For top teams, home is where wins are.

Byline: Pac-10 Notes by Bob Clark The Register-Guard

ALL AROUND THE PAC-10, or at least among those six teams still in contention for the conference title, there's the realization that not really much has been accomplished in terms of deciding the race.

`We know it's going to get tougher now, way tougher,' Stanford coach Mike Montgomery said. `I don't think you're going to see anybody run it out. The team that sustains and doesn't make mistakes will end up on top.'

About the only thing separating the top six teams in the conference is that Arizona has lost a home game. Otherwise, it has been everybody holding serve, in tennis terms, with the league's best six teams a combined 18-1 at home against conference foes.

`We still have to recognize that we've given one up at home that we have to get back on the road,' UA coach Lute Olson said. `That starts Wednesday night. We need to get a win back to make up for that Oregon loss.'

Actually, a win at ASU only keeps the Wildcats on pace with USC and UCLA, which already won in Tempe.

By losing itself at ASU, Oregon didn't so much lose ground to the other contenders as give back what it had gained with the win at Arizona.

If this were golf scoring, the better way to look at the standings would be to list Oregon and the Trojans, Bruins, Bears and Cardinal all at even par, and Arizona one off what it should have done because of the home loss.

Look at the real race this way: a contender must win all its home games. It must sweep on the trip to the state of Washington and split in the states of Arizona and Oregon. Any road win in the state of California is a birdie.

Thus, Oregon must sweep in Washington this week simply to match what Arizona, USC and UCLA have already done. Arizona has to win at ASU to stay even with what the Los Angeles schools did. Beating the Beavers in Corvallis was imperative for Oregon, because Stanford, Cal and Arizona already did that.

What will decide the race is if a team wins a game it doesn't figure to take, like either of the Bay Area schools winning in Los Angeles this weekend. In this race, that would be huge ... if not unusual.

Stanford, for example, has won its last four games at Pauley Pavilion, and it also beat the Trojans last season for a sweep in Los Angeles. Do that this year, and the Cardinal would look even better than they did last weekend when they routed the Cougars and Huskies.

`The past couple of years at this time in the season we'd be beating people by 40 points and in the back of my mind I'd think, `please don't let us peak too early,' ' Stanford's Casey Jacobsen said. `Not to say I'm glad we have four losses, but I'm glad we have some improvements to be made in the future.'

EARLY TALK: Bill Frieder, the former ASU coach, was predicting on a radio broadcast the other day that the Sun Devils will end a 12-game losing streak to Arizona and knock off the Wildcats on Wednesday.

`ASU is a veteran club that has been waiting a long time for this chance,' Frieder said.

Responded Jim Rosborough, the head assistant at Arizona: `This is the year they think they can get us. I don't think our guys like hearing that stuff.'

TOP FOULERS: Wait until UCLA's Dan Gadzurick and OSU's Brian Jackson get on the same court: There won't be enough whistles to keep up with their foul problems.

Gadzuric has fouled out of UCLA's last three games, and his departure Saturday certainly played a role in the Bruins blowing that 20-point lead at Arizona.

`I'm trying to play hard,' Gadzuric said. `If I get into foul trouble, so be it. My teammates are getting beat, so I have to be there to protect the basket. ... I'm not going to be a post player that's soft.'

Better, though, that he be post player in the game. Without him, there's not much of a presence in the middle for the Bruins.

ALMOST, TOO: Even before the Bruins blew that game at Arizona, they almost gave away a win at ASU.

With 10 seconds left, ASU's Chad Prewitt hits a three, and the margin is down to 82-79. UCLA's Cedric Bozeman is fouled and misses both free throws, but teammate Matt Barnes grabs the rebound ... and shoots?

UCLA's Billy Knight ties up Prewitt on the rebound, and the alternating possession goes to the Bruins with 6.2 seconds left. Bozeman can't inbound and calls time. Bozeman inbounds to Jason Kapono, but he's trapped in the corner by two Devils and Curtis Millage steals the basketball, dribbles across midcourt and launches a three for a tie ...

`Thank God it didn't go in,' Kapono said.

`Just another UCLA-style game,' Knight said. `Man, we almost lost it. I don't know what it is with us.'

ODDS AT THE END: UCLA is hoping Rico Hines is cleared to play this weekend after missing two games because of what was described as a mild concussion. Hines, however, had to leave the bench at ASU because the music of the band was causing a headache, and he left a practice at Arizona because his head was throbbing. ... Cal freshman Jamal Sampson had a 17-rebound game against Washington after being challenged by Bears coach Ben Braun to `get 10-plus' rebounds. `I'm sitting here and the coaches are saying the big men aren't rebounding,' Sampson said. `I got sick of hearing that.' Sampson might have also been spurred by the return of Solomon Hughes to the Cal lineup. It means either Sampson or fellow freshman Amit Tamir leaves the starting lineup. ... Arizona's Salim Stoudamire extended his streak of made free throws to 35. The Pac-10 record is 49, the NCAA mark 64. ... After playing three `home games' at the Forum because the Sports Arena was being used for figure skaters to practice in, USC will be back at the Sports Arena this weekend, its first games there since Dec. 16. `Is that our home?' USC's David Bluthenthal asked. `I don't remember the last time that I played there.'

Rating the Pac-10

1. Oregon This sounds familiar: Computers drop Ducks in ratings after wins.

2. Arizona The Comeback 'Cats: down 21 to OSU, 20 to UCLA in McKale wins.

3. UCLA First Barnes and then Kapono hit 7 threes; Bruins lost both times.

4. USC Granville four steals from Stais Boseman's school record of 208.

5. Stanford Bench power: Reserves outscored UW's subs (yeah, true) 47-12.

6. California Best start (at 13-3) since the '60 NCAA runner-up began 15-1.

7. ASU Prewitt only the fifth four-year player for Sun Devils since '92.

8. OSU Trip this week decides if season extends into the Pac-10 tournament.

9. Washington Worse losses than 45 to Stanford? Yes, but only two in 100 years.

10. WSU Has it been 45 days since last win? Beavers very eagerly awaited.