Ben Howland says Pepperdine presents several challenges

Somebody outside of Westwood believed UCLA was going to be good this season.

Either that, or the field for the NIT Season Tip-Off was set a long time ago.

Among the teams awarded the top four seedings and selected to serve as regional hosts, only the Bruins failed to make the NCAA tournament last season. The other hosts in the 16-team tournament — Villanova, Tennessee and Wake Forest — all advanced to at least the second round.

UCLA’s resume from last season wasn’t one that would suggest top billing, the Bruins finishing 14-18 and not reaching the NCAA tournament for the first time in six years.

But here is UCLA (1-0), playing host to the first two rounds of the West regional starting at 8 p.m. Monday when the Bruins play Pepperdine (0-1) at Pauley Pavilion.

“These things are scheduled in advance,” Bruins Coach Ben Howland said Sunday when asked about his team’s seeding. “It’s not like this was done in the last six months.”

UCLA will play Nevada or Pacific on Tuesday at Pauley Pavilion, depending on the results of Monday’s games. If the Bruins win their first two games in the tournament, they will advance to a semifinal game Nov. 24 at New York’s Madison Square Garden.

“We hope it’s a possibility,” Howland said of traveling to New York, “but believe me, we have to focus on one thing right now and that’s Pepperdine.”

The Waves have all five starters back from the team that finished 7-24 last season and lost to UCLA, 71-52, in late November at Pauley Pavilion. Pepperdine lost Portland State, 83-81, in its opener Friday after the Vikings made a three-point basket with five seconds left.

Howland said the Waves present several problems, namely a strong and physical front line and a dynamic playmaker in junior guard Keion Bell.

“They like to give him the ball in the middle of the floor and let him come at you one on one, 100 miles an hour,” Howland said.

A two-games-in-two-days stretch this early in the season might feel as if it’s hitting UCLA at tornado speed; the Bruins hope they are up to the challenge.

“It’s going to be a very difficult game [Tuesday] no matter who we play because of virtually no prep time,” Howland said.

Injury update

Freshman guard Matt Carlino, who sat out UCLA’s victory over Cal State Northridge because of a concussion, is doubtful for the game against Pepperdine. Howland said Carlino was scheduled to do some shooting Sunday and might be able to play Tuesday if he continued to progress.

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