Game of the Week- Thursday

Raise your hand if at the beginning of conference play you had Oregon at UCLA as a second-half “Game of the Week.” Well, that is exactly the case as the red hot Ducks travel to Pauley Pavilion to take on the second place Bruins.

After a somewhat shocking sweep of the Washington schools last weekend, the Ducks are flying high coming into the contest. And perhaps nobody in the conference is playing as well as Oregon’s senior forward Joevan Catron. En route to being named Pac-10 player of the week, Catron dropped a combined 37 points and grabbed 18 rebounds against his northern neighbors. He was not alone, however, as Jay-R Strowbridge chipped in 27 points and E.J. Singler added 26. The Ducks recent offensive prowess and defensive intensity have catapulted them past .500 on the season and just a game under .500 in the conference.

Conversely, UCLA has been rather steady throughout conference play. Winners of seven of their past eight games, the Bruins appear to be regaining their rightful place at the top of the Pac-10 standings. UCLA is coming off an impressive seven-point nonconference victory over former Bruins head coach Steve Lavin’s St. John’s squad. That win helps lend some credibility to the Bruins’ NCAA Tournament résumé. The powder blue and gold will try to keep the momentum rolling behind the massive body of freshman Joshua Smith who scored 34 points last week.

WHAT TO WATCH FOR

Despite Oregon’s new-found success, the Ducks still face an uphill challenge in this game on the road against a very good UCLA team. However, the Ducks found tremendous success in the transition game against both the Cougars and Huskies. If they can continue to exploit turnovers and missed baskets and turn them into easy points, this game could begin to turn in the Ducks’ favor. Where UCLA could really make life difficult on the Ducks is on the low post. Smith, Reeves Nelson and Brendan Lane all have a significant size advantage on the undersized Ducks. Because of that, if they Bruins pound the ball inside repetitively, it could make pose quite the challenge for Catron and the Ducks.

KEY PLAYERS

Malcolm Lee- Lee had himself a solid past weekend, scoring 28 points. Not known as an outstanding offensive threat, Lee has quietly put up a strong 13 point per game average, while being a top-notch defender.

Joshua Smith- As mentioned above, Smith presents a very difficult challenge for Oregon. His combination of size and skill gives the Bruins a distinct advantage inside.

Jay-R Strowbridge- Strowbridge has scored in double figures in four of the past five games, clearly becoming an increasing offensive force for the Ducks. His ability to provide points off the bench could go a long way in determining how successful Oregon is again this weekend.