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The No. 13 UCLA Bruins open their 2012-2013 college basketball season on Friday night, hosting the Indiana State Sycamores in the grand opening of new Pauley Pavilion.
The Bruins will have freshman Kyle Anderson available to play, as the guard from new Jersey was deemed eligible to play by the NCAA on Oct. 31. Fellow freshman Shabazz Muhammad, however, is still on the sidelines. But UCLA should have enough to get past the Sycamores.
UCLA is favored by 15½ points over Indiana State, who return just one starter (guard Jake Odum) from last year's 18-15 squad.
Junior guard Tyler Lamb and junior center Joshua Smith are the only two Bruins on the current roster to have played in old Pauley Pavilion, which was closed last season while undergoing renovations. Lamb, along with forward twins David Wear and Travis Wear, give UCLA three returning starters from last year's squad.
The Bruins, who went 19-14 last season, were picked by Pac-12 media members to finish second in the Pac-12 Conference, narrowly behind the Arizona Wildcats. UCLA did receive 16 first-place votes, one more than the Wildcats.
This is just the second time that UCLA has played Indiana State. In their only other meeting, the John Wooden-led Bruins beat the Sycamores 112-76 on Dec. 5, 1964 in Terre Haute.
Friday's 8 p.m. PT start will be televised by Fox Sports Net, with Steve Physioc, Marques Johnson, and Laura McKeernan on the call.