USC 59 Arizona State 55

USC handled the Sun Devils and now sets its eyes on the hated bruins for a semifinal game today at 6pm (PST). Some people have said the refs gave this game to the Trojans after ASU's Jeff Pendergraph was called for an over the back foul with 16 seconds left in the game and the Trojans leading 57-55. Instead of tying the game, Pendergraph received his 5th foul and USC's Davon Jefferson hit both free throws that virtually sealed the win for the Trojans. Although I agree that it was a bad call, to say the refs gave the game away is not fair to the Trojans. USC played some terrific defense down the stretch, limiting the Sun Devils to 28.6% shooting in the 2nd half and not allowing a field goal in the last 9:35 of the game. Daniel Hackett frustrated ASU's James Harden all game long as he shot 6-13 from the field for 16 points. O.J. Mayo turned in another solid performance with 23 points and 6 assists. Just win and move on to the next round, that's what March Madness is all about and that's what the team did yesterday.

Now it's on to today's semifinal matchup against ucla. Throw out the records and seedings in this game. I like USC's chances but if they are to win, they need to cut down significantly on the turnovers. USC's 19 turnovers yesterday led to 24 points for the Sun Devils. We all remember O.J. Mayo's forgettable stat line against the bruins at the Galen Center -- 4 points, 10 turnovers. To say that Mayo has rebounded nicely since that game would be an understatement. Both teams have been on a tear lately, USC having won 6 of 7 and ucla having won 8 in a row. Missing from the last contest was Daniel Hackett, who should be a big factor today defensively. PCBestever and I will be there, albeit in the nose-bleed section, but we'll be there supporting our guys. Remeber tip-off is at 6pm.

Fight On! Beat the bruins!!

Pac-10 Tournament Underway

The Pac-10 Conference Tournament got underway last night with 9th seeded Cal defeating 8th seeded Washington 84-81 in a very entertaining game. The Cal-Berkeley Golden Bears will now get another crack at top-seeded ucla today at about 2:30pm. In the nightcap, 7th seeded Arizona blew past 10th seeded Oregon State 87-56 and now sets up a key game against #2 Stanford later tonight.

USC tips off against Arizona State at noon (PST) and will look to avenge their March 1st loss in Tempe. The Sun Devils defeated the Trojans 80-66 and a controversial game where the Devils shot what seemed like 100 free throws to about 5 for USC. The key for the Trojans will be stopping freshman sensation James Harden, who had his way with Dwight Lewis in the last meeting, finishing with 24 points. You can catch the action on FSN. We'll be back tonight with a post-game write up.

Fight On! Beat the Devils!

Trojans fall at ASU 80-66

It had all the makings of a classic "trap game." USC didn't appear to want this game as bad as Arizona State did, and it showed in the final box score. ASU played like their backs were against the wall, got a few fortunate calls from the refs, and got seemingly every break in the contest. Most of the Trojans simply failed to show up yesterday. Dwight Lewis looked timid offensively and got dominated defensively by ASU's James Harden, who finished with 24 points on 7 for 8 shooting. Forwards Davon Jefferson, Taj Gibson, and Keith Wilkinson combined for a total of 13 points and each fouled out of the game. Guards Angelo Johnson and Daniel Hackett played hard, but they also had their fair share struggles offensively with only 9 combined points and 7 turnovers. There is one Trojan who stepped up his game though. Freshman guard O.J. Mayo carried the Trojans all game and finished with a career high 37 points, which included a sizzling 7-10 from 3-point land and 6-7 from the free throw line. Mayo has been on an absolute tear since that forgettable game he had against the bruins. He is now peaking at the right time and is prepping himself for a nice tournament run. Here's a nice quote from Sun Devils Coach Herb Sendek on Mayo's performance:

"He was incredible," Sendek said. "You have to understand, we're emphasizing him, and he's still getting 37."

Still, Mayo was disappointed in the loss, and showed his maturity again by calling this a team loss. Here's O.J. Mayo's post-game quote summarizing the Trojan defeat:

"We lost our poise," Mayo said. "We had some intentional fouls and some technical fouls and just kind of unraveled and lost our poise as a team."

Despite the loss, the Trojans earned themselves a nice split on the road trip to Arizona. USC missed an opportunity to take sole possession of 3rd place in the Pac-10 following Washington State's loss to Stanford. If we finish tied for third with the Cougars, they would win the tie-breaker by virtue of their season sweep over us this season. So all focus should go towards locking up 4th place and securing our NCAA Tournament bid. Paragon said it best over at Conquest Chronicles:

A win over either Cal or Stanford ensures 10 wins in the Pac-10 and a 4th place finish, which would pretty much ensure a birth in the tournament, as no 10-win Pac-10 team has ever missed the tournament.

I want to see a packed house this weekend at Galen Center, starting this Thursday against Cal. This is USC's final homestand, as well as the last two games of the regular season. March is here fellas, let the madness begin...

Fight On! Beat the Bears!

USC aims to bounce back without Hackett

The USC Trojan basketball team will try to split this home series against the Arizona schools tonight as they take on the Arizona State Sun Devils. To do so, they will have to rebound from that tough 80-69 loss on Thursday to Arizona. Complicating matters further will be the absence of Daniel Hackett, whose presence was sorely missed in the loss to Arizona. The LA Times is reporting that Hackett is not expected to play today. The sophomore guard took a nasty fall in the opening minutes of Thursday's game, but his injury is believed to be "not serious." The diagnosis appears to be a "deep pelvis bruise," according to Hackett.

Arizona State comes into this game with a record of (14-4) overall and (4-4) in the Pac-10 after suffering an 84-51 beat down at Pauley on Thursday. We had a great college basketball atmosphere at the Galen Center on Thursday (just ask ESPN's Jay Bilas), so lets come out and support our guys again.

Fight On!