FEELING BLUE; REELING UCLA TRIES TO REGROUP IN NORTH CAROLINA BRUINS SLUMPING.

Byline: Jon Wilner Staff Writer

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - UCLA forward Rico Hines, a Greenville, N.C. native, will have 20 friends and family members at Saturday's game against North Carolina. He's hoping to avoid an embarrassing homecoming, but the way the Bruins are playing, that's always a possibility.

"Oh, man," Hines said, shaking his head at the prospect. "That can't happen. I want to beat them so bad, I can't tell you."

But the Bruins are headed for more humiliation if they don't regroup from their heartless 91-79 loss to USC on Wednesday, their worst city series defeat since 1986.

They have 48 hours. That's not enough time to correct all their problems - check back in Y3K for that - but for the moment, horrendous fundamentals, abysmal mental preparation and questionable strategy are not the primary concerns.

"All the strategy in the world isn't going to help if we aren't competitive," Hines said. "We've got to do some soul-searching. We've got to flush this loss and get ready for the Tar Heels. We can't pout. We've got to be intense. We've got to compete. That's what we didn't do (against USC)."

The Bruins (9-4, 1-2) acknowledge the spectacle of Saturday's game but question its significance. True, it won't change their deteriorating position in the Pac-10 race (they trail Arizona by two games), but a win would do wonders for their sagging spirits. It would reaffirm their faith in the new offense. It would bolster their case on Selection Sunday, and it would improve their soiled national reputation.

Under coach Steve Lavin, UCLA is 1-5 against Duke, North Carolina, Kansas and Kentucky. What's more, the losses have come by an AVERAGE of 24 points. Not only hasn't UCLA been successful against the legendary programs, it often hasn't been competitive - just as it wasn't competitive against USC.

At this point, the Pac-10 race and national image are the least of UCLA's concerns. To secure an NCAA Tournament berth, the Bruins must win nine of their last 17 games. Six are against Arizona (twice), Stanford (twice), Syracuse and North Carolina. They also visit the inhospitable Oregon schools, plus pesky Cal and Arizona State.

Obviously, their streak of 11 consecutive 20-win seasons is in serious jeopardy.

The Bruins have been on the brink before. In 1997, they lost three of four games and were in danger of missing the tournament. They regrouped, won 12 straight and brought home the Pac-10 title. In 1998, they stumbled at Oregon and Stanford, then escaped from Cal and beat USC in overtime. Last year, after being swept in the Bay Area, they repelled USC in the final seconds. Talent and energy were enough to overcome sloppy play.

But there's a difference this year: The Bruins don't have Charles O'Bannon, J.R. Henderson, Toby Bailey or Baron Davis to make big plays in desperate times. Forward Jason Kapono is superb, but he's a freshman with no help from his teammates:

--In his past six games, junior point guard Earl Watson has almost as many turnovers (26) as assists (28).

--"Shooting" guard Ray Young has 10 points in the past three games.

--Forward Jerome Moiso, the team's leading scorer at Christmas, is averaging 8.8 points in his past four games. He made one basket in the decisive first half against USC.

Watson, Moiso and Young were supposed to be UCLA's playmakers. Instead, they're either playing poorly, playing without passion, or both.

The bottom line is this: Two months is more than enough time to salvage the season, but the reclamation project must begin Saturday in the Dean Dome. The Bruins don't have to win, but a good showing is essential.

Another rollover, and the season might be over.

"I told the guys that as bad as it was here (USC), it'll be worse at North Carolina if we don't compete," Hines said. "They lost to Wake Forest (Wednesday), so they'll be all fired up. They're licking their chops."

Time to see if the Bruins have any chops.

BRUIN BRUISINGS

Under coach Steve Lavin, UCLA has performed poorly against the nation's legendary programs.

SEASON-OPPONENT------W/L-MARGIN-COMMENT

1997---Kansas---------L---13----Lavin's third game as coach.

1997---Duke-----------W----4----Solidified No. 2 seed in NCAAs.

1998---North Carolina-L---41----Jelani McCoy, Kris Johnson suspended.

1998---Duke-----------L---36----Early foul trouble doomed Bruins.

1998---Kentucky-------L---26----Defeat came in Sweet 16.

1999---Kentucky-------L----4----Gritty loss in Puerto Rico.

- Jon Wilner

CAPTION(S):

2 photos, box

Photo: (1 - color illustration) An obviously frustrated point guard Earl Watson, No. 25, near tears with fists clenched on the court (no cutline)

Michael Caulfield/Associated Press

Illustrated by Eric Barrow

(2) UCLA coach Steve Lavin, shown sitting in front of his bench against USC, has not fared well when the Bruins face legendary basketball programs like Saturday's opponent, North Carolina.

Michael Caulfield/Associated Press

Box: BRUIN BRUISINGS (see text)