Bruins go to Cal in deja vu mode

The last time UCLA visited Haas Pavilion in Berkeley, the Bruins had little idea of all that was ahead for them.

They had won two games in a row, but each time they had to fight from behind, and they trailed California by 11 points at halftime.

Then they stormed back as Arron Afflalo scored 21 of his 25 points in the second half to claim a 67-58 overtime victory in the next-to-last game of the regular season.

That game not only clinched a share of the Pacific 10 Conference title that UCLA would go on to win outright, it proved to be the third of 12 consecutive victories that took the Bruins all the way to the NCAA championship game against Florida.

“I think that catapulted us into the tournament,” UCLA point guard Darren Collison said.

“I remember Arron shooting three straight three-pointers. That brought us back into the game. Down by 11 at halftime, it was just a grind-it-out, battle of a game. It wasn’t a high-scoring game, but it was a real fun game because it really meant a lot to our team.”

Afflalo remembers it too.

“It was a great game,” he said.

Many consider it something of a turning point.

“It was obviously a huge confidence boost for us,” said Coach Ben Howland, whose team beat Stanford handily the next game, leading by 14 points at the half and winning by 21.

The third-ranked Bruins have reached dizzy heights since that last trip to the Bay Area, going to the Final Four last season, being ranked No. 1 for a time this season and winning 29 of their last 31 games over both seasons.

But they enter tonight’s game with a similar theme to last season, after having to rally to win their last three games after falling to Oregon in their only loss this season.

UCLA trailed USC by 10 points, Arizona State by 11 and Arizona by eight before winning each time.

“I think we’re a lot better than we’re playing right now,” Collison said. “We’ve got to be more consistent with our starts.

“In the tournament, that was a real key. When we got off to good starts in the tournament, that seemed to help us on our run.”

They might be living dangerously, but the Bruins have been pulling out wins, a testament to how battle-tested they are.

UCLA has managed to keep winning despite a spate of minor injuries, though they will have their lineup intact tonight with forward Luc Richard Mbah a Moute set to return after sitting out one game because of a sprained right knee.

Cal presents its own challenges, chiefly because UCLA doesn’t have an obvious counter to the Golden Bears’ leading scorer, 6-foot-10 freshman Ryan Anderson, who is averaging 17.5 points and 8.9 rebounds.

Like Arizona’s Ivan Radenovic, Anderson is comfortable stepping outside to take a three-point shot, making 39.8% from beyond the arc.

“He is similar to Radenovic in terms of how he plays, and therefore he’s a hard match-up for us,” said Howland, who will counter with Lorenzo Mata, a more traditional post player, trying to guard Anderson.

“We’re asking our ‘five’ man to guard a ‘four.’ He’d be their starting ‘four’ if DeVon Hardin hadn’t hurt himself,” Howland said.

“He’s an outstanding player. He’s really having a great freshman year.”

The Bruins also are focused on continuing to improve their zone offense, which fared considerably better against Arizona when Howland used a four-guard lineup.

But in the end, if UCLA gets a ‘W,’ everything else amounts to style points -- and things to work on before March arrives.

“I think their success in the league and the postseason did carry over,” Cal Coach Ben Braun said. “I really think that’s helped them going into this year.”

robyn.norwood@latimes.com

TONIGHT

at California, 6,

FSN Prime Ticket

Site -- Haas Pavilion.

Radio -- 570.

Records -- UCLA 17-1, 6-1 in Pacific 10; Cal 12-7, 4-3.

Update -- Cal is tied with Stanford for fifth place in the Pac-10 despite losing center DeVon Hardin to a stress fracture in his left foot .