The Associated Press

ANAHEIM, Calif. - Ten years ago, UCLA and Kentucky met in the first Wooden Classic matchup of college basketball's two most storied programs.

Both teams were ranked in the top five and the game came down to freshman J.R. Henderson making two free throws with less than a second left, giving UCLA an 82-81 victory. Later that season, the Bruins won their 11th national championship.

In the other game, seventh-ranked Kansas upset No. 1 Massachusetts.

Three of those four teams are back this year, giving the doubleheader named for former UCLA coach John Wooden perhaps its strongest field since 1994.

This time, though, the Bruins aren't ranked and they'll be hard-pressed to beat No. 9 Kentucky on Saturday. The second game at Anaheim Arena features top-ranked Kansas against No. 21 Stanford.

"I know nobody expects us to come out with a victory, but that's good. We come in with no pressure and we're the underdogs," said UCLA guard Cedric Bozeman, who is nursing a sore ankle and banged-up shoulder.

"It'll tell us where we're at right now in the season and see where we really need to get better."

The Bruins (2-0) will be without two of their top six players. Freshman Trevor Ariza is recovering from a collapsed lung and isn't expected back until Dec. 17 at the earliest. Senior T.J. Cummings is academically ineligible and could return later this month.

"We really are a depleted squad right now without those two," new UCLA coach Ben Howland said. "For us to play against a team like Kentucky will be a real test for our players to handle that pressure. We've just got to get through this period and try to get healthy."

The Wildcats (3-0) haven't played in the Wooden Classic since 1994, which was their first meeting with UCLA since the 1975 NCAA championship game. In that matchup, the Bruins won 92-85 for their 10th national title in 12 years under Wooden, who retired after the game.

Kentucky leads the series 5-3. The last five meetings have been on neutral courts, most recently in 2000 when UCLA won 97-92 in overtime in New York.

"These kids are used to winning," Howland said about the Wildcats. "We're going to be playing against a team that has real toughness. That's one thing we're trying to instill in our kids."

Kentucky was national champion in 1997, coach Tubby Smith's first season in Lexington. The 93-year-old Wooden was on hand for that game and was kissed by Smith's wife, Donna, at the final buzzer.

"Before she got down to see him, she grabbed me by the cheeks," Wooden said, smiling.

Size is one area in which the Bruins have an advantage over Kentucky. The Wildcats don't start a player taller than 6-foot-8, and the Bruins start 7-footers Michael Fey and Ryan Hollins.

"Playing their big guys is really going to be a challenge of containing them inside because we don't have a very big front line," Smith said. "This is the first opportunity for us to play against a team bigger than we are at every position. We want to play up-tempo, push the ball and cut down on our turnovers."

The game is a homecoming for Chuck Hayes, who leads the Wildcats in rebounding. He expects about 35 friends and family to attend the game, a six-hour drive from his home in Modesto.

"This gives us a postseason atmosphere and a chance to see what we can do in a big game. This is why you come to Kentucky - to play against top teams," he said. "We'll be a little more anxious and intense maybe, but hopefully we can control our adrenaline and play our game."

The Jayhawks (3-0) took over the top spot after Connecticut, Duke and Arizona lost last week, and first-year coach Bill Self believes the ranking is based on past accomplishments.

"We haven't done anything to deserve to be ranked No. 1, but I don't know really who has," he said. "We're a long ways from being where we need to be in order to play to our ranking. Hopefully we will, but we haven't done that consistently yet."

Stanford (3-0) is taking on a No. 1 team for the second time in the Wooden Classic. The Cardinal beat top-ranked Auburn 67-58 in 1999. Kansas leads the series 8-1, and has won the last four meetings.

"We're playing a team where the talent level goes way up," Stanford coach Mike Montgomery said. "The fun thing for us is neutral court, nice big venue, the fans aren't going to run you out of the place, you can have some rooting for you, and neutral officials."

No. 9 UK vs. UCLA

Tipoff: 1:30 p.m. today, Arrowhead Pond (18,250), Anaheim, Calif.

Records: UK 3-0, UCLA 2-0.

TV: Ch. 12, 7. Radio: WSAI-AM (1530).

UK

Player	Yr.	Ht.	PPG
Kelenna Azubuike	So.	6-5	14.3
Chuck Hayes	Jr.	6-6	11.3
Erik Daniels	Sr.	6-8	15.3
Gerald Fitch	Sr.	6-3	24.0
Cliff Hawkins	Sr.	6-1	10.3

Coach: Tubby Smith (167-47, seventh season; 291-109 overall).

UCLA

Player	Yr.	Ht.	PPG
Dijon Thompson	Jr.	6-7	18.0
Ryan Hollins	So.	6-11	4.0
Michael Fey	So.	7-0	15.0
Brian Morrison	Jr.	6-2	18.5
Cedric Bozeman	Jr.	6-6	14.5

Coach: Ben Howland (2-0, first season; 170-99 overall).