THIS VICTORY DEFIES REALITY.

Byline: STEVE DILBECK

It's the perfect Steve Lavin moment.

Absurd, dramatic, slightly ridiculous, unexpected and wonderful all at the same time. It's over-the-top Lavin.

I mean, it's almost funny. No, check that, it's hysterical. It's break-out-loud laughter.

These things don't happen in the real world. Teams that are 9-18 and led by a coach, Lavin, whose firing has been assumed for so long it's otherworldly, don't upset the No. 1 team in the nation.

Only the Bruins did Thursday. They played a terrific game, played like a team not ready to call it a season, not ready to have its coach call it a career.

They played hard, aggressive, determined. They took an early lead, lost it and fell behind by 15 in the second half to an Arizona team that had beaten them in their first two meetings like they were a rec team from the local YMCA.

So you figured this is where the Bruins checked out, where they looked reality straight in the eye and started making plans for that spring break in Palm Springs. Where they faced up to the obvious, lowered their heads and put a wrap on a dismal season.

Instead they made their moms and dads proud. Dug deeper than they had all season. Rallied against the 25-2 Wildcats, forced overtime on a jaw-dropping 3-pointer by Ray Young with 4.9 seconds to play and then - with three starters with four fouls - all but dominated OT to knock off Arizona 96-89 in the first round of the Pacific-10 Conference tournament.

I swear it.

The aftermath was almost as surreal as the outcome itself. Lavin being hugged on the court by athletic director Dan Guerrero, who could fire him as soon as a loss today in the second round against Oregon.

Lavin was not heard to whisper to Guerrero, ``Margaritas at Don Jose's,'' but for one wacky moment, nothing seemed completely implausible.

What's more preposterous than a UCLA team that at one point had lost nine consecutive games, that had to rally in its last regular-season game at home to even qualify for the conference tournament, that has a coach whose firing is so expected he's discussed his possible successors and started packing his office belongings, that until this moment had not won three consecutive games all year ... upsetting Arizona?

``I get to coach another day,'' Lavin said, shaking hands with ex-Bruin Bill Walton after the game.

Young had said jokingly that UCLA's horrid season was all a crafty set-up to shock the world, a masterful deke to stun teams like Arizona.

Yet UCLA's victory Thursday was less a nod to spin than simply knuckling down and refusing to give up. It can be argued Arizona had little to play for - it's expected to be a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament - while a desperate UCLA was playing to keep its season alive.

But even when trailing 60-45 in the second half, the Bruins scraped and battled. Some had mistakenly accused Lavin of having quit on this team because he discussed his unofficial firing, but Thursday indicated Lavin was very much a man committed to winning, and, more importantly, had his team just as committed.

``He's taught us all year, you keep working, you keep plugging and you never know what's going to happen,'' Young said.

``He stuck with us the whole time and has been very honest with us about his position this year. I think that's going to prepare us for life. Some things aren't fair. Sometimes you get the raw deal, but he's definitely kept us motivated and strong.''

That's how crazy this day went. People came in black expecting a funeral, and instead stumbled into a lovefest.

``This team kept fighting,'' forward Jason Kapono said. ``It speaks volumes to Coach Lavin and his grit.''

Lavin praised seniors Young and Kapono, and talked of creating an opportunity to do ``something special'' with a group he has enjoyed despite this season's ordeal.

``There is something likable about this group,'' he said. ``They're like the `Bad News Bears.' And they ended up winning as I recall.

``People assume because you're losing games, you're going to lose your job, that somehow you'd be upset that the kids let you down. It's been just the opposite. They've been remarkable in their resilience, their attitude and their togetherness through a really difficult situation.''

Few things could prove as remarkable as UCLA upsetting an Arizona team that it lost to twice by a combined 71 points. The way things have gone for Lavin, they likely lose to Oregon tonight. Or the absurdity continues.