UCLA PREVIEW: PARALLEL WORLDS TO COLLIDE UCLA, BALL ST. HAVE HAD SIMILAR STRUGGLES.

Byline: Jon Wilner Staff Writer

All the possible opponents, all the disparate styles and philosophies, all the distinctive problems and personalties, and for its first-round opponent UCLA draws . . . its fraternal twin.

Mid-season swoons? Ball State knows all about them. Fast finishes to make the NCAA Tournament? Ball State's was blinding. Gifted freshman? Ball State's got one. Stellar late-season guard play? Ball State has it.

Victory over Purdue? Ball State's got one of those, too.

``It'll be a great game,'' said Purdue assistant coach Jay Price, whose team lost to UCLA by two points and to Ball State by 20. ``Ball State is very athletic, and they play with a lot of emotion. They have scorers. They play decent defense, and they're hard-nosed. They won't be intimidated by UCLA.''

Both teams started well. UCLA was 8-2; Ball State was 10-1. Both lost six of seven games during conference play and seemed destined for the NIT. Both regrouped, then finished with a rush. The Bruins won their final six games. Ball State has won 11 of its last 12, including three in the Mid-American Conference tournament.

The Cardinals (22-8) haven't won an NCAA game since 1990, but they're eager to join the MAC's tournament success. Its members have won first- round games in four of the last five years: Miami-Ohio beat No. 5 seed Arizona in 1995 and No. 7 Washington last year; Eastern Michigan beat No. 8 seed Duke in 1996; and Western Michigan beat No. 6 Clemson in 1998.

``The MAC is very underrated as a conference,'' Price said. ``We've played a lot of MAC schools, and they all have good coaches and good players. Their starting fives are good. Depth is the one place they tend to struggle. But Ball State is deep.''

As are the Bruins. The similarities don't end there. UCLA freshman forward Jason Kapono leads the team in scoring and was named Pac-10 co-freshman of the year. Ball State freshman forward Theron Smith is the Cardinals' top rebounder (7.7 per game) and No. 2 scorer (12.4 per game), and he was named MAC freshman of the year.

``He's a high-Division I player,'' Price said. ``He could definitely play in the Big Ten.''

Just as junior guard Earl Watson fueled UCLA's late-season charge - he's averaging six assists and 2.7 turnovers during the winning streak - so did Ball State senior guard Duane Clemens guide the Cardinals to the MAC title.

Clemens, 6-feet, is an athletic left-hander who averaged 21.6 points in the MAC tournament and played the season with his grandfather's obituary folded in his sock.

``He's taken every big shot for us,'' Cardinals point guard Mickey Hosier said. ``He's a skinny kid, but he finds a way to put the ball in the basket. He's our leader, and we're going to ride him.''

Just as UCLA's February slump strengthened its resolve, so did Ball State's January spiral create the cohesion needed for its remarkable finish. The problems began with two consecutive triple-overtime defeats (to Eastern Michigan and Miami-Ohio).

``That really affected us, and then we played four games in (nine) days,'' Hosier said. ``But we had a week off to practice and get our confidence back, and we started rolling.''

Although similar, the teams are not identical.

Ball State is tough and tenacious every game. UCLA is prone to lethargy.

Ball State is an excellent 3-point shooting team with a passable inside attack. UCLA is an inconsistent 3-point shooting team that favors its frontcourt.

Ball State's big men do not have NBA talent. UCLA's do.

Ball State does not have four McDonald's All-Americans. UCLA does.

``UCLA is capable of putting it together and talented enough to make a Final Four run,'' Ball State coach Ray McCallum said. ``A lot of times teams go through adversity and come together.''

He should know.

KEYS TO VICTORY

FOR UCLA

1. Play with passion. When the Bruins play hard, they win. When they don't, they lose. Ball State's greatest attribute is its tenacity.

2. Perimeter defense. Ball State shoots 40 percent from 3-point range. The Bruins can't give an inch of shooting space, or the Cardinals will fire away.

3. Use its size. With one player over 6-foot-8, Ball State lacks the manpower to stop Dan Gadzuric and Jerome Moiso if they're involved in the offense.

FOR BALL STATE

1. Good start. An early lead would do wonders for the Cardinals' confidence and get UCLA thinking about last year's first-round loss.

2. Hit the boards. The Cardinals were outrebounded 38.1-36.8 by their opponents this season. If they give high-flying UCLA second shots, they're in deep trouble.

3. Interior defense. The Cardinals must contain Gadzuric and Moiso and force the Bruins to win the game from 3-point range. They couldn't last year against Detroit. Tournament pressure has a way of affecting shooting percentages.

- Jon Wilner

CAPTION(S):

photo, box

Photo: Ball State and UCLA - including Jason Kapono, left, Rico Hines, center - have had many of the same problems this season.

E.J. Flynn/Associated Press

Box: KEYS TO VICTORY (see text)