Just when you thought sports had been covered from every angle, FSN comes up with "Sport Science."
Since it started in September, the show has answered all sorts of questions -- like how a crowd can affect free throws. For that episode, the show took a college basketball player and distracted him with strobe lights, clowns and even a live rock band. A lot of the tests are star-studded (like blasting tennis balls at Jerry Rice and Chad Johnson) and incorporate tons of CGI graphics. According to USA Today, it's the most expensive show on the network. It's worth it. "Sport Science" is the most innovative sports programming in years and has funny writing to boot.
USC alumni, including Matt Leinart, have made appearances, and one recent episode should be especially interesting to Trojans fans. Early in the 2006 season, senior fullback Ryan Powdrell broke his leg -- a freak accident that left USC depleted at its most underappreciated position that year. What kind of force does it take to break a human bone? "Sport Science" focused on Powdrell's case to find out and the answer might surprise you (check out the video above).
Now does everybody understand why O.J. Mayo might not want to keep playing for no pay?
Of course, this episode may not be for the faint of heart. If you want to see a different one, tune into FSN on Sunday nights at 9. It can go from educational to hilarious in a matter of seconds and is sort of a "MythBusters" for sports fans.
Offensive linemen don't get a lot of credit on SportsCenter. Often, the only time you'll hear their name is if they screwup. The glamour positions in college football -- quarterback, tailback, receiver -- get most of the attention.
That's held true after the first few practices of USC's spring camp. Fans are going ga-ga for units in which the Trojans' cup runneth over. But whenever one of these big-name talents makes a play, they owe a lot to their line.
The Trojans will have to replace a lot of talent up front. Sam Baker, Chilo Rachal, Drew Radovich, Matt Spanos, Alatini Malu and Will Collins have moved on, with Baker leaving the biggest void. A three-time All-American, "Sam owned that left tackle spot for a really long time," said offensive line coach Pat Ruel. "He's going to be missed." Still, this is USC and there are at least three guys competing for playing time in that spot.
Yesterday, head coach Pete Carroll gave the unit high marks. "I'm most impressed with what's going on with the offensive line .... They're ahead of where we would think they would be at this point. They're doing a nice job."
As mentioned before on this blog, fans watching spring practice should be careful. You never know who might get hurt. Yesterday it was almost a little girl. Instead, it was wide receiver Damian Williams.
The second Under Armour All-American game will feature the high school class of 2009. 45 of the 80 players have already been selected. USC and Texas lead the way with four commits each.
What if the Trojans played in another conference? "In the last seven years under Carroll, USC would've won the SEC title the same amount of times it won the Pac-10 title: six." -- Matt Hays, Sporting News
What if you filled out your March Madness bracket based on the median salary of each school's graduates? It would look like this. And you would probably lose your pool.
A few months ago, Reggie Bush was named #2 on the Forbes list of top-earning superstars under 25 (trailing only LeBron James). Forbes teamed up with E! for a breakdown of the top 20. Reggie's segment is above.
From the Forbes profile:
2. Reggie Bush, $24 million Born: March 2, 1985 Bush entered the NFL last year with a Heisman Trophy and a scintillating game that had companies lining up to have him sponsor their products. Deals with Adidas, Subway, Pepsi and EA Sports net Bush $5 million annually. His big money comes from his contract with the New Orleans Saints, spanning six years and worth as much as $62 million. Last year Bush earned $19 million in base salary and bonuses from the deal.
Thomas Williams spent his last year at USC getting less attention than fellow linebackers Keith Rivers and Rey Maualuga, but the senior was one of the team's most versatile and consistent (and possibly under-appreciated) players. Now he's moving on to the pros and has already found one of the best marketing tools -- blogging.
Williams' blog takes a look inside the life of an NFL prospect. He shares his thoughts on tryouts ("I think they were trying to get me tired. ... They asked me a couple times during the workout, 'Are you sure you're not tired? Do you need some water?' No sir, let's keep going.") and talks about what his final class in exercise science means to him:
"We talk a lot about drugs in sports, human growth hormone, steroids, beta blockers, all the things you read about these days in the newspaper or hear about on TV. It is really interesting to me to hear about what these drugs really do to people's bodies. We talk a lot about the stories you read about and the athletes being investigated. Now we all have a better understanding about what is really going on, what they're taking and what it's doing to their body."
It's rare to get this type of personal insight from an athlete, and it's great to see Williams doing it.
Gary Klein has a new Q&A feature in the L.A. Times about USC football. He literally wrote the book on the Trojans' return to glory (coincidentally, the entire L.A. Times gift store is having a clearance and the book is 50% off).
Reggie Bush may not have met all of his expectations in the NFL yet, but he has been exciting. TrojanWire found a 10-minute highlight video.
Things are looking good for a Davon Jefferson return. With a solid forward like Jefferson, the Trojans officially stand a chance next season. At what, nobody's sure.
After winning the slam-dunk contest earlier in the week, Trojan commit DeMar DeRozan had another nice one in the actual McDonald's High School All-American game.
DeMar never really got anything going, so not much to say on him. He definitely has the talent to be a star player, but still needs to polish up a few things in his game.
Normally sitting in the corner of the end zone, USC's Thundering Herd would have some pretty sweet seats for Saturday's exhibition game in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum between the Dodgers and Boston Red Sox. This might be the most blue anybody has seen in the stadium's history (even when UCLA played there).
It's worth noting that USC's football spring scrimmage is just a few weeks away, and there are a couple of teeny-tiny dirt patches on the field. Plus, the dugouts are literally dug out of the ground (about 12-15 inches). Hopefully things will be back to normal by April 19.
Floyd said before the Trojans' 80-67 loss to Kansas State in the first round of the NCAA Midwest Regional on Thursday that he might reconsider the benefits of one-year players if they harm the team's Academic Progress Rate.
"It will be a detriment if and when O.J. leaves if he's not academically eligible and costs us a scholarship," Floyd said. "That would be something that would make me review whether or not to give another guy like this an opportunity at some point."
So what's this Academic Progress Rate (APR) about, and why should Floyd be concerned? There's a pretty good explanation here, but in short USC needs to maintain a certain academic standard (based on eligibility and retention), otherwise they stand to lose scholarships.
Let's say O.J. Mayo, Davon Jