UTAH STATE IN BATTLE GARB.

Byline: Billy Witz Staff Writer

GREENSBORO, N.C. - UCLA's newfound image as a leather-necked, working-class team will be put to the test today when the Bruins face a team whose blue collars aren't button-down Oxfords.

The fourth-seeded Bruins meet 12th-seeded Utah State today at approximately 1 p.m. in a second-round game of the East Regional.

If UCLA brings its gold shoes and its highlight-reel dunks, the Aggies promise to bring their lunch pails.

``They'll definitely win warmups, that's for sure,'' Utah State reserve swingman Brennan Ray said. ``When I picture blue collar, I think about working down in the trenches, putting on your work boots and going down to the factory.''

Does he think about UCLA?

``No,'' he said. ``Not really.''

Said Utah State's Curtis Bobb: ``They're a good team and they get after you, but I don't think they're a hard-nosed team.''

In fact, these teams really couldn't be more different.

When Utah State's five starters were asked at a news conference if any of them received recruiting letters from UCLA, only one of them answered.

``I got a letter for football,'' said point guard Bernard Rock, a New York City native.

While UCLA has three McDonald's All-Americans, the only Aggie who could claim that distinction is 6-foot-6, 260-pound forward Shawn Daniels, and he did it at the counter.

Where the Aggies make their mark is with their defense. They've held opponents to 39 percent shooting and against Ohio State they forced 21 turnovers in a 77-68 overtime upset of the No. 5 seed.

``They're a hard-nosed team,'' said UCLA guard Jason Flowers, who played against Utah State for two seasons at UC Irvine. ``Defense is their trademark and they play hard every possession. That'll be the challenge for us.''

Utah State coach Stew Morrill, who succeeded Larry Eustachy in Logan, has been able to blend a mixture of JC transfers with a Belgian center and a couple of Utah natives into a cohesive, defend-first unit.

It's a group that's gone 56-11 the last two seasons, winning more games than anyone in the country but Duke.

``We definitely have to have them buy in,'' Morrill said. ``The three things that have given us a chance to win 56 games in the last two years is that they've bought in defensively, they've been coachable and they've been unselfish.

``They learn in a real hurry that defensive mistakes will cost you minutes. The kids have to buy into that.''

UCLA has won grind-it-out games over Cal, Oregon State and Hofstra in recent weeks, but it's clear the Bruins swallow those kind of wins as if they were medicine - only if someone makes them.

``This is more difficult than Ohio State,'' said UCLA coach Steve Lavin, whose team was held to a season-low point total in the 61-48 win over Hofstra on Thursday. ``Ohio State is similar to us. Utah State plays a unique style. It's more challenging. They have great balance offensively, they space the floor, screen and change defenses.''

Lavin said Utah State reminds him most of Oregon State, but he also sees similarities to Stanford, particularly on offense. Morrill is a former assistant coach under Stanford's Mike Montgomery and succeeded him as the head coach at Montana.

UCLA has played teams that change defenses repeatedly, but they also struggled in those games early in the season - losing to Cal State Northridge and Georgia Tech, and barely beating UC Irvine.

``What Utah State will do - changing defenses, extending it, trapping the first pass - are all things we've seen,'' UCLA assistant Michael Holton said. ``That doesn't mean we won't be affected by it, but it won't be new.''

While the Aggies play mostly man-to-man defense, they were in a zone for about half the time against Ohio State. The Buckeyes often became tentative when the Aggies threw new wrinkles at them.

``The more you think, the more you're in trouble,'' UCLA guard Ray Young said.

One way for UCLA to solve Utah State's defense is to not let them get into it. In other words, force a transition game with their press.

However, Utah State turned the ball over a scant five times against Ohio State, which did not press.

``We've faced every style you can play,'' UCLA forward Matt Barnes said. ``We're definitely trying to get the game to our tempo, our favor. They're a good team, they're very patient. We're going to try to create tempo by pressing, hopefully it works.''

If so, the Bruins may prove that image isn't everything.

UCLA-Utah State Matchup

UCLA USU 

Record 22-8 28-5

Avg. Pts. 80.2 71.3

Opp. Avg. Pts. 75.2 57.1

Margin 5.0 14.2

FG Pct. .463 .493

Opp. FG Pct. .443 .390

3-Pt. FG Pct. .354 .396

Opp. 3-Pt. FG Pct. .319.306

3-Pt. FG-Game 6.0 5.9

Opp. 3-Pt. FG-Game 6.5 5.5

FT Pct. .667 .673

Rebound Margin 2.2 4.2

TO Diff. 1.7 1.3

Avg Steals 7.7 6.4

Avg Blocks 3.9 3.9

UCLA vs. UTAH STATE

Tipoff: 1 p.m., at Greensboro Coliseum

TV/Radio: Ch. 2; 1150-AM

UCLA (22-8) update: The Bruins can count on a bounce-back game from Jason Kapono, who scored seven points and made just 1 of 5 3-pointers against Hofstra. In the six previous games Kapono has been held to single digits, he's averaged 20.8 points in the following game. If UCLA advances to the Sweet 16, no team will have enjoyed an easier road than the Bruins, who have played a No. 12 and 13 seed.

Utah State (28-5) update: The No. 12 seed Aggies won their first tournament game since 1970 and the first for the Big West since 1993. Since 1980, ten No. 12s have advanced to the Sweet 16. The Aggies enjoy great balance - their starters all average between 11.8 and 8.8 points. Bernard Rock, the MVP of the Big West Tournament, scored 18 points against Ohio State and had no trouble driving to the basket.

-Billy Witz

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2 boxes

Box: (1) UCLA-Utah State Matchup (see text)

(2) UCLA vs. UTAH STATE (see text)