Bruins Host Cougars In NCAA Hoops!
Thursday, November 16th 2006 (Bob Acton)

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Wednesday evening will present this scenario as the dangerous BYU Cougars venture to Pauley Pavilion and a date with the UCLA Bruins. We realize that the NCAA college basketball season is at its infant stages for 2006-2007, but we have dedicated basketball fans who love the mid-week action.

Dave Rose guided the Cougars to a 20-9 record as one of the nation's biggest surprise teams. He was named Mountain West Conference Coach of the Year after reviving the BYU program that had stagnated under former coach Steve Cleveland.

What the amazing turnaround has done is create lofty expectations for the Cougars. A second straight NIT bid will be doubly disappointing this March as only an NCAA tournament berth will be cherished.

BYU returns the talent to build on its 20-win season. Center Trent Plaisted (13.6 points, 6.9 rebounds per game) was the conference's freshman of the year and should be one of the top players in the league this season.

Senior point guard Rashuan Broadus was an upgrade and that turned former starter Austin Ainge, son of BYU legend Danny Ainge, into a role player. Senior forward Keena Young (10.3 ppg) is a nice inside complement to Plaisted and junior guard Jimmy Balderson (10.2) can score from the outside.

The Bruins lost three starters from the team that went 32-7 and reached the Final Four, but UCLA won't disappear. If anything, the Bruins look like legitimate threats to repeat as Pac-10 champions.

Back are two key starters — All-Pac-10 shooting guard Arron Afflalo and reigning conference Freshman of the Year, forward Luc Richard Mbah a Moute. There is every reason to believe both players will continue to develop.

The Bruins also welcome back third-year sophomore wing Josh Shipp, who missed all but four games last year because of a hip injury. Shipp averaged 9.3 points as a freshman in 2004-05.

Coach Ben Howland's big personnel loss was point guard Jordan Farmar, who left for the NBA after his sophomore season. But Darren Collison played well off the bench as a freshman last season, and is as quick a player as there is in the Pac-10.

Make sure you checkout SuperBook’s over/under total on this game.

Bob Acton

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