THEY'RE BLESSED WITH AN ELITE FATE.

Byline: STEVE DILBECK

They won't make the claim because it's not the classy thing to do. Won't make any bold pronouncement because they understand arguments can be made elsewhere.

There are no such polite restrictions here, so let's just put it out there: UCLA has re-established itself as the premier basketball team in the Pacific-10 Conference.

Not one of its best, not in its upper echelon, but the foremost power in what has become one of the top basketball conferences in the country. The team everyone else in the Pac-10 has to worry about. The program playing at the highest level. That every season will be an almost automatic conference title threat.

Saturday, the Bruins had their way with Stanford, 75-61, to complete an unbeaten home season and clinch at least at tie for the conference title. A victory next week at Washington State or Washington, and it's theirs outright.

That's two Pac-10 titles in consecutive years. In four quick seasons, Ben Howland has taken UCLA back to the pinnacle of the Pac-10. Better get used to it.

Last year's team heralded the return when it advanced to the NCAA title game. The Bruins lost three starters from that team, but they are now 25-3, ranked fourth in the country and may well climb to No.2 this week.

The Bruins are not at a John Wooden-esque level, not that any team ever will be, but they are back as the program to watch, to fear, to privately plot against.

"It's not fully restored because to be astandard, the premier team -- that comes with longevity," UCLA guard Arron Afflalo said. "You can't have oneor two good years; you have to be consistent with what you're doing.

"Although my term can only be here for four years, I'm sure coach Howland is going to be here for a while, and he's all about winning."

The Bruins have so quickly adopted this higher calling that Saturday there was no celebration over having clinched a tie for the conference title.

"We don't play to win co-championships," forward Josh Shipp said. "We play to win it outright."

So UCLA was casual in victory Saturday. The victory over Stanford -- which had handed the Bruins one of their three losses earlier this season -- was another day at the office, not cause to party.

"Part of that is because of the success we had last year," Afflalo said. "We expect a lot from ourselves. It's still a positive, and we don't want to downplay it. But we're striving for more. This is just part of the journey."

Some have seemed hesitant to give UCLA and Howland their due, almost as if silently fearing the acknowledgment will give credence to the monster's rebirth.

Asked about playing in the same city as the Bruins, USC coach Tim Floyd consistently used to start talking about how Arizona was the conference standard-bearer, the team everyone should aspire to beat.

Even earlier this season, after Arizona lost at Washington State in January, Wildcats guard Marcus Williams almost seemed to bristle at the suggestion that UCLA had become the conference's premier team.

"We're the standard. I don't think they are the standard," Williams said.

UCLA beat Arizona twice this season, including last week's 81-66 victory in Arizona.

Shipp said the second conference title offered no particular response to Williams.

"It doesn't really matter," Shipp said. "He's not doing too good."

Arizona is now 17-9 and in danger of not even making the NCAA Tournament.

Meanwhile, UCLA rolls on, seemingly gearing up for another tournament run. The Bruins can take great comfort in having finished their home season 16-0 at Pauley Pavilion. It marked the first time UCLA completed a true undefeated season at home since 1975, and the 10thoverall.

Of the previous nine UCLA teams to win every home game, eight went to the Final Four and seven won national titles.

Howland was completely entrenched in UCLA's history when he came here from Pittsburgh four years ago, and on his list of goals for the program, he knew where he wanted to rank capturing the conference championship.

"The first thing, because conference championships lead to high seedings in the NCAA Tournament," Howland said. "Our expectation is to go forward in that tournament every year.

"The higher seed you have, the better chance you have. That's just borne out by history and mathematics."

Two years hardly makes a dynasty, but Howland has UCLA positioned to continue at this level.

These Bruins are without a senior, though Afflalo could leave early for the NBA. But coming next season is the highly touted Kevin Love, a 6- foot-10 center drawing comparisons to Bill Walton.

UCLA figures to be a premier team in the conference for years to come, if not the premier team.

"I wouldn't call ourselves the standard," Shipp said. "We just go out and try to win games."

They figure to win a lot of them, and for some time.

The rest of the conference better get used to the idea.

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