CAN UCLA GO ... 39-0? WITH A WIN TODAY, BRUINS WILL HAVE BEST START SINCE WOODEN'S UNDEFEATED 1972-73 SQAUD.

Byline: BRIAN DOHN Staff Writer

EUGENE, Ore. - Every UCLA player, and coach Ben Howland, believe they should win every game. They say there is no doubt in their minds.

But ask those players, or Howland, about going undefeated, and forget about it. Each will chuckle, or smirk, then give a reason why it is virtually impossible, but never definitely say it cannot be done.

So until the top-ranked Bruins lose, inquiries as to whether a team can go through a season undefeated will grow. UCLA is 14-0, on the precipice of its best start in more than three decades, but that is only a snippet of the bigger picture. UCLA needs to win 25 more consecutive games to achieve perfection, beginning with arguably its most stringent opponent today as the Bruins and No. 16 -- and one-loss -- Oregon meet at hostile McArthur Court at 11 a.m.

To illustrate how impractical, if not purely outlandish, it is to think about an undefeated season, consider that UCLA reaches the halfway point of its regular season today, but would play 39 games in a perfect season.

``You never want to lose,'' Howland said. ``Everyone wants to be undefeated, but it's very unlikely that it will happen.''

Oregon's two-point home loss Thursday to USC left UCLA (14-0, 3-0 Pacific-10 Conference) and No.23 Clemson (15-0) as the unbeatens, and this nearly three months before the NCAA title game.

Clemson's best win was against Florida State, and has two games remaining against Duke and one with North Carolina.

UCLA's defeat of Oregon State on Thursday was its first road game, although the Bruins have neutral-court wins against Kentucky and Texas A&M.

``My hat's off to UCLA and to Clemson just for running their records this far,'' said Oregon coach Ernie Kent, who added he didn't think an undefeated season was possible. ``There's just too many good teams in the country. If they don't get you during the preseason, and all of us have had kind of the right kind of schedule, their good games have been on neutral courts and things like that.''

Legendary Bruins coach John Wooden had four perfect seasons, finishing each 30-0. This season, UCLA plays 30 regular-season games, then it would need to sweep the Pac-10 and NCAA tournaments.

The last team to go undefeated in Division I was Indiana, which went 32-0 en route to winning the 1976 national title.

``I think it's really hard,'' Howland said. ``You're playing so many games. Last year we played 39 (32-7) and Florida played 39. That would be very, very difficult, especially with the changeover of players. You don't have four-year players who are 7-feet tall.

``It's unlikely that (freshman) Greg Oden will be a senior at Ohio State.''

A win against the Ducks would give UCLA its best start since 1972-73, the last of Wooden's undefeated teams.

However, this is where losing in last season's national title game helps the current squad. Not only do players say they don't care about the No. 1 ranking, but many admit to not even feelings like they are on a two-month winning streak.

``We never really talk about it,'' Bruins sophomore wing Josh Shipp said. ``We come out and play every game. It's not like we have it written on the board, `We're 14-0 and No. 1 in the country.' We try to stay away from all the distractions.''

The Bruins, instead, look at the season being broken into small segments, with the three-game Maui Invitational one part, the non-conference slate being another piece and the Pac-10 schedule broken into weekend clusters.

``We understand that we're (14-0), but given the way coach Howland teaches us, we don't really look that far back,'' UCLA leading scorer Arron Afflalo said. ``I feel like we're 1-0 right now (after beating Oregon State on Thursday). I feel like this is a weekend stretch for us, more so than 14 wins. At the end I feel like we'll be 2-0, and then start again the next week.''

One thing working in UCLA's favor is effort.

The Bruins consistently play harder - not to mention tougher 7/8 than nearly every opponent, which is something Kent is trying to make his squad believe.

``They're probably the hardest-working team in college basketball,'' Kent said. ``They're at an intensity level right now that if you don't work, if you can't get up to play these types of games in this environment, there's something wrong with you.''

Among other factors UCLA must deal with is that of motivation, as every opponent is gunning for the top-ranked team, and therefore gets a premium effort.

Also, not since the Pac-8 expanded in 1978-79 has a team won every conference game, and the league this season appears to have more quality than any since 2001-02.

``This conference, I think, is the toughest conference in the country,'' Kent said. ``I think it would be difficult to say one (team) is going to go undefeated in this conference. There are too many good teams here.''

And if the Bruins make it out of McArthur Court still perfect, a number of circle-the-calendar dates remain, including next Saturday's visit to surprising USC.

UCLA also hosts Arizona on Jan. 20, plays at Arizona on Feb. 17 and concludes the regular season at Washington on March 3. And that doesn't include games at schizophrenic California (Jan.25), typically difficult Washington State (March 1) and a non-conference matchup against WestVirginia (Feb. 10).

So when is it all right to think about an undefeated season?

``I don't think at any point,'' Shipp said. ``It's just more distractions. You're setting yourself up to lose. You take things one game at a time.''

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5 photos

Photo:

(1 -- color) UCLA coach Ben Howland cuts down the net after defeating Memphis, on the way to last year's Final Four.

Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images

(2 -- 4 -- color) From left, Darren Collison, Arron Afflalo and Josh Shipp.

(5) UCLA's Arron Afflalo, left, defends against Oregon State's Wesley Washington on Thursday. UCLA plays Oregon today.

Rick Bowmer/Associated Press