In last year’s inaugural round of the Big 12/Pac-10 Hardwood Series, the Texas Longhorns scored a momentous victory on a Damion James dunk with only eight seconds to play. The throwdown capped a hard-fought, tense battle between two top ten teams, and the 63-61 victory over the homestanding Bruins gave Texas their first road win over a #1-ranked team in school history.

You can be sure that will be on the minds of the eight returning upperclassmen on Ben Howland‘s team when they make the return trip to Austin tonight. Although the Bruins have lost 39 points and 20 rebounds per game to the NBA with the departures of Kevin Love, Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, and Russell Westbrook, UCLA is anything but rebuilding.

The offseason saw Howland ink a recruiting class that was ranked #1 in the country by Scout, a group of freshmen so talented that it warranted the re-issue of Michigan’s famous “Fab Five” nickname. Led by freshman starter Jrue Holiday, the newest quintet of Bruins all but insures that UCLA is the easy favorite in the Pac-10 this season.

By the numbers

The most glaring problem with the new-look Bruins is their lack of an inside presence. Without Love and Mbah a Moute, UCLA’s top returning rebounder is wingman Josh Shipp, who grabbed only 3.2 boards a game last season. Despite missing a true bruiser in the paint, the Bruins still boast a +9.2 rebounding margin so far this season, actually a +0.8 shift from last year. Granted, the sample size is small and includes a bevy of easy opponents so far this season, but the numbers are something of a relief for UCLA fans who expected disastrous results on the glass this year.

Coach Howland has expressed an interest in opening up the floor a little more this season, and with a senior point guard like Darren Collison, why wouldn’t he? Long famous for a patient offense and an even more patient defense, Ben’s Bruins have always relied on low-scoring affairs with a lack of possessions that serve to highlight their efficiency. Despite their coach’s professed interest in a more up-tempo game this year, it seems so far that the 2008-09 UCLA team is more of the same. Tempo numbers from Ken Pomeroy reveal that the Bruins are actually playing at a slightly slower tempo this year, with only 64.3 possessions per game.

One notable issue so far this year for UCLA has been issues with ball control, something that the Longhorns exploited in last year’s road victory. Texas built its first-half lead last year on the strength of ten fast-break points, and the statistics say there’s a good chance that Rick Barnes could have his team do the same tonight. In the season opener against Prairie View A&M, the Bruins had a ridiculous 24 turnovers, including six each from point guards Collison and Jerime Anderson. In a loss to Michigan just a week later, UCLA coughed it up 17 times.

The starting five

The big name for the Bruins is obviously the aforementioned Collison. Practically a guaranteed lottery pick in last year’s NBA draft, the point guard returned to school in hopes that he could finally lead UCLA from being just a Final Four team to being National Champions. The son of world-class sprinters from Guyana, Collison can push the ball with the best of them and easily zip past defenders to get the rack. But defenses cannot simply sag off of him, as his three-point shooting is deadly. Last season, he set a UCLA record with a 52.5% conversion rate from behind the arc, and has hit 7-of-10 to start the current year. Against a Texas team that has difficulty shutting down long-range threats, Collison could have a field day.

Freshman combo guard Holiday is not just a heck of an athlete, but also a surprising source of help for the rebounding worries surrounding UCLA. At 6’3″, Jrue isn’t the biggest man on the floor, but he has been dubbed by Coach Howland the best pound-for-pound rebounder on the team. Holiday also has quality handles and can take over at the point for Collison, giving Howland a bit more flexibility if the senior guard gets into foul trouble or needs a rest.

At the wing, Shipp is providing a much-needed offensive boost for the Bruins. He is the second-leading scorer that returns from last year’s team, and although he has recently struggled from long range, Josh is still always a threat to drop a three. His ability to create and also hit the outside shot really helps to open up the floor for Collison and the Bruins, something that was all too evident when he had an off day against Michigan. In the loss to the Wolverines, Shipp was held to only five points, and his struggles against the Michigan 1-3-1 zone allowed the defense to sag even further off. If Texas can limit the damage from Shipp tonight, it will make things easier elsewhere on the defensive end.

