BATTLE IS BRUIN UCLA LOOKS TO BEAT CINCINNATI TO PUNCH.

Byline: Billy Witz Staff Writer

PITTSBURGH - The UCLA basketball team will be dressed in its blue uniforms today and, from the way they talked Saturday, the Bruins will be wearing hard hats, eye black and brass knuckles, too.

If the eighth-seeded Bruins are going to keep their season alive, they're going to have to beat top-seeded Cincinnati today at 9 a.m. in the second round of the West Regional.

And, from the sound of things, they're not going down without a fight.

``We don't want them to punk us,'' senior captain Rico Hines said. ``We want to punch them first because they like to throw the first punch. When we're at our best, we do that. We're going to try to be as physical as possible.''

Cincinnati isn't as physically imposing as in past years and leading scorer and All-American guard Steve Logan gets most of the attention, but the Bearcats aren't much different than they've ever been under coach Bob Huggins.

They defend. They rebound. And they do it relentlessly.

Cincinnati, thanks to its fierce man-to-man defense, leads the nation in field-goal percentage defense and is seventh in scoring defense.

It's a style of basketball that often not only leaves its opponents beaten, but bruised as well.

``Cincinnati likes to intimidate whoever they're playing,'' UCLA assistant coach Jim Saia said. ``I don't think our guys fear Cincinnati. They respect them, but they don't have any fear. We know we're going to be in a physical game - that's their edge and we've got to match it.''

Cincinnati, which began the season unranked, might not have the NBA prospects of the other No. 1 seeds - Duke, Maryland and Kansas - but it gets by on a defense whose basis is more sound than spectacular.

The Bearcats usually don't overwhelm teams into turnovers, but they play so hard and are so sound that good looks at the basket are hard to find. Cincinnati opponents are shooting 37 percent from the field this season.

``They're aggressive, they're all quick and they get up into you,'' UCLA point guard Ryan Walcott said. ``They make you rush. The thing we can't do is panic. We've got to be calm in all situations.''

It doesn't take long for Huggins to inform his players where the foundation of his program lies.

``The first thing I teach them is how to get in a stance,'' Huggins said. ``A lot of guys go through high school without ever learning how. I think working hard is a learned skill. You have guys that haven't grown up in that environment and have to learn how.

``I'm a big believer in consequences. I like hard core man-to-man because I know who to blame.''

Immanuel McElroy, a 6-foot-4 guard who averaged 21 points per game at Tyler (Texas) Junior College, has been transformed into a defensive stopper. McElroy, who likely will defend UCLA's leading scorer, Jason Kapono, was named Conference USA's defensive player of the year.

Even Logan, who is averaging 22.1 points per game, is a tough defender.

``If you didn't want to play defense, he'll make you love it,'' said Logan, a former high school teammate of USC's Sam Clancy. ``We work on guarding the ball two out of three hours in practice every day. You learn to love it.''

The Bruins are happy not to be stuck in the same bracket as Duke, Kansas or Maryland, and Cincinnati is vulnerable if Logan isn't shooting well. Moreover, the Bruins have won five consecutive second-round games since 1993.

``Something's in the air,'' forward Matt Barnes said.

Yet, this isn't exactly a perfect matchup for the Bruins.

UCLA has committed 37 turnovers in the last two games, an average they can't afford to maintain against Cincinnati. And the Bruins, a good- shooting team, need to be today.

When the Bruins don't shoot higher than 44 percent - still far better than what the Bearcats allow - they're 2-7, with the two victories coming against lowly UC Riverside and Oregon State.

The Bruins, who were able to get transition baskets off their press and half-court trap against Ole Miss, stayed in a zone virtually all night against the Rebels. They plan to play more man-to-man today - the focus, of course, being Logan.

Logan, a senior from Cleveland, is only 5-foot-10, but he plays the game so patiently he rarely struggles to find a spot in the defense where the points are - inside or out.

``I'm definitely going to beg coach (Lavin) to let me chase him,'' Hines said. ``I'm going to try to get into his head, no question. I don't know if it's going to work because he's mature, but I'm going to try.''

And at the end of the day, Hines and the Bruins hope they'll have something to show for it - besides black-and-blue marks.

UCLA vs. Cincinnati

Today, 9 a.m.

Ch. 2

UCLA vs. CINCINNATI

Tipoff: 9:10 a.m., at Mellon Arena, Pittsburgh.

TV/Radio: Ch. 2; 1150-AM.

UCLA (20-11) update: The Bruins have reached the Sweet 16 four of the past five years, but they've never had to beat a No. 1 seed to get there. Leading scorer Jason Kapono is coming off a career-low two points against Ole Miss and has scored 13 or less in six of the past seven games.

Cincinnati (31-3) update: The Bearcats, who are led by All-American guard Steve Logan (22.1 points, 5.3 assists) have never been a No. 1 seed, but they have a habit of flaming out as a high seed. Until they reached the Sweet 16 last season, Cincinnati had been knocked out in the second round four years in a row - all as a No. 2 or 3 seed. Freshman Jason Maxiell, a 6-foot-7 forward, is a threat off the bench, averaging 9.8 points, 6.3 rebounds and 2.0 blocks in the past 11 games.

- Billy Witz

CAPTION(S):

5 photos, 7 boxes

Photo:

(1 -- color) no caption (UCLA coach Steve Lavin)

(2) Steve Logan (22) and the Cincinnati Bearcats will face UCLA today in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

Chris Gardner/Associated Press

(3) JASON KAPONO

(4) IMMANUEL MCELROY

(5) no caption (Arizona coach Lute Olson)

Box:

(1) Cincinnati-UCLA Matchup (see text)

(2) UCLA vs. CINCINNATI (see text)

(3) SECOND-ROUND SCORES

(4) TODAY'S TV TIPOFFS

(5) UCLA STATISTICS

(6) CINCINNATI STATISTICS

(7) FINAL FOUR TOURNAMENT AT-A-GLANCE