for the former Indiana coach. He is taking his third Texas Tech team in four years to the NCAA Tournament.
Knight's record against UCLA is 3-3 lifetime while Howland has not faced a Knight-coached team.
The last time UCLA faced a Knight-coached team was in the 1992 NCAA regional at Albuquerque.
Indiana won, 106-79.
Knight and UCLA split in two NCAA semifinal meetings, with UCLA winning in 1973, Knight's Indiana in 1976.
UCLA has won all five games against Texas Tech.
"I like it that both teams don't have to go far for this game," Howland said.
He figured Texas Tech had to take off Monday after Sunday's 72-68 Big 12 title game loss to Oklahoma State.
That leaves the Red Raiders just one full day, with travel and NCAA press conferences today, to get ready for a UCLA team that has had nothing to do but focus on an NCAA opener since Thursday.
Tournament Talk
For the third time in three games, UCLA will be playing with a different basketball. The Bruins use a Rawlings ball for the regular season. Then in the Pac-10 Tournament, the official ball was a Nike. But the NCAA Tournament uses a Wilson so UCLA has been using the slightly softer, lighter and a bit tackier-surfaced Wilson ball this week at practice.
Howland is 2-1 in NCAA opening-round games with Northern Arizona and Pittsburgh and 4-3 overall in his previous three trips to the NCAA Tournament as a coach.
While UCLA will be making its 39th NCAA tourney appearance, Knight, 64, will be taking a team for a record-tying (with Dean Smith) 27th time.
UCLA finished 41st in the RPI rankings that had the Pac-10 second in the nation behind the ACC with Washington No. 3, Arizona No. 9 and Stanford No. 39.
But backup guard Brian Morrison, one of the Bruins' two seniors who play, hasn't practiced since suffering a deep thigh bruise Saturday in practice.
"It's a little better today," Morrison said before practice Tuesday, although all he was expecting to do was shoot a bit before the workout.
"It's the worst we've had this year," UCLA Coach Ben Howland said of the injury.
"It swelled up a lot," Morrison said of the injury that resulted from teammate Matt McKinney's knee. "I think I'll be able to play Thursday."
If Morrison plays, he will be wearing a thigh pad to protect it.
"It will hurt if he can't play," UCLA freshman point guard Jordan Farmar said. "His minutes would have to be picked up by all of us, a little bit from everybody."
The timing works for UCLA (18-10), at least.
"We've been off a week," Farmar said in reference to the Bruins being upset by Oregon State in the first game of the Pac-10 Tournament last Thursday, while Texas Tech had to play three tough games in the Big 12 Tournament last weekend. "Defense is all about hustle and effort."
Texas Tech is all about getting scoring from its top three perimeter players, 6-foot-2 senior Ronald Ross (17.0 points a game), 6-1 sophomore Jarrius Jackson (15.3) and 6-5 freshman Martin Zeno (13.2).
"They do things like some of the Pac-10 teams we've played," said Farmar, agreeing with his coach that Washington State offers the most similarities. "Only they do it with better athletes."
"And they really push it," Howland said, unlike the slow-down Cougars. "It's a tough matchup for us."
Exposure Time
It will be worth it to sit around Tucson all day Thursday, Howland figured, to play the fourth game in Tucson and last game of the day. "It's the national game," Howland said. "They'll be seeing it all over the country. That's great for the program." With Knight just 28 wins away from erasing Dean Smith's mark of 879 for a college basketball coach, every game now matters for the former Indiana coach. He is taking his third Texas Tech team in four years to the NCAA Tournament.
Knight's record against UCLA is 3-3 lifetime while Howland has not faced a Knight-coached team.
The last time UCLA faced a Knight-coached team was in the 1992 NCAA regional at Albuquerque.
Indiana won, 106-79.
Knight and UCLA split in two NCAA semifinal meetings, with UCLA winning in 1973, Knight's Indiana in 1976.
UCLA has won all five games against Texas Tech.
"I like it that both teams don't have to go far for this game," Howland said.
He figured Texas Tech had to take off Monday after Sunday's 72-68 Big 12 title game loss to Oklahoma State.
That leaves the Red Raiders just one full day, with travel and NCAA press conferences today, to get ready for a UCLA team that has had nothing to do but focus on an NCAA opener since Thursday.
Tournament Talk
For the third time in three games, UCLA will be playing with a different basketball. The Bruins use a Rawlings ball for the regular season. Then in the Pac-10 Tournament, the official ball was a Nike. But the NCAA Tournament uses a Wilson so UCLA has been using the slightly softer, lighter and a bit tackier-surfaced Wilson ball this week at practice.
Howland is 2-1 in NCAA opening-round games with Northern Arizona and Pittsburgh and 4-3 overall in his previous three trips to the NCAA Tournament as a coach.
While UCLA will be making its 39th NCAA tourney appearance, Knight, 64, will be taking a team for a record-tying (with Dean Smith) 27th time.
UCLA finished 41st in the RPI rankings that had the Pac-10 second in the nation behind the ACC with Washington No. 3, Arizona No. 9 and Stanford No. 39.
