CINCINNATI -- Bob Huggins embraced a referee and crouched calmly at courtside for the first few minutes. His newfound serenity didn't last very long.

	Bob Huggins, right, yelled at officials and players despite suffering a massive heart attack six weeks ago.

Seven minutes, to be exact.

In his first game since a massive heart attack, Cincinnati's basketball coach acted nothing like a cardiac patient. He ranted at officials and players alike and kicked the scorer's table during a 71-51 exhibition victory Saturday night over Northern Kentucky.

Six weeks to the day that he collapsed in Pittsburgh's airport, the 49-year-old coach took the court dressed in all black -- except for the snakeskin boots -- and lived up to his promise that he wasn't going to be any different.

All it took was a few minutes of bad basketball to make his temper boil.

"It was excruciating,'' said Huggins, who sipped a diet soda and munched on carrots and celery afterward.

He was unusually calm at the outset.

Referee Steve Welmer, a longtime friend who has played in Huggins' golf tournaments, embraced him during pregame warmups. They talked for a couple of minutes, shared a laugh and warmly shook hands.

Welmer left messages for Huggins during his recovery, but hadn't seen him since the attack.

"Even though we're referee and coach, we're still good friends,'' Welmer said.

Bearcats radio broadcaster Chuck Machock held up a plastic container of vegetables and waved it at Huggins, drawing a laugh. Huggins has been told to watch his diet, exercise daily and get plenty of rest to help his heart.

Huggins' face was drawn and he looked tired at the end of a long week of travel for the Conference USA media previews in Chicago and daily three-hour practices.

"He looked a little thinner and a little more relaxed,'' Northern Kentucky coach Ken Shields said. "It's easier to be relaxed in an exhibition. We're going to see Huggs be Huggs and he's not going to change.''

Huggins crouched at the corner of the bench for the first three minutes of a ragged exhibition against a Division II team, saying nothing as the Bearcats fumbled around.

As the mistakes mounted, Huggins winced, wiped his hand across his face and let his anger simmer. Finally, he could hold it in no more.

At 12:32 of the first half, Huggins called a 30-second timeout so he could scream at Rod Flowers. Huggins locked his eyes on the junior forward and waved a finger in front of his face during the extended scolding.

A few seconds later, Huggins erupted at official James Breeding over a charge call. He also went off on official Brent Hampton before Cincinnati ended the half up 34-22.

The Bearcats have only one full-time starter back from a team that went 31-4 and lost to UCLA in the second round of the NCAA tournament. Their inexperience showed in defensive breakdowns and a stagnant offense that drew Huggins' ire.

"We didn't do anything we worked on,'' Huggins said. "Guys weren't where they were supposed to be.''

He kept his players in the locker room instead of letting them warm up for the start of the second half, making sure they knew he wasn't happy.

"He was screaming and yelling that we aren't playing good,'' senior guard Taron Barker said. "He was just Huggs.''

Huggins removed his black jacket -- a sure sign of his displeasure -- as his players returned to the court for the second half. Five minutes later, he came on the court during a timeout and screamed at Breeding.

When the Bearcats gave up an uncontested 3-pointer, he wheeled and kicked the advertising panel on the scorer's table that displayed the logo of a chili parlor.

Huggins sat on the table with his arms crossed during the closing minutes of the unimpressive showing. Leonard Stokes, who led Cincinnati with 19 points, wasn't surprised that Huggins got so carried away only six weeks after a heart attack.

"We're past that,'' Stokes said. "He's going fine. What happened is in the back of our minds.''

For most of his return, Huggins was in their faces.

"I don't think anybody played very well,'' he said.