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UCLA-Butler Preview

Nov 27, 2009 - 7:21 AM By BRETT HUSTON STATS Writer

UCLA (2-1) at Butler (3-0), 11:30 p.m. EDT

Butler hardly delivered the performance it was hoping for in its opener of the 76 Classic, but it won't spend too much time dwelling on a hard-fought loss to another ranked opponent.

UCLA's opening-game defeat might be more difficult to forget.

The young Bruins try to put their worst offensive game in nearly a decade behind them Friday night in Anaheim, Calif., but they'll be hard-pressed to send the 12th-ranked Bulldogs to a second consecutive defeat.

Butler (3-1) won its first three games but wasn't dominant, particularly as it survived 64-60 last Saturday at Evansville despite shooting a woeful 28.0 percent.

The Bulldogs weren't much more accurate Thursday against No. 22 Minnesota in the first round of the 76 Classic. Butler shot 33.3 percent from the field and 21.7 percent beyond the arc (5 of 23) in an 82-73 loss to the Golden Gophers.

Minnesota's bench outscored the Bulldogs' reserves 46-8.

"Obviously, I don't feel like we played as well as we would have liked to, but give credit to Minnesota. They are an outstanding team," Butler coach Brad Stevens said. "... I told our guys that I'll coach them a lot better. We have a quick turnaround, so we have to make the most of the next couple of days and it's going to be difficult."

The Bruins (2-2), however, might have an even more strenuous task ahead. They bounced back from a double-overtime loss against Cal-State Fullerton in their season opener with two wins but were taken apart in their 76 Classic opener.

Portland held UCLA to 32.7 percent shooting and its lowest point total in almost 10 years Thursday, routing coach Ben Howland's team 74-47.

The 47 points were the fewest the Bruins had scored since a 59-43 loss to Gonzaga on Dec. 11, 1999. The margin of defeat was UCLA's biggest since a 79-48 loss at Oregon on March 1, 2003.

While it struggled to shoot Thursday, Butler's biggest problem was giving the ball away. The Bulldogs turned the ball over an average of 10.5 times in their first three games but gave it away 21 times against the Gophers, their most since committing 24 turnovers in a 69-65 loss at Wisconsin-Milwaukee on Jan. 23, 2003.

Perhaps the most positive sign for Butler came from junior forward Matt Howard, who came in averaging 9.7 points after leading the team with 14.8 points per game last season. Howard was limited to 22 minutes due to foul trouble, but he scored 23 points while making 15 of 18 from the free-throw line.

He'll be challenged inside by sophomore forward Drew Gordon, UCLA's leading scorer at 14.3 points per game. Gordon's also leading the Bruins in rebounds (6.8) and blocks (2.8).

UCLA leads the all-time series with Butler 4-1, though the teams haven't met since an 80-65 Bruins victory during the 1963-64 season. UCLA finished 30-0, winning its first of 10 national championships under John Wooden.