COLLEGE BASKETBALL / NCAA MEN’S TOURNAMENT : TODAY’S GAMES

For the Cincinnati Bearcats, the real season begins in March.

“Our focus from October 15th on is to get ready to play well this time of the year,” Coach Bob Huggins said. “A lot of the things we do lend themselves to playing well this time of year.”

Cincinnati (22-11), a Final Four team three years ago and in the NCAA tournament for the fourth time in a row under Huggins, takes on Connecticut (26-4) in today’s second round of the West Regional at Salt Lake City.

The Bearcats (22-11) eliminated Temple, 77-71, in Thursday’s opening round, and Connecticut (26-4) opened with a 15-0 run to overwhelm Tennessee Chattanooga, 100-71.

Texas (23-6) takes on Maryland (25-7) in today’s other game at the Huntsman Center.

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Miami University (23-6) and its loud, ticket-buying fans are only 45 miles from Dayton, Ohio, site of the school’s NCAA Midwest regional second-round game today against Virginia (23-8).

And Virginia Coach Jeff Jones isn’t too happy about it. “I don’t think it’s fair,” Jones said. “It’s definitely an advantage for Miami. That’s one of the things we’ll have to deal with.”

Dealing with Miami (23-6) isn’t one of the things that 13th-ranked Virginia (23-8) was counting on. Miami, regular-season champion of the Mid-American Conference, upset 15th-ranked Arizona, 71-62, in Thursday’s opening round.

The other second-round game will pit fifth-ranked Kansas (24-5) against No. 21 Western Kentucky (27-3). The top-seeded Jayhawks defeated Colgate, 82-68, and Western Kentucky overcame a 14-point deficit in the final 8 1/2 minutes of regulation to top Michigan, 82-76, in overtime.

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Manhattan beat a team with comparable skill and style in the first round of the NCAA Southeast Regional at Memphis, Tenn. The 13th-seeded Jaspers (26-4) won’t find today’s matchup against the pressure of Arizona State (23-8) as much to their liking.

The fifth-seeded Sun Devils (23-8) are far more athletic than Oklahoma, and they play a pressing, fast-paced game.

Arizona State center Mario Bennett, however, belied that when asked what he knew about Manhattan. “I know they beat the hell out of Oklahoma,” he said. “That’s about all you need to know.”

Top-seeded Kentucky (26-4) did the same to Mount St. Mary’s of Maryland in the first round, winning, 113-67.