Wildcats search for elusive road wins

The Los Angeles road trip has not been kind to the Arizona Wildcats in recent years.

In the previous two years Chase Budinger, Jordan Hill and Nic Wise have been on campus, the Wildcats have been no match for the UCLA Bruins, who have not only taken control of the Pac-10 conference, but they’re now recognized as the elite college hoops program west of the Mississippi River.

Budinger hopes to use those recent failures as motivation against Ben Howland’s Bruins when the Wildcats (11-5, 2-2 Pac-10) head to Pauley Pavillion to take on No. 9 UCLA (13-2, 3-0) on Thursday night (9 p.m., Fox Sports Net).

“It’s one of my big goals to finally beat UCLA this year,” Budinger said. “The rest of the team knows how important this win would be for us.”

Currently, the Wildcats have yet to win a true road game this season, failing on their four previous attempts (at Texas A&M Dec. 5, at UNLV Dec. 20, at California Jan. 2, at Stanford Jan. 4).

Tomorrow’s game isn’t any ordinary road game, either.

The Bruins have yet to lose at home this season and boast a plus-18 scoring differential.

Preseason All-American Darren Collison leads a typically hard-nosed and fundamentally sound UCLA squad that remains the team to beat in the Pac-10 conference. Collison is averaging 15.2 points, 5.5 assists and nearly two steals per game.

His backcourt partner in crime is freshman sensation Jrue Holiday, who has picked up where Russell Westbrook left off as the energetic, ultra-athletic complement to Collison’s steady veteran presence.

UCLA’s guard-heavy roster will not only be a test for Wise, but for Kyle Fogg, as well. The freshman has yet to match up with anyone quite like Collison or Holiday.

UCLA has six players — Collison, Holiday, Josh Shipp, Nikola Dragovi, Malcom Lee and Michael Roll — who each feel comfortable knocking down 3-pointers. Roll, in particular, is a long-range assassin, converting on 57 percent of his 3-point attempts this season.

Perimeter defense has occasionally been an issue for the Wildcats this season, but as Arizona becomes more comfortable with its 1-1-3 zone defense (also known as “the claw), the easy 3-point opportunities have gone down.

“Our guys have committed to it and it’s starting to show,” interim head coach Russ Pennell said. “It’s really helped keep our guys fresh and out of foul trouble.”

This week, the Wildcats took Sunday and Monday off in hopes of recharging their batteries for this crucial L.A. road trip.

The bench has remained periously thin, especially with Garland Judkins’ recent inactivity. The freshman is back at practice, but Pennell said Judkins needs to show him something “all the time.”

“Anything that detracts from the team bothers me,” Pennell said.

After the tough test the Wildcats will surely face against UCLA, it doesn’t get any easier as Arizona heads across town to take on the USC Trojans on Saturday (6 p.m., Fox Sports Net).

The Trojans have proven capable of beating just about anyone (witness their one-point loss at Oklahoma or their blowout win over Georgia Tech), but remain inconsistent enough to lose games (like the overtime loss at Oregon State).

“USC has a ton of talent,” Pennell said. “By the end of the year, they could have one heck of a team.”

Athletic guard Dwight Lewis and rugged post man Taj Gibson lead the Trojans at 15.3 points per game.

Gibson, in particular, will be a stiff challenge for Jordan Hill, who will no doubt be sore after his battle with UCLA’s Alfred Aboya.

“Jordan is a great player, and great players always raise their play when they’re tested,” Pennell said. “He’s been so outstanding for us, and I don’t think anyone can guard him one on one.”

Freshman star DeMar DeRozan (12 points, five rebounds per game) will provide a strong challenge for Budinger, who has traditionally struggled with players who possess DeRozan’s athleticism.

Pennell has stressed the importance of remaining even-keeled and focused during what could be a season-defining road trip.

“Whether it’s fatigue or foul trouble or whatever, our kids are battling through it,” Pennell said. “On the road, the margin for error is so much smaller, so we have to keep improving on our mental toughness, which made major strides this past weekend [against Oregon and Oregon State].”

nprevenas@gvnews.com | 547-9747

Coming up

The Arizona Wildcats look for their first true road wins of the season in Los Angeles.

Thursday, Jan. 8

Who: Arizona at UCLA

Where: Pauley Pavillion, Los Angeles

When: 9 p.m.

TV: FSN

Saturday, Jan. 10

Who: Arizona at USC

Where: Galen Center, Los Angeles

When: 6 p.m.

TV: FSN