Conference matchups around college basketball truly gear up this week, and there's no better opening major conference matchup than Thursday night's No. 5 UCLA (12-1) at No. 20 Stanford (11-1) Pac-10 showdown, with the Bruins -2.5 on WagerWeb.com.
The individual matchup to watch in this game will be in the post, as Bruins star freshman Kevin Love, who is averaging 16.4 points (on 58 percent shooting) and 10.2 rebounds, will go against Stanford 7-foot sophomore Brook Lopez, who is averaging 19.3 points and 7.3 rebounds per game.
Lopez was expected to enter this past NBA draft but returned for his sophomore season. However, he was academically ineligible for the start of the season and also suspended for a violation of team rules.
Lopez made his season debut on Dec. 19 and has played in the last three games for Stanford, including his first start in a 55-48 win over Fresno State on Saturday.
Stanford may have an advantage in defending Love since it also has Lopez's twin 7-foot brother Robin as its starting center. Robin Lopez is averaging 10.4 points, 6.1 rebounds and a conference-leading 2.6 locks.
The Cardinal lead the Pac-10 in blocked shots, averaging 4.75 per game.
"They're big," Love said. "Man, they are big boys.
Once you get past the first pump fake and get by one of them you're like, 'Man, I thought I pump faked you' because there's another one in your way."They both play hard-nosed. One of them [Brook] is very skilled and can do a lot of stuff in the low post. The other one [Robin] is a banger and is very tough."
Lorenzo Mata-Real, a 6-10 senior, and forwards Luc Richard Mbah a Moute and Alfred Aboya will help Love in the post against the Lopez twins. Mata is expected to play after missing its last game with a groin problem.
Meanwhile, an MRI on UCLA junior swingman Michael Roll showed he completely tore the plantar fascia in his left foot - an injury that will sideline Roll for at least three weeks. Thus, coach Ben announced that sophomore forward James Keefe will not redshirt this season and would be available to play beginning with tonight's game.
Also, UCLA point guard Darren Collison, a preseason All-American, will play tonight without a knee brace for the first time since returning from a sprained knee that knocked him out of the first seven games of the season.
"He looked so quick to me, it seemed like he wasn't even injured," teammate Mbah a Moute said. "But he wanted to take that brace off and just play. He won't have to worry about his knee or anything."
In last season's meeting at Maples Pavilion, the unranked Cardinal rallied from a 17-point deficit to beat the No. 3 Bruins.
This year, UCLA has faced two ranked opponents thus far, defeating then-No. 10 Michigan State 68-63 in Kansas City, Mo., in November and losing to then-No. 8 Texas 63-61.
Stanford's best win came three days before Christmas when it edged Texas Tech 62-61 in Dallas. Its only loss - 79-67 at Siena - came on the road in November while Brook Lopez was suspended.
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