COMMENTARY: RIVALRY JUST SO-SO, TOO.

Byline: Billy Witz Staff Writer

It's Just SC.

Since J.R. Henderson uttered those now-famous words, it's become more than a mantra for UCLA or a curse to USC. It's become the truth.

Crosstown? Absolutely. Rivalry? Get real.

Sure, USC is only about 10 miles from Westwood and the Trojans work out with UCLA players over the summer, but the same could be said of Pepperdine and Cal State Northridge. And in the last seven years, they've beaten UCLA just as many times as the Trojans have.

Entering tonight's game at the Forum, UCLA has won 13 of the past 14 against USC. The only Pacific-10 Conference team the Bruins have beaten more regularly is Washington State.

Over the past 40 years, USC has won the season series from UCLA just twice and hasn't finished ahead of the Bruins in the Pac-10 since 1985 - when freshman guard Cedric Bozeman hadn't turned 2 years old.

``I wouldn't say we've blown them out and they're chumps,'' UCLA forward Jason Kapono said of the Bruins' recent run of success. ``They're a very good team. Last year it came down to the wire both times and they beat us by like 20 my first year. They just haven't found a way to win the close games.''

While UCLA might truly respect the Trojans, forget about fearing them. UCLA doesn't even feel threatened by them.

If they won't admit it until late tonight, the game the Bruins have circled this week is Saturday against No. 1-ranked Kansas. If the city is watching them tonight, the nation will be eyeing them Saturday.

``We want to show everybody we're a top contender (for the national title),'' forward T.J. Cummings said of the Kansas game.

Rivalries are supposed to spark passion that borders on hatred, and while it might get hot and heavy in the stands - UCLA fans lobbed water bottles onto the court at the Sports Arena last year - it hardly extends to the locker room.

When the Bruins boarded their plane home from Philadelphia last March after losing to Duke in the East Regional semifinals, they actually wished the Trojans luck against Duke in the regional final.

``I was happy for them,'' said UCLA guard Billy Knight, who at least had the excuse of being boyhood friends with USC players Brandon Granville and David Bluthenthal. ``I was rooting for them, especially against Duke. I don't ever want to see Duke win.''

Now, imagine Matt Ware rooting for USC in the Las Vegas Bowl.

What the Trojans suffer from in basketball is an inferiority complex.

While the Bruins play under 11 national-championship banners, the Trojans essentially are homeless, having to play at the Forum while figure skaters use the Sports Arena to practice. USC was on national TV last season for the first time in four years. UCLA will be on twice in three weeks.

``They still play in the Pac-10 and they went to the Elite Eight,'' Kapono said. ``But it's not like the school gets any love. They're not ever on Channel 2 or playing Kansas.''

Bluthenthal and Granville ended up at USC because UCLA wouldn't offer them a scholarship. USC freshman Errick Craven might have gone to UCLA, but the Bruins wouldn't give a scholarship to his twin brother, Derrick.

Kapono is the only Bruin who ever gave USC real consideration. (Imagine the state of both programs if he had gone there.) None of UCLA's three freshmen from Los Angeles - Bozeman, Dijon Thompson and Andre Patterson - gave USC any serious thought. Not even Bozeman, whose cousin Stais Boseman played for USC, nor Patterson, whose father played for USC coach Henry Bibby in the CBA.

``USC doesn't exist to the three kids that we were involved with,'' Bibby said.

The feeling on both sides is that the gap is closing. In landing Craven, center Rory O'Neil and forward Nick Curtis, the Trojans didn't recruit badly themselves. And by beating Kentucky and pushing Duke in the NCAA Tournament, the Trojans feel they earned some credibility. USC forward Sam Clancy said earlier this week he's even noticed a more confident Bibby.

``The Elite Eight really set the tone,'' Clancy said. ``We're no longer second to UCLA.''

Perhaps in their eyes. But the Bruins, winners of nine in a row, are ranked 11th while the Trojans, winners of eight consecutive, are unranked. The crowd tonight, for a USC home game, is expected to be 50-50 at best and the oddsmakers have the Trojans as underdogs.

If the legions of unbelievers are to be swayed, the Trojans will have to make their case on the court. Until they do, in this town, it's just SC.

--Cool Burns: At least seven NBA scouts attended the Westchester vs. Fairfax high school game Tuesday night and were underwhelmed by Fairfax star Evan Burns. The 6-foot-7 wing, who committed to UCLA in September but is not yet academically qualified and hasn't signed a letter of intent, is considering jumping to the NBA next year.

Many of the NBA scouts left the packed, sweltering gym at halftime, by which time they'd seen Westchester ahead by more than 20 points and Burns exert little effort.

Said one NBA scout seeing Burns for the first time: ``He ought to work on his academics.''

--St. Majerus: Utah coach Rick Majerus, perhaps thinking of the proximity to Bay Area restaurants, always has had a soft spot for Saint Mary's College, where the Utes traveled Monday night. He's often said it's a place he'd like to end his career.

``I always think about that,'' said Majerus, sounding like Larry Brown waxing nostalgic about UCLA. ``I love that place. I love the Catholic schools. I like that particular order. I like the smallness of the place. It's a liberal-arts college with a great blend of academics and athletics. It's like a smaller Marquette or a smaller Notre Dame.''

--Sweeping statement: Oregon became the first team to sweep Arizona in Pac-10 play since UCLA did in 1997. In a remarkable display of consistency, Arizona had played 162 home-and-home series since Lute Olson became the coach 19 years ago and had been swept just eight times until the Ducks turned the trick. The Bruins have done it five times. Stanford, Washington and Arizona State each have done it once.

UCLA vs. USC

When: Tonight, 7:30 p.m. at the Forum

Records: UCLA: 11-2, 4-0 Pacific -10 Conference; USC: 12-2, 4-0

TV/Radio: Fox Sports Net, 1540-AM, 1150-AM

WHAT'S ON

UCLA vs. KANSAS

Saturday, noon, Ch. 2.

How good can the Bruins be? We'll find out here.

HOOP NOTES

BY THE NUMBERS

26: Wins by the Washington football team the past three seasons. Also the number of wins by the Washington basketball team the past three seasons.

1976: The last time a team went through a season unbeaten, when Indiana won the national championship. Duke became the final team to join the ranks of the beaten Sunday when it lost to Florida State.

4460: The number of minutes Arizona coach Lute Olson went between technical fouls. Olson, who refrains from profanity, earned a technical foul last week against Oregon when he walked onto the court to protest a noncall.

WHO'S HOT

Arizona State forward Chad Prewitt. The senior scored back-to-back career highs of 25 and 27 points and pulled down a total of 20 rebounds in the Sun Devils' sweep of Oregon State and Oregon.

WHO'S NOT

USC against UCLA. The Trojans have lost 13 of their past 14 games to the Bruins.

WORTH THE DRIVE

UCLA vs. USC, tonight at 7:30 p.m. at the Forum. If the Bruins aren't caught looking ahead to Kansas, they might play the Trojans tougher than their football team.

FINAL FOUR

--East: Duke ... Just work on the foul-shooting.

--South: Florida ... Gators avoiding the upset bug.

--Midwest: Kansas ... Jayhawks' next three games: UCLA, Oklahoma St., Oklahoma.

--West: Cincinnati ... Bearcats playing as well as anyone in the country.

USC vs. UCLA

--Tipoff: 7:30 p.m., Forum.

--TV/Radio: Fox Sports Net, 1540-AM and 1150-AM.

UCLA (11-2, 4-0) update: Starter Rico Hines, who suffered a slight concussion Tuesday in practice, was suffering from a headache Wednesday and did not practice. However, he is listed as ``probable'' for tonight. The Bruins, who have won nine in a row, will try to pack in their zone defense against USC, which made just 6 of 35 3-pointers against them last year. UCLA coach Steve Lavin called USC ``the quickest team we've faced this year,'' which could be a problem given the Bruins' lack of quickness on the perimeter.

USC (12-2, 4-0) update: The Trojans have won eight straight games and won three of four Pacific-10 Conference games by at least 20 points. But USC coach Henry Bibby is just 1-10 against UCLA, and has lost three straight to the Bruins. ``I think they have a lot of players. Dan Gadzuric is very good. You know Jason Kapono can come out and make adjustments,'' Bibby said. ``We held him to one point in a half during one game and he came out and scored 25 the second half.'' USC also opened last season 12-2 before losing to USC in its 15th game.

- Billy Witz and Scott Wolf

CAPTION(S):

2 photos, 2 boxes

Photo:

(1 -- color) At least one USC player has noticed a more confident Henry Bibby this season. But will that translate into a win over UCLA?

Gus Ruelas/Staff Photographer

(2) no caption (Arizona State forward Chad Prewitt)

Box:

(1) HOOP NOTES (see text)

(2) USC vs. UCLA (see text)