| USC vs. ASU |
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TEMPE, ARIZ. – Tim Floyd senses a trap in the desert.
The jubilation of an 80-75 victory at Arizona - the USC basketball team’s first victory in Tucson in 22 years - could evaporate so quickly with a loss at Arizona State tonight. The way Floyd sees it, it’s not such a crazy idea.
Arizona State (6-19, 0-14 Pac-10) has been the laughingstock of the conference, but not by much. Heartbreaking loss has followed heartbreaking loss. The Sun Devils lost by six to UCLA on Thursday. Before that, they had lost by four to Oregon State, four to Oregon, one to Washington State and five to Washington.
Floyd said he has been trying to get his team focused on the ASU game since Monday.
"We were fully aware they would be alive and aggressive at Arizona on Thursday, but we viewed this game as being one of our most important games of the year, maybe the most important," Floyd said.
The way the USC coach praised ASU’s Herb Sendek, it sounded like he was talking about a Coach of the Year candidate, not one fighting to keep his job.
"I think what we’re looking at here is a great coach who is probably a year or two away from getting established what Washington State has established, because they’re miserable to play against just like those guys," Floyd said.
Floyd compared Sendek’s struggles for a Pac-10 victory with those of current Indiana coach Kelvin Sampson when he coached at Washington State in the early 1990s.
"And I’d say (Sampson) is a pretty good basketball coach," Floyd said.
The Trojans (19-7, 9-4) are on the verge of clinching their first NCAA Tournament berth in five years. If they beat Arizona State, they can turn their attention to fighting for a high seed. A loss would raise the specter of a late-season collapse, something they went through last year.
Floyd doesn’t consider the tournament a foregone conclusion at this stage.
"I’m not an expert," Floyd said. "I don’t know the intangibles, I don’t know the other teams on the board. I know what I’ve read about the strength of our league and, if that’s the case, we’re holding our own and that should help us."
AVOIDING CONTACT
USC has managed to play two of its strongest games with its best post player in major foul trouble. Freshman forward Taj Gibson fouled out of both the UCLA and Arizona games. Against the Wildcats, he was hardly a factor, scoring just two points on 1-of-6 shooting.
Floyd said Gibson’s foul troubles have not been his fault.
"I’ve born down on the other guys," Floyd said. "I think it’s from him having to guard for the other guy. That’s been the case all year. He’s had to protect (the basket)."
NOTES
A short starting lineup and a defensive mindset have made USC susceptible to being outrebounded. The Trojans are ninth in the conference in offensive rebounds and seventh in rebounding differential (minus-3.6). Floyd said he will sacrifice offensive rebounds to get his guards back on defense.
"We are where we are right now because we get back on defense," Floyd said. …
The Trojans have reached 19 victories for just the eighth time in the past 33 seasons. A victory tonight would give them their fifth 20-victory season in that span.
| " | "I've born down on the other guys," Floyd said. "I think it's from him having to guard for the other guy. That's been the case all year. He's had to protect (the basket)." |
