Thursday Lay-up Lines

The big game of the night is UCLA-Texas in the Pac-10/Big XII hardwood series at 9:00. I like Texas in this one. UCLA has a great back court, but the knock on them this year is they don't have anyone of the inside. Alfred Aboya is a good hustle guy and an above average power forward, but he is 6'9" and UCLA's other two bigs (James Keefe and Nikola Dragovic) are both 6'8". J'Mison Morgan is 6'10" and will be good, but he is not ready for this level of basketball yet. How are they going to match-up with the huge Longhorn front line? Dexter Pittman is 6'11" and pushing 300 lb. Connor Atchley is 6'10". Damion James is 6'7", but is one of the best rebounders in the country. Gary Johnson and Alexis Wangmene, who come off the bench for Texas, would probably start for UCLA. I just don't see how UCLA can match-up with them on the boards.

Now to be fair, Texas does not have the best back court this year. Collison and Holday are both excellent defenders, and could give AJ Abrams fits. And none of the Texas big guys are really back to the basket scorers. But when I picture this game in my head, I see UCLA getting crushed on the boards, especially on the offensive end. Notre Dame is a similar team to UCLA (great guard play, thin up front) and the 'Horns outrebounded them 44-35, with 14 of those coming on the offensive end. Texas takes a lot of jumpers, and they aren't that great of a perimeter shooting team outside of Abrams and Atchley. For UCLA to win, I think they need to keep Abrams for going crazy and then clean up his misses.

Last year, the Longhorns blew a 16 point lead at halftime, but hung on the win 63-61 on a Damion James dunk with eight seconds left (video of the dunk here).

The first game of the Pac 10-Big XII series is between USC and Oklahoma at 7:00 PM, and I doubt there will be a game where USC wishes they got UNC transfer Alex Stephenson eligible more than tonight's. They really could have used his muscle on the interior to help deal with the brother's Griffin. Taj Gibson is a heckuva a player, but he is more of the long, lanky variety than a power player. I don't know quite what to make of the Trojans yet, and I don't think they do either. They have a talent laden roster, but I feel like they are still trying to find their identity. I think Oklahoma wins, but USC gives them a good fight. On a side note, I kind of hope we get a chance to see Lil' Romeo play, but I doubt it considering he has logged all of eight minutes this season. But hey, using two scholarships for Demar Derozan could actually pay off, if Derozan ever puts it all together.

The rest of the night in college hoops:

• 7:00 PM: UConn (7-0) @ Buffalo (3-2)
• 7:00 PM: St. Mary's (5-1) @ Kent State (3-3): Another great mid-major contest. For those that get a chance to see the game, it should be fun to watch Patty Mills go head-to-head with KSU's Al Fisher.
• 7:30 PM: Houston Baptist (0-6) @ Villanova (7-0)
• 8:00 PM: Butler (5-0) @ Cleveland State (5-2): Horizon League play has started, and this is one of the best games of the year in a very good league.
• 9:00 PM: Jackson State (1-6) @ Arizona State (5-1): James Harden is averaging 27 ppg. 
• 11:00 PM: Oklahoma State (5-2) @ Washington (3-3): Both teams really need a win against a BCS-conference opponent.