GAME NOTES: All systems are go at Pauley Pavilion, despite the facility being flooded with water just a few months back, as the UCLA Bruins begin their 2014-15 basketball season against the Montana State Bobcats on Friday night.

The Bruins find themselves with a very busy November as they play a total of seven games in a span of two weeks. Head coach Steve Alford, who landed in Los Angeles after defecting from New Mexico prior to last season, pushed his new team to a 28-9 finish overall and the Pac-12 Tournament title. Alford also saw his squad reach the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2008, defeating the likes of Tulsa and Stephen F. Austin by double figures before going down against Florida (79-68).

A dominant team at home, UCLA lost just two of 18 dates at Pauley Pavilion a season ago.

The other side of the coin shows a Montana State team, which is expected to bring up the rear in the Big Sky Conference after winning just five of 15 road dates in 2013-14. The Bobcats, who finished three games under .500 overall last season (14-17), are a team that didn't post back-to-back wins against Division I foes until the month of January, which might be one of the reasons why the school brought in a new head coach in Brian Fish.

The Bruins have won both previous encounters with Montana State, including a 75-59 triumph back in 2010 in this same facility.

The Bobcats bring back only two starters and have lost their only double-digit scorer in Flavien Davis (12.5 ppg) and best rebounder in Paul Egwuonwu (6.7 rpg). Considered the top threat for MSU, junior guard Marcus Colbert is back after averaging 9.4 ppg and shooting 37.1 percent from 3-point range. He was also the top passer for the group with 94 assists. Michael Dison should provide some senior leadership that the Bobcats sorely need, if for no other reason than to help nurture fellow guard Stephan Holm who appeared in 30 games as a true freshman and, despite coming off the bench in every appearance, was one of the top 3-point shooters in the league at 43.2 percent.

Now a senior, Norman Powell has the most experience on the UCLA roster after having appeared in 105 games for the Bruins over the past three seasons. While he averaged just 5.3 ppg in his first two campaigns, Powell came alive last season with not only 11.4 ppg, but also 2.8 rpg and 1.7 apg and he should be able to mirror those numbers this time around. Tony Parker played a little more than 17 minutes per game as a sophomore, and made the most of his time on the floor with 6.9 points and 4.4 rebounds per contest.

Bryce Alford, a member of the Pac-12 All-Freshman Team, was responsible for 8.0 ppg and was one of two freshmen in the nation last season to have at least 100 assists, and he turned the ball over fewer than 50 times, which is good news for teammates who want to see their offensive production rise in 2014-15.

This is one of those games that could easily be decided by halftime, given the fact that Montana State is in a rebuilding mode and UCLA is awfully tough to beat at home.