FACTS & STATS: Site: Pauley Pavilion (12,819) -- Los Angeles, California. Television: ESPNU. Home Record: Miami-Ohio 0-0, UCLA 1-0. Away Record: Miami- Ohio 0-0, UCLA 0-0. Neutral Record: Miami-Ohio 1-0, UCLA 0-0. Conference Record: Miami-Ohio 0-0, UCLA 0-0. Series Record: First-ever meeting.

GAME NOTES: The fourth-ranked UCLA Bruins and Miami-Ohio RedHawks meet up in Pauley Pavilion this evening in second-round action of the 2K Sports Classic Benefiting Coaches vs. Cancer.

The Bruins opened up their 90th season of basketball on Wednesday with an 82-58 rout of Prairie View. Despite losing a great deal of star power from last season's 35-4 team, Ben Howland has another loaded roster ready to make an NCAA title run.

The RedHawks were able to kickoff their 2008-09 season with a win as well, edging out Weber State on Wednesday, 70-66. The victory was head coach Charlie Coles' 300th in his career. Miami-Ohio finished last season just above the .500 mark at 17-16 and with a solid veteran nucleus, this is a team that could vie for a Mid-American Conference crown.

This is the first time these two teams have met on the hardwood. The winner of this game will move on to the semifinals of the tournament, scheduled for next week in New York City.

Kenny Hayes hit a three-pointer with just under two seconds remaining in the game, lifting the RedHawks to a four-point win over Weber State. Hayes was on point all game long, hitting a perfect 7-of-7 from three-point range and pouring in a game-high 24 points. Tyler Dierkers and Michael Bramos provided plenty of frontcourt balance, tallying 13 points apiece. The RedHawks shot a decent .444 from the floor in the game, but were actually better from long distance thanks to Hayes' effort, hitting .500 from behind the arc (10-of-20). With four starters back in the mix from last year, Miami-Ohio should have a lot of productive performances like last night. Bramos has a great scoring touch in the frontcourt and is coming off a season in which he averaged 16.3 ppg. Tyler Dierkers (6.1 ppg, 6.4 rpg) is also expected to improve, but the real key is the play of Hayes in the backcourt. The talented guard averaged 12.1 ppg this past season and if last night is any indication of things to come, the RedHawks could have a star in the making.

Senior standout Darren Collison scored 19 points, leading the Bruins to a season-opening rout of Prairie View on Wednesday. Collison was 6-of-9 from the floor and added three rebounds, four assists and three steals for a solid stat line. Newcomers Malcolm Lee and Jrue Holiday added 12 and 11 points, respectively, as UCLA shot a sterling .516 from the floor in the game. The Bruins did commit a whopping 24 turnovers in the game, but it didn't matter, as they forced the Panthers into 27 miscues. With the loss of lottery picks Kevin Love and Russell Westbrook from last year's team, the real question was how the new faces would blend in with veterans like Collison, Josh Shipp, Alfred Aboya and James Keefe. The answer may have come in the season-opener with the performance of Holiday and Lee. Collison is still the leader on this team, after averaging 14.5 ppg a year ago. Shipp averaged 12.2 ppg last year, and came out in yesterday's opener with nine points and six boards. Keefe chipped in with seven points and six boards and helped the Bruins dominate the boards, outrebounding the Panthers, 42-22.

The RedHawks got a clutch performance from Hayes last night and still fought tooth and nail to earn a victory over Weber State. It will be different tonight, as the Bruins won't allow the game to come down to the wire. Expect Collison and company to get in a rhythm early and cruise to victory.

Predicted Outcome

UCLA 81, Miami-Ohio 65