Portland vs. UCLA: Gameday!

Pilots ready to face UCLA in eight-team 76 Classic tournament in Anaheim

By Jim Beseda, The Oregonian
November 25, 2009, 12:13PM

During a scouting trip last summer, University of Portland men's basketball coach Eric Reveno was next to UCLA coach Ben Howland at a high school tournament in Las Vegas.

The conversation turned to the 76 Classic, an eight-team tournament that begins Thursday and runs through Sunday at the Anaheim Convention Center.

"We're sitting there in shorts and t-shirts and Ben spends the whole game complaining about how hard this tournament is going to be," Reveno said. "When the coach at UCLA is telling you, 'It's too tough. It's just crazy how tough it is,' it makes you wonder.

"And I'm thinking to myself, 'Great, I'm going to have a fun Thanksgiving.'"

This is the third year of the 76 Classic and Howland wasn't off-target about the level of competition in this year's tournament. Seven teams in this year's field reached the post-season during the 2008-09 season, including six that earned berths into the NCAA Tournament.

In the first round, the Bruins (2-1) face the Pilots (3-0) on ESPN2.

The tournament opens with No. 8 West Virginia taking on Long Beach State at 11 a.m., followed by Texas A&M against No. 19 Clemson at 1:30 p.m., No. 22 Minnesota against No. 12 Butler at 5:30 p.m., and the Pilots-Bruins game at 7:30 p.m.

The fact that tournament organizers even considered the Pilots to play in such a prestigious field says a lot about how far the UP program has come since Reveno took over before the 2006-07 season.

"We've been kind of building for this," Reveno said. "This is something that was part of a bigger plan, and not just an early-season tournament on the schedule. It's a great venue and a great opportunity for the kids to play against some very good teams."

The Pilots, picked for second in the West Coast Conference behind perennial favorite Gonzaga by the league's coaches, also are looking to redefine what basketball on The Bluff is all about.

"We're not just a cute story," Reveno said. "We're a good basketball team, and that's what we're trying to prove. If that's a little bit of a chip on our shoulder, so be it. And if we can't back it up and we're not ready for this level, then let's figure it out from there."

Senior point guard T.J. Campbell said the Pilots are ready for the challenge of playing three games in four nights.

"So far, we've done what we've needed to do to win," said Campbell, named the WCC's co-player of the week with Saint Mary's Omar Samhan after leading the Pilots to consecutive home wins over Seattle (98-81) and Oregon (88-81). "We're still trying to work on getting defensive stops.

"The coaches have told us that our defense will determine if we win, and our offense will determine by how much. So, we're still working to improve our defense, because we know we can score."

After three games, the Pilots are averaging 83.3 points and shooting a league-best 52.8 percent from the field and 52.1 percent from three-point range. Leading scorer Nik Raivio is averaging 19.0 points a game, followed by Campbell (17.3), Robin Smeulders (14.3) and Jared Stohl (9.0).

"Going back over the Oregon tape, there was a lot stuff defensively that we could have done better," Reveno said. "We gave up too many second-chance points, they rebounded close to half their misses, and they were getting out in transition too much. That's stuff that we can get better at, and it's not stuff that anybody has to change who they are for us to improve."

Reveno is eager to see how his team responds in one of the biggest games the Pilots have played in recent years.

"This is the best University of Portland team we've had since I've been here and this is the best competition in a tournament setting we've faced," Reveno said. "We have high goals for our team, and I want to see where we're at with this team.

"Comparing it to other years ... those games are behind us. This is the next step, and I'm thinking that it's something we're ready to take on. If we are, then it will be good. But I don't think it's going to be too easy."

Notes: Tonight's Pilots-Bruins winner will take on the winner of the Butler-Minnesota game at 6:30 p.m. Friday. After a day off Saturday, the tournament concludes Sunday with the championship game at 2 p.m. on ESPN 2. The tournament website has the complete bracket and an interview with Reveno, plus everything else about the tournament. ... The last time UP opened the season 3-0 was in the 2002-03 season under Michael Holton when the Pilots started with victories against Pacific of Newberg, San Diego State and Portland State before falling to Oregon in the fourth game. The last 4-0 start in school history was in 1983-84 when Jack Avina's Pilots opened with wins over St. Martin's, Pomona-Pitzer, Nevada-Reno and Boise State, before falling to Fresno State in the first of six consecutive losses. ... UCLA forward Drew Gordon had 18 points and nine rebounds in Monday's 71-52 victory over Pepperdine at Pauley Pavilion in Los Angeles. Guard Michael Roll finished with 17 points and guard Malcom Lee added 13 and were the only other UCLA starters to score in double figures. "UCLA is young and they lost some guys, so they're not the same team that maybe they've been," Reveno said. "But they're still well-coached, they play hard, and all of their recruits are talented, so they find a way. And if they are out of sorts, I hope they don't find their way against us. Our job is to make sure that we handle what we can do. The tournament is something that's going to be an interesting test for us. And because I believe we're ready for the test, then it's a special opportunity to see where we're at." ... The Pilots have played UCLA only three times in their history and lost all three games in blowouts, including a 105-67 loss at Pauley Pavilion in the most recent meeting during the 2002-03 season. The Pilots also lost by scores of 122-57 in 1966-67, and 93-69 in 1967-68.

-- Jim Beseda

PilotNut wrote:Portland vs. UCLA, 7:30pm @ the Anaheim Convention Center, TV on ESPN2.

ShipstadPilot11 wrote:

Mesa, it's about low 60s here I'd guess. Beautiful weather for November (for a guy from Spokane who is used to freezing temps right about now).

HAPPY TURKEY DAY TO ALL!!