UCLA Bruins Battle Minnesota NCAA Tournament Basketball 2013 Live In Texas For South Region Second Round With Shabazz Muhammad and Ben Howland

The UCLA Bruins had a solid finish to the season heading into the NCAA tournament, but after some disappointing play over the past few years, the team could be playing for coach Ben Howland's future with the program when they take on Minnesota on Friday night in Austin Texas in the South region second round.

The Bruins went 25-9 and finished strong to take the Pac-12 regular-season title, but the school may feel it's time to move on. Howland has been a success with UCLA after taking them to three Final Fours in a row starting in 2006, but there also were a few tough years since then.

Howland will rely heavily on Shabazz Muhammad, the much-talked about freshman who is leading the team in scoring. Muhammad has been mentioned in reports about his eligibility, his age as well as his backpack, but that hasn't stopped the star from scoring 17.8 points and ranking second on the team in rebounding with 5.3 per game. He will be a tough matchup with his size and speed and Minnesota will need to play him tight.

The Gophers have some coaching troubles themselves, as Tubby Smith may be on his way out after this season as well. The team got its 12th overall NCAA tournament appearance after going 20-12, but Smith could be fired if the team falls in the first round. Smith brings a championship pedigree from his 1998 win with Kentucky and the Gophers will need all that experience to win on Friday.

UCLA might be a bit undermanned though since Jordan Adams broke his ankle in the Pac-12 tournament, meaning the team will be even more reliant on Muhammad. Adams was scoring over 15 points and was one of the most well rounded players on the roster. Bruins guard Larry Drew II is ready for a big game and UCLA will look back on big wins over Arizona during the season for inspiration, as the Bruins won three times, including once in the Pac-12 tournament.

The Bruins have won three of their past four games and lost to Oregon in the Pac-12 conference tournament. UCLA ranked 28th in scoring with 74 points per game and 97th in rebounding. The team was 11th in assists due to Adams and was 69th in field goal percentage.

Minnesota went 20-12 on the season and 8-10 in the Big Ten while scoring under 70 points per game. The team ranked 1th in rebounding and will try to use their size as an advantage. The team ranked 50th in assists and 118th in field goal percentage.

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