Inside, Cameroonian center Alfred Aboya provides senior leadership. Never a huge scoring threat, Aboya is going to need to eat up a lot more minutes for the Bruins and provide quality defense and rebounding. He showed some problems controlling his fouls against Michigan, so perhaps that is something that Damion James and Gary Johnson can try to exploit.

The Bruins are also looking for increased contribution from forward James Keefe, who missed most of last year with a foot injury and didn’t start to shine until late in conference play. His breakout game was a double-double performance in the Sweet 16 against Western Kentucky, but that post-season performance hasn’t quite carried over to the 2008-09 campaign. Keefe definitely has a dangerous mid-range shot and his hustle inside leads to the occasional putbacks, but his averages this year are a paltry 3.8 points and 4.4 rebounds per contest.

Off the bench

With Holiday the only member of that recruiting class in the starting lineup, there is a ton of young talent on Ben Howland’s bench. But the biggest X-factor for UCLA could actually be the play of wingman Michael Roll, a junior who has struggled with injury throughout his career. A scrappy 6’5″ player, Roll can spread out the floor just as well as Shipp can, and hits at a steadier rate from behind the arc. He’s currently 50% from long range this season, and he’s showcased a nice mid-range touch in non-conference play.

The freshmen class provides some added depth in the post, with former LSU commit J’Mison Morgan playing really solid defense for a first-year guy. His five blocks lead the team despite the fact he only plays eight minutes a game, and the kid really grasps the concept of verticality.

Drew Gordon is another big body down low, although he’s a bit smaller than Morgan. Gordon is a lengthy guy who isn’t afraid to throw his weight around, but early on he’s shown some incredible athleticism for a guy his size. He’s certainly not a one-and-done guy for Howland, so UCLA fans will get a chance to see this talented player develop over the next few seasons.

In the backcourt, Anderson is being groomed to be the point guard of the future, while Malcolm Lee is a talented two guard who played for the USA under-18 team this summer. Ben Howland loves Lee’s defense, but he could stand to spend some time in the weight room with college strength coaches. When he adds some more muscle to his frame, opposing guards are going to be even more frustrated on offense.

Suspended for the first game of the year, Nikolas Dragovic is eating up a bunch of minutes off the bench for the Bruins. He’s not a huge scoring threat, although he has certainly taken his share of three pointers so far this year. His sixteen attempts from behind the arc is second on the team to only Shipp, and his scant 25% success rate is second-worst on the squad. In his freshman campaigmn, Dragovic was just as bad from long range, making less than 24% of his attempts.

Keys to the game

Win the turnover battle – The Longhorns have been careless with the ball quite often this season, and against a UCLA team that limits the number of possessions, Texas cannot afford to throw away scoring opportunities. In addition, the Bruins have displayed their own difficulties with ball control, so the Longhorns must continue their early-season success in forcing points off of turnovers.

Crash the glass – Part of the reason the Bruins are so efficient is their dedication to keeping opponents off the offensive glass and limiting them to one-and-done possessions. Texas has had an uncharacteristically stagnant offense so far this year, so they will likely need second and third chances in the half court. James, Johnson, and Dexter Pittman will need to be vacuums on both ends of the court today.

Searching for Connor Atchley – Atchley provided some key plays in last year’s game and helped to stifle Kevin Love on the defensive end. When Atchley was missing due to foul trouble, the Texas offense paid the price — particularly A.J. Abrams — who found it more difficult to get open on the perimeter. Connor will need to put aside the timid play he has shown so far this season and step up in tonight’s contest.

Mason must lead the way – If you’re close enough to the court to hear the players, it’s amazing just how much Justin Mason is coaching the team. And while he’s stepped up as a vocal leader, lately he has become a scoring leader as well. Against a very well-schooled, patient defense, Mase will need to create points and shepherd the offense. And on the other end of the ball, he will have to continue his lockdown defense against an excellent backcourt.