Game Preview: USC at UCLA

(photo: USCTrojans.com)
USC (15-6, 6-3) at UCLA (17-4, 7-2)-- Wednesday 2/4, 7:30pm on FSN

In the first meeting, the bRuins defeated the Trojans 64-60 at the Galen Center, improving to (3-0) in the Pac-10 and delivering another heartbreaking defeat to USC fans. Adding insult to injury, the Trojans are now 0-for-3 at Galen against fucla. USC, coming off a disappointing loss at Oregon State, fell to (1-2) in the Pac-10 after that loss and faced an uphill climb in the conference standings. The fucla game was a hard fought battle between two bitter rivals. It looked as though it would be a long night for the Trojans as USC fell behind early 19-8, but they fought their way back. The Trojans finished the first half strong and cut the bRuins lead to 33-31 at the half. USC came out strong in the second half, using a 12-0 run to take a 43-37 lead with 15:19 minutes left in the game. However, playing without forward Leonard Washington, the Trojans appeared to run out of gas at the end. Guard Dwight Lewis had a night to forget, finishing 2-for-11 from the field and getting beat numerous times defensively. Nonetheless, USC played hard all game and showed just how good it can be, despite Lewis' struggles and a short bench. Since then, Coach Tim Floyd has guided the Trojans to wins in 5 out of the last 6, including a sweep of the Arizona and Bay Area schools at home. The only loss during that stretch was to Washington, who is tied with fucla for 1st in the Pac-10. Both the bRuins and the Trojans have been playing well lately, so it will be interesting to see how the return game at pauley pavilion unfolds.

More after the jump!

Lack of depth was a problem for the Trojans in the first match up. As mentioned above, Washington was out with an ankle injury, but at the time USC did not have the bench play that it has gotten recently out of players like Marcus Johnson and Nikola Vucevic. Taj Gibson got into foul trouble early in the first half, but the Trojans played through it thanks to Demar Derozan and his 11 first half points. The Trojans bench is much better now, but as you've probably read by now, Johnson's status for Wednesday is questionable with a right shoulder injury. Ben Howland usually goes 9-10 players deep in his rotation, so hopefully Marcus will be ready to go. Assuming Johnson is close to 100%, the Trojans will be healthy, something that it was not in the first game. The bench will be key in this game, but the following is what I believe will determine to game.

USC Game Plan

(1) Avoid Turnovers. First and foremost, USC must handle fucla's defensive pressure and limit the turnovers. In their last game versus Stanford, fucla forced 19 turnovers that resulted in 25 points and a 97-63 blow out victory of the Cardinal. USC's guards have been shaky all season in the turnover department, but they have been doing a better job of taking care of the ball. In the first match up against the bRuins, USC did a pretty good job protecting the ball, turning it over only 8 times. The players must be strong with the ball and not make any lazy passes. Protecting the ball will also limit fucla's transition opportunities and fastbreak points, something there offense relies upon. Coach Floyd needs to really stress this in practice and tell his players to help the ballhandler when Howland decides to pressure the ball.
(photo: SCPlaybook.com)

(2) Don't Let Collison Beat You. This might be equally important to #1. The Trojans must contain bRuins point guard Darren Collison, who carved USC's defense for 18 points and 6 assists in the last meeting. He is not only their leader, but he is the facillitator of that offense. How Collison goes, usually the bRuins go. I don't care how USC defends him, as long as Floyd does not put Lewis on him again. Lewis struggles mightily against smaller, quicker players and had lots of trouble staying in front of Collison during the first meeting at Galen. Collison is one of the best point guards in the country, but I believe Floyd and his staff will have a sound defensive game plan for him.
(photo: LATimes.com)

(3) Defend the 3. Next, USC must defend the perimeter with the same intensity that they did against Cal. This is not easy to accomplish. It requires toughness and determination. Perimeter defense means fighting through screens, communicating defensively, and rotating when the ball is passed around. If the Trojans can contain the 3 point shooting, then they will negate another important part of fucla's offense. Nikola Dragovich, who made 3 from beyond the arc in the first match up, has been deadly from outside in the past few games. If the Trojans surrender open looks from 3 against a team who thrives at home, then it will be a long night.
(photo: ESPN.com)

(4) One more thing...BELIEVE! The Trojans have gone toe-to-toe with fucla the last several meetings. The bRuins are not invincible (right Florida?). Remember last season? Davon Jefferson and company marched into pauley pavilion last year and stomped the bRuins 72-63. It's time for Trojans and bRuins again. Let's hoop it up!


Fight On! Beat the bRuins!

USC's Marcus Johnson Questionable vs bRuins

(photo: SCPlaybook.com)

Just when the Trojan basketball team appears to be getting healthy and playing its best basketball, news came Monday that senior guard/forward Marcus Johnson's status is questionable for Wednesday's big showdown in Westwood. The former UConn transfer has seen his minutes increase with each game since becoming eligible in December and has been a key contributor for a USC team that has won 5 of its last 6 games and 10 of its last 13. Johnson is being treated for a right shoulder injury, so hopefully it is not serious and he can get back as soon as possible. The Trojans currently sit in third place in the Pac-10, just one game behind conference leading Washington and fucla, but need a full squad to be able to pull of the upset. More after the jump!

After a handful of games, Marcus has become my favorite player on the team. The former Westchester High star brings some of the same toughness that his old high school teammates like USC's own Gabe Pruitt and the Lakers' Trevor Ariza provide. Like Pruitt and Ariza, Johnson is an outstanding defender and electrifying in the open court. We've all seen his amazing dunks by now (check the previous post), so maybe his shoulder is sore from dunking on people. Or maybe he injured himself on this play, where he blocked a dunk attempt by Cal's Jordan Wilkes...

(photo: LATimes.com)

He also has a quiet, but confident demeanor that I like about him. Check out this short interview with Marcus following the Cal game last Saturday.



Get healthy soon Marcus.

Fight On! Beat the bRuins!

Hate Week Begins

It's fUCLA week. Cheers to that.

Owned.

USC can't hold on, ucla wins 57-54

USC came up just short on Friday against the hated bruins and will now wait for their NCAA Tournament opponent and destination on Sunday's CBS Selection Show. Many will remember O.J. Mayo, playing in what could be his first and only Pac-10 Tournament, miss the potential game-tying 3-point attempt at the end of regulation, but that is not why the Trojans lost this game. It was a tale of two halves, but USC's brilliant 1st half performance was matched by ucla in the 2nd half. I was there in Staples Center, among mostly bruins fans, and it a tough loss to swallow. I want to reflect on this one before we move forward to the "Big Dance," when it really matters.
This game was decided when the bruins went on a 17-2 run that turned an 8-point deficit into a 7 point lead. USC put itself in a position where they had to play catchup for the entire 2nd half. That is a shame because right before that 17-2 bruins run, USC was rolling. Davon Jefferson led all scorers with 12 points at the half, and Keith Wilkinson came off the bench to hit back to back 3 pointers that put USC ahead 30-22. USC had its foot on ucla's throat, leading 34-26 in the waning seconds of the first half. Ucla was down a starter after Luc Richard Mbah a Moute left the game with an ankle injury, and freshman sensation Kevin Love had been a non-factor to that point. The Trojans were the aggressors on both sides of the court and stifled the bruins with their "triangle and 2" defense, forcing the bruins to settle for shots from the perimeter.
Momentum, however, was about to shift to the enemies from Westwood. Just before halftime, ucla's Darren Collison raced down the court and put up a desparation shot at the buzzer that sank to the bottom of the net, cutting the Trojans' lead to 34-28, and ucla was to have possession to start the 2nd half. The bruins scored a lay-up on their first possession and then stole the inbounds pass for another lay up. The Trojans were stunned as their lead was cut to 34-32. That's when Kevin Love took over, scoring the bruins' next 11 points to cap off the 17-2 run to give the bruins an insurmountable 41-34 lead. Davon Jefferson was scoreless in the 2nd half and committed 4 turnovers in the game. Taj Gibson was frustrated by ucla's aggresive double teams and finished with a lowly 5 points and 4 turnovers.

The bruins just outplayed us in the 2nd half, mostly due to Kevin Love, who finished with a game high 19 points and 10 rebounds. Bruins coach Ben Howland adjusted well to the triangle and 2 defense and forced Tim Floyd to abandon it and play a traditional man to man defense down the stretch. The bruins then held on and survived a late flurry from Mayo who scored 5 straight points to cut the lead to 2 at 54-52. After an exchange of free throws, USC trailed by only 3 at 57-54, and the stage was set for a classic finish. Mayo would have become an instant legend if he could have buried that 3 pointer over Josh Shipp. I would have liked our chances in overtime, especially after weathering the storm and battling back to tie the game, but instead he'll have to wait for Mayo to pull of some March Madness magic in the NCAA Tournament.

Fight On!
[photos] courtesy of: LA Times

USC vs ucla: Final Look

First of all, our guys played hard and battled all night, but with that being said, we still lost. I'm not going to beat a dead animal though, RG3 had a great post-game right up in the previous post, so my focus in on the things that Coach Floyd and his staff can improve upon. I'm hoping we see these assholes again at Staples Center for the Pac-10 Tournament, but we still have 6 more regular season games to play, let's not get carried away. I do however, want to go back to the 3 keys to the game, that I posted prior to the game. Well, USC failed in all three of them so let's re-visit those items because the Trojans definitely need to correct them as they close out conference play and head into the post season.

(1) Davon Jefferson -- I mentioned that USC needed to feed the ball inside early and often, and we did that. However, it was Taj Gibson carrying us by himself. Jefferson picked up 2 early fouls that took him right out of the game. He sat the final 8 minutes of the 1st half and never caught fire in the 2nd half. Keith Wilkinson filled in admirably for him, and Taj played his heart out, but USC just isn't the same team with Jefferson watching on the bench. Maybe this will help Jefferson learn how to play with foul trouble and how to avoid silly fouls.

(2) Slow the Game Down -- This was a very big problem for the Trojans last night. O.J. Mayo seemed to be in a hurry all night and made several rushed decisions that led to his 10 turnovers. Point guard Angelo Johnson looked timid out there, maybe the game was moving too fast for him. USC needs to play more under control, especially without their leader and floor general Daniel Hackett. Coach Floyd didn't rest any of our 3 guards last night, he needs to take advantage of the media timeouts and get these guys some rest. Ryan Wetherell is a scrappy player and can buy our team a minute or two of game time. I'd like to see Coach Floyd use him a little about against Oregon's small lineup.

(3) Defensive Rebounding -- Taj Gibson and O.J. Mayo finished the game with 12 and 9 rebounds, respectively. However, fucla managed to grab 19 offensive rebounds. That, coupled with USC's 22 turnovers is why they were able to overcome their poor shooting night (34%). The Trojans were getting defensive stops, but when the opponent attempts 21 more field goals, and make more free throws than we attempted, a loss should not be too surprising. USC is playing excellent defense, now they just have to put it together by winning the defensive glass.

There were some things from this game that Coach Floyd and his staff can build on as we get closer and closer to March. USC is (15-9 overall, 6-6 in the Pac-10) with 6 games remaining. The Trojans close out the current 3 game homestand by hosting Oregon on Thursday and Oregon State on Saturday, then visit the Arizona schools the following week, before closing out the regular season at home against California and Stanford. I believe 20 wins is more than enough to get USC into the Big Dance, so that means winning 4 more regular season games and advancing to the semifinal of the Pac-10 Tournament. This team is not built for winning 3 games on 3 consecutive nights, so the Trojans need to take care of business in the regular season and not put themselves in a position where they have to win the Pac-10 Tourney to get in. Our run towards March Madness is in full swing and continues Thursday against the visiting Ducks. Let's pack the Galen Center again, our guys will need it against a very explosive Oregon team that is also fighting for a berth in the NCAA Tournament.

Fight On!

USC 46 fUCLA 56

There's only one picture to sum up last night's game:

A teabag?

The Galen Center was electric last night as the crosstown rivalry was renewed for another game between our schools. USC came out with black jerseys, which looked pretty tight. Unfortunately for us, USC was on the losing end. OJ Mayo was held to only 4 points and committed 10 turnovers. It was a shame because the rest of the team was fighting and clawing their way all over the court, but Mayo just didn't show up tonight. Taj Gibson had a big game with 16 points, 12 rebounds and an effort that we hadn't seen all season. Jefferson was in early foul trouble that didn't allow him to get into any rhythm. I understand that we can't expect Mayo to shoot lights out every game, but even superstars have bad shooting nights. All of us at USC Sports Talk were critical of Mayo because it looked like he just wasn't trying out there. Case in point, we present you Exhibit A:

A great effort on defense.

If his shot wasn't on tonight, the least he could do was play ferocious defense or make smarter passes. There were at least 200 errant passes by Mayo last night.

Another thing I blame for this loss is the lack of intensity by the scumbag students who were sitting over the UCLA tunnel. We got there kind of late, so we didn't get the tunnel seats that we had been longing for all season. Part of the home court advantage is having those handful of students who make the night miserable for opposing coaches and players by yelling every obscenity they can think of. The assholes around the tunnel were in their seats the whole fucking game. The fUCLA players weren't assaulted with a barrage of insults when they were walking in or out of the tunnel. We needed people who would remind Love that the Beach Boys suck and that he's fat. We needed people who would berate Shipp for being a piece of shit. The scumbags around the tunnel failed in that mission. It was also bullshit how the students right above the tunnel were none other than Kevin Ellison, Kevin Thomas, Cary Harris and Marc Tyler, all of them part of our football team. If anything, the rivalry should mean a lot more to them as players, but instead they were fucking sitting down the whole fucking game.

Our shitty seats didn't stop us from going down to the tunnel when the game was over. We were able to get front and center over the tunnel to yell all of that hate down onto the fUCLA players. We know they all heard us because of the smiles and acknowledgments we got from Mbah a Moute, Keefe, Westbrook, Collision and Shipp. I also have a new most hated player: Michael Roll. I was too busy calling Shipp a fucking cunt, when Roll straight up stopped and yelled something at us. I really wish I knew what that piece of shit had said, but I didn't catch it. If he's reading this, please comment on the post.

Fuck you, Michael Roll.

It was a tough loss, but our players need to bounce back and regroup in the remaining Pac-10 games if they want to have any chance of making the NCAA tournament in March. Fuck Michael Roll.

USC vs ucla: Keys to the Game

The fiercest rivalry in college sports continues tonight at the Galen Center as the Trojans go for the season sweep over the hated bRUINS. USC comes into this game extremely thin at the guard position after the injury to Daniel Hackett, but the atmosphere should be electric and should give our guys the spark they need to pull this one out. Westwood College is reeling after dropping their last game at Washington and could also be a man short if forward Luc Richard Mbah a Moute can't go tonight. Don't expect USC to shoot 61% from the field like they did in the first game, but do expect Coach Howland to make several adjustments for his bRUINS. All the signs point to fucla winning this game, but don't think for a second that they are going to come in here and dominate on our home court. The contributors to this blog will be there, loud and proud, and making life hell for the bRUINS all night. Tim Floyd is an excellent head coach and his staff will undoubtedly put together another nice game-plan like we've seen them do before. Here's what I believe are the keys to tonight's game (in order of importance).

(1) Davon Jefferson -- The freshman forward had a monster game in the first meeting at Pauley, throwing down 25 points to go with 9 rebounds and this thunderous dunk that sealed the game...
We need more of that from Davon and less of his pre-game chatter as DC Trojan pointed out over on Conquest Chronicles. He's put himself on the spot with his nonsense, but he needs to assert himself into the game early. USC needs to feed him in the post, where one of 2 things will happen, isolation on Alfred Aboya or Kevin Love, or he'll likely get double teamed. If Davon gets doubled, he can then look to Taj Gibson underneath for a dunk or kick it out for an open three. If somehow he gets a one on one matchup, he needs to go to work and get fucla's big men in foul trouble.

(2) Slow the Game Down -- The Trojans have no scholarship players coming off the bench at the guard spot, so Angelo Johnson, Dwight Lewis, and O.J. Mayo need to walk it up the court and play smart. Unless they get a clear break away lay up or a 3 on 1 opportunity, they need to play under control. Once in the half-court they need to spread out the defense and get a good shot going towards the basket. If the Trojans can get to the free throw line, they'll not only get the bRUINS in foul trouble, but they'll catch a blow and regroup for the next possession. Coach Floyd needs to use the media timeouts wisely as well, by subbing out Johnson, Lewis, and Mayo right before each media timeout which occurs at the 16, 12, 8, and 4 minute marks. If he can buy a minute of game-time, the media timeout will extend it to at least five minutes of actual time for our guards to rest.

(3) Defensive Rebounding -- Gibson and Jefferson must control the defensive boards, doing so will cause three things. First, it will eliminate easy buckets off put backs. USC's half court defense is solid, but they can't waste good defensive possessions by giving up a cheap two. Second, defensive rebounds limit the number of defensive possessions, which in turn, decreases the chances for our guys to get in foul trouble. Last, if our guys our boxing out and winning position, then we're bound to get some over the back fouls on Love and Aboya.

I think I will refrain from making any predictions, except that we have a much better chance than people think, nevertheless, this game promises to be a good one. We've had some memorable games against these cats at home the last few years, including Aaron Awful-O's heartbreaker last year, Ryan Francis leading us to victory in 2006, or Desmond Farmer playing out of his mind in our 2004 victory. Let's just say the money line for USC to win is $240 bucks, that means betting $100 wins you $240, I might just take that bet. Fuck it, let's make a prediction, it worked for Plaxico in the Super Bowl. USC wins a close one by winning the battle at the free throw line, and nestor and the rest of his misfits over at bRUINS Nation cry all week about the poor officiating.

Let's get loud and Black Out the Bruins tonight!

Fight On!

USC vs. UCLA

The USC basketball team takes on the fucla tomorrow night at the Galen Center. It should be a hard fought game, especially with USC winning the first meeting this season at Pauley. I'm sure both teams will get up for this game. USC will be without sophomore guard Daniel Hackett who is out indefinitely with a stress fracture in his lower back. Hopefully the Trojans can man up and play a well-rounded game. Davon Jefferson will need another monster game and OJ Mayo will have to be smart with his shot selection if the Trojans hope to come out victorious. We all expect a noisy crowd and I'm sure there will be a lot of venomous remarks aimed at the bRuin bench tomorrow. I wouldn't be surprised if there are several fan ejections, maybe even arrests at the game. It should be a hell of a night. Here are a few choice images to get everyone in the right mood.


Fight On!

Why go bare, when you can go BEAR?

This item is courtesy of Sports by Brooks, and shows a fucla themed condom created by fucla alum Mike Filonczuk. He is trying to market his product and seemed to have taken this inferiority complex to a whole new level.

This is just too fucking hilarious. I'm sure this guy consulted Nestor, who probably had final say on that "go BEAR" slogan.

Fight On!

USC beats fucla 72-63: Post Game Thoughts

Davon Jefferson was an absolute beast, throwing down 25 points, pulling down 9 rebounds, and delivering some thunderous dunks in the "house that wooden built," as the Trojans ended fucla's 9 game winning streak with a 72-63 victory this afternoon. O.J. Mayo chipped in 16 points and 4 assists for the Trojans, who improved their overall record to (11-6) and (2-3) in the Pac-10.

Congratulations to our team, what a great win for the Trojans and Coach Tim Floyd. I have to admit, I had my doubts about this game, especially with the team's recent attitude and lack of focus. Following the WSU loss, which dropped the Trojans to (0-3) in Pac-10 play, Daniel Hackett said that the team quit against the Cougars. That statement was very concerning to USC fans because that game was very competitive in the first half, and when WSU made their run in the 2nd hafl, the Trojans just laid down. Furthermore, Davon Jefferson was suspended for that game for undisclosed reasons. The season looked grim with this trip to Pauley on deck. This was not how USC wanted to start conference play, conference play is supposed to challenge you and make you a better to team and prepare you for March Madness, but instead our team was unraveling.

Fast forward to today though and you saw a completely different team, the one that outplayed #3Kansas and #2Memphis for the better part of those games. This win over fucla may be a season changing game for the Trojans. I know it's early and USC is still only (2-3) in the Pac-10, but more importantly, they now have some confidence going into the final stretch of the season. This team was able to suck it up and grind out a win, something it failed to do in their losses to Kansas and Memphis. Even more glorious is the fact that we were able to beat those hated fucla ruins.

Nestor's misfits across town are having difficulty coping with defeat, but there are some classy bruin fans that can take the game for exactly what it is...a game. Here's the game summary from the eyes of BN poster jbcoach:

An embarrasing effort on the part of our Bruins today. USC looked like the poised team down the stretch, and we looked horrible. We had a 6-7 point lead and all of the sudden our shot selection became atrocious. We were just jacking stuff up and nobody stepped up. Love, Collison, and Shipp cannot do it all. Westbrook, Keefe, Aboya, etc have got to step us offensively and contribute, or this is gonna happen again. USC wanted it more, congrats to them.

by jbcoach on Sat Jan 19, 2008 at 05:44:05 PM EDT

Once again, congratulations to Coach Floyd and the Trojans for this hard fought win. USC hits the road again next week for games at the Oregon schools, so let's stay behind the team and cheer them on all the way to the end.

Fight On!

photos: courtesy of Yahoo! Sports and LA Times