BRUINS SEE THE BIG PICTURE AFTER WIN NCAA HOPES REMAIN ALIVE WITH CAL GAME LOOMING UCLA 69, OREGON ST. 59.

Byline: Jon Wilner Staff Writer

The obstacles from Oregon have been removed. The path to March Madness is clear.

Bring on the Bears.

``Cal has to be the biggest game of the season - we have to win that game,'' UCLA senior Sean Farnham said. ``They beat us here, and now we have to take one back. It'll be another test of our character. We passed the first two this weekend.''

UCLA dispatched Oregon State 69-59 Saturday before 9,759 in Pauley Pavilion, thus placing the weight of its postseason on Thursday's showdown at Cal.

In terms of qualifying for the NCAA Tournament, it's probably the most- important game the Bruins have played since the final weekend of the 1980 regular season, when Larry Brown's 15-9 team swept Cal and Stanford on the road, secured a last-minute bid, then charged to the NCAA title game.

Here's why: The Bruins (15-11, 6-8) must win three of their last four games to reach the 18-victory plateau that probably would secure a tournament bid.

If they defeat Cal and the lowly Washington schools in Pauley (March 9 and 11), they'll have their 18.

If they lose in Berkeley, they must either beat No. 1 Stanford in Maples Pavilion (unlikely) or snare a bid with 17 wins (also unlikely).

``Cal will be a big-time game,'' said Bruins guard Ray Young, an Oakland native. ``As long as we keep our focus like we did this week, we'll be OK. We have a sense of urgency to make the tournament by any means necessary.''

Urgency won't be the only thing in UCLA's luggage. After their first back-to-back wins this month, the Bruins have a speck of momentum.

They played with poise and control against both Oregon schools.They executed their offense in late-game situations, they limited turnovers (27 in two games) and they shot 50 percent from the field (two games).

Guard Earl Watson was the best player on the court Thursday and again Saturday - his weekend totals: 41 points, 14 rebounds, six assists, four turnovers - but his support came from varying sources.

Forward Jason Kapono, who scored 15 points and made several critical jumpers Thursday, had seven points Saturday - his lowest total since Dec. 22 against Colorado State.

But the Bruins survived without Kapono's typical production because guard Ray Young played smothering defense, because forward Matt Barnes was quietly effective (three assists, three rebounds) and because guard Ryan Bailey played one of the best games of his career.

Bailey scored a season-high 11 points, he did not miss from the field, and he drained two 3-point baskets during UCLA's decisive 15-0 surge midway through the second half.

``Teams have been laying off me,'' Bailey said. ``I know I can shoot them. I had to make the defense honor me.''

Center Dan Gadzuric was effective against Oregon (11 points, seven rebounds) but played sparingly against Oregon State (eight minutes) (-) in part because of sore knees, but mostly because coach Steve Lavin simply didn't use him.

``It's not that he couldn't play,'' Lavin said. ``I was searching for combinations.''

Given UCLA's horrific rebounding and post defense in the first half, benching Gadzuric was a gamble.

The Bruins jumped to a 25-15 lead, then shifted into neutral as Oregon State scored 11 consecutive points. Center Jason Heide did what he pleased in the low post, and the Beavers, the worst offensive rebounding team in the league, grabbed 14 offensive rebounds to UCLA's 10 defensive.

OSU shot 38 percent in the first half but held a 33-32 lead because it had 11 more field goal attempts than UCLA.

``They had a lot of buckets in the red zone (low post), and coach Lavin went after us about it,'' Young said. ``In the second half, our guards pressured the ball so they couldn't make easy passes into the post, and our big men played in front of their guys.''

It worked. Heide didn't score in the second half, and the Beavers grabbed just four offensive rebounds. With forward Jerome Moiso playing his best game in weeks (16 points, eight rebounds), the Bruins didn't need Gadzuric.

``The last eight minutes of the first half, when we took the lead, we got the ball inside on every possession,'' Beavers coach Eddie Payne said. ``In the second half, they did a better job taking that away. Their defense in the post was the area they improved the most.''

CAPTION(S):

2 photos

Photo: (1 -- color) UCLA's Ray Young hangs from the basket after dunk during 69-59 win over Oregon State.

(2) Jerome Moiso of UCLA is stripped of ball by OSU's Jason Heidi, right, while Brian Jackson defends at left.

Kevork Djansezian/Associated Press