THEY'RE GUTTY BRUINS.

Byline: STEVE DILBECK

SAN DIEGO - They can't all be from the brush of Michelangelo, all domination and breathless works of art.

The road to the Final Four isn't lined with roses, but sweat and perseverance. This is hard stuff, and it isn't always pretty.

UCLA had spoiled its followers lately, winning eight consecutive games with relative ease. Won with flash and verve, won by an average of 20 points.

The Bruins' 62-59 victory over Alabama in the second round of the NCAA Tournament Saturday night was a very different animal.

It was about grinding and hanging tough, about overcoming shortcomings and mistakes and a talented Crimson Tide team that would not wilt.

The victory moved UCLA into the Sweet Sixteen, a postseason accomplishment that once seemed its birthright. Not so this time.

``We feel very, very fortunate to move onto the next round,'' UCLA coach Ben Howland said.

The Bruins advance despite playing like they'd never seen a zone defense in their little tank-top lives. They looked confused and uncertain, and never really did figure it out.

They advance despite missing six consecutive free throws down the stretch. Despite getting zero points from leading scorer Aaron Afflalo in the first half. Despite being outrebounded 30-21 and outshot from the free-throw line 25-13. Despite allowing Alabama to connect on 61.1 percent of its field goals in the first half.

Yet they found a way. Won muddied and bruised, and maybe a little befuddled. Won by digging in and believing and coming up clutch when they had to.

Won with Afflalo overcoming his slow start to make a crucial 3-point play with 35 seconds to play and then defensively thwarting Alabama star Ronald Steele enough to force his last-second 3-pointer to go just astray and preserve the victory.

``I will take my chances with Aaron Afflalo guarding the ball against anybody in the country at the top of the key with the game on the line,'' Howland said.

Likewise, Crimson Tide coach Mark Gottfried was fine with his last-second opportunity.

``We got what we wanted,'' he said. ``Unfortunately, the shot didn't go in.

``We were one jump shot short of the Sweet Sixteen.''

UCLA can look at many of the stats and wonder how it got out of San Diego alive.

``Typically, if we get outboarded by nine and shoot 5 of 13 from the foul line and allow someone to shoot 61 percent in the first half, we're not going to win,'' Howland said.

Typically, if a simple 2-3 zone looks as foreign as a moon crater, they're not going to win. At no point did UCLA ever appear comfortable against Alabama's zone. It can expect to see a lot more of Thursday against Gonzaga.

``If we do, we'll attack it much better,'' guard Jordan Farmer said. ``The reason that Alabama made it so tough is because they're so long and athletic. Gaps close quickly. They get their hands on a lot of balls.''

If the zone forced more 3-point shots than it would prefer - over half its shots (25 of 47) were from beyond the line - it also helped the shorthanded Crimson Tide on a couple of levels.

Without effectively driving to the basket, UCLA was less able to pound and wear out Alabama, and aside from center Jermarero Davidson, never really put the seven-deep Tide into foul trouble. And with the Bruins unable to run, Alabama almost had time to rest on the floor.

If anything, it was the deeper Bruins who seemed drained.

``Our guys were tired,'' Howland said. ``We were taxed. They (the Crimson Tide) were very patience. They took only 39 shots from the field.''

And still, UCLA won. If its defense was less than at its classic best in the first half, it was still suffocating enough to hold Alabama to 38.1 shooting in the second half and allow the Bruins to find a way.

That's what great defense gives you, of course. It keeps you in the game, gives you an opportunity to win them when they're not all fine art.

This was an unattractive victory, but a huge victory no less. And this time of the year, they count the same - whether arriving with ribbons or not.

UCLA is 29-6 now, still growing, showing it might be an even more dangerous tournament team because it can win in diverse ways, regardless the aesthetics.