Mbah a Moute will start

Brian reports from Anaheim...

By Brian Dohn
Staff Writer
ANAHEIM -- UCLA will have power forward Luc Richard Mbah a Moute in the starting lineup Thursday when the top-seeded Bruins open NCAA Tournament play against No. 16 Mississippi Valley State at Honda Center.

``He practiced today and I think he's going to be OK,'' UCLA coach Ben Howland said. ``He's going to start.''

Mbah a Moute missed the Bruins' last game with a sprained left ankle, and was in a walking boot until Tuesday, when he took part in a light workout after UCLA's practice.

In 29 games this season, Mbah a Moute is averaging 8.8 points and 5.5 rebounds. He was injured in Friday's semifinals against USC in the Pacific-10 Tournament, and sat out the final against Stanford.