UCLA still has gaps to fill in season opener against Drexel

There were no miracle cures around Westwood on Wednesday, which means that forwards Travis Wear and Wanaah Bail have not officially returned to action with the UCLA basketball team.

Heading into their season opener against Drexel on Friday night, the No. 22 Bruins are still learning to deal with a thin front line.

“Guys have picked up their play,” Coach Steve Alford said at his weekly news conference. “We’re getting rebounds out of guys who traditionally wouldn’t rebound the basketball.”

Wear, a senior, is recovering from appendicitis and Bail, a freshman, has yet to be cleared for practice after knee surgery over the summer. Alford said that Wear is expected back in another week or so.

Kyle Anderson, Jordan Adams, David Wear and a revitalized Tony Parker did much of the board work in exhibition victories over Cal State San Bernardino and Cal State San Marcos. UCLA will need to continue that trend, stay out of foul trouble and improve its defense against a considerably tougher opponent in Drexel.

“We definitely want to send out a message with this first game, show that we’re a tough team,” Anderson said.

Tipoff is scheduled for 9:06 p.m. at Pauley Pavilion. The game will be televised by the Pac-12 Networks.

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