HUSKIES' HOUSE OF HORRORS FOR UCLA BRUINS OPEN CONFERENCE IN FAMILIAR PLACE.

Byline: Billy Witz Staff Writer

SEATTLE - Half a continent away, in an Indianapolis hotel room, the NCAA Tournament selection committee was hunkered down last March in front of a room full of televisions, making its final decisions for the next day's announcement of the tournament bracket.

Thanks to a spate of upsets, the committee, according to one member, was ready to award UCLA, one of the nation's hottest teams over the last two months of the regular season, a No. 2 seed. Then they watched the Bruins play.

They saw 24 turnovers. They saw Washington score 54 second-half points. And finally they saw Michael Johnson hit a 3-pointer with 1.1 seconds left as the Huskies, with an eight-game losing streak and 20 losses, hang a 96-94 defeat on the Bruins.

The loss, in the regular-season finale, wasn't as embarrassing as Northridge, as humbling as Arizona or California, or as disappointing as Stanford. However, it was clearly more costly.

Instead of being sent, likely to the South, as a No. 2 seed, the Bruins were shipped to the East as the No. 4. Instead of getting Temple in the Sweet 16, the Bruins got Duke.

``We just weren't focused,'' guard Billy Knight said. ``I remember riding over (to the arena), we were all talking about the NCAA seedings the next day. We weren't thinking about Washington. We were just thinking about where we were going to go.

``We figured we'd get up on them and they'd give up.''

The 17th-ranked Bruins (5-2) return to the scene of that crime tonight when they play the Huskies (6-3) at 7:30 at Hec Edmondson Pavilion in the Pacific-10 Conference opener for both teams.

``They came out, scored 105 points on us, and I had the last jumper right in my face for the game-winning basket,'' junior Jason Kapono said. ``We're pretty salty about that.''

The Bruins not only will be trying to buck an improved Washington team but history as well. They've lost to the Huskies four consecutive times in Seattle, every time facing an unranked opponent.

--In 1998, with UCLA nursing a one-point lead after rallying from a 16-point deficit, J.R. Henderson was caught grabbing Washington center Todd MacCulloch on an inbounds play with 2.1 seconds left. MacCulloch hit both free throws to lift the Huskies to a 95-94 victory.

--In 1999, when Baron Davis was hit with a technical for flinging his mouthpiece after being called for his fifth foul, UCLA coach Steve Lavin went ballistic. He drew two technical fouls, the first of his career, and was ejected in an 83-73 loss.

--In 2000, after the Bruins had blown a four-point lead in the final 1:20, Kapono grabbed a rebound and ran back to the 3-point line for a game- tying shot at the buzzer. The ball went in but Kapono's foot was on the line and the Bruins lost 63-62.

Then there was last year's game.

TODAY'S GAMES

--UCLA at Washington, 7:30 p.m. Fox Sports Net, 1150-AM

--CSUN at Utah State, 6:05 p.m.

UCLA vs. WASHINGTON

Tipoff: 7:30 p.m., Hec Edmondson Pavilion.

TV/Radio: Fox Sports Net 2, 1150-AM.

UCLA (5-2) update: Forward Matt Barnes, who missed Saturday's victory over UC Irvine with a sprained ankle, is expected to return to the starting lineup. Barnes is the Bruins' leading rebounder at 6.7 per game. The Bruins will try to pack in their 1-2-2 zone defense against Washington, which made just 6 of 25 3-pointers against Gonzaga.

Washington (6-3) update: The addition of Doug Wrenn, a transfer from Connecticut, and freshman guard Erroll Knight have given the Huskies a much-needed boost of athleticism. Wrenn, a former Parade All-American with a long history of problems, leads UW with 16.6 points, but he was kicked out of practice Tuesday for elbowing a teammate and won't start after being late for last week's loss to Gonzaga, a game in which he made just 4 of 19 shots. C.J. Massingale, who scored a career-high 25 against the Bruins last season, will replace Wrenn in the lineup.

- Billy Witz

USC vs. SAN DIEGO

Tipoff: 7 p.m., Jenny Craig Pavilion.

TV/Radio: No TV, 1540-AM.

USC (6-2) update: USC coach Henry Bibby said he will start the same lineup as the previous game against Miami (Ohio), with Brandon Granville, Errick Craven, Kostas Charissis, David Bluthenthal and Sam Clancy. Bibby said Clancy has not adapted well to double-team defenses this season.

San Diego (5-3) update: The Toreros, coached by former Crescenta Valley High and UCLA guard Brad Holland, are coming off an 11-point victory over UC Irvine. They have also defeated San Diego State. Last year, they held Brian Scalabrine scoreless, in a 78-67 loss at the Sports Arena. Guard Andre Laws averages 22.6 points per game.

- Scott Wolf

CAPTION(S):

2 boxes

Box:

(1) UCLA vs. WASHINGTON (see text)

(2) USC vs. SAN DIEGO (see text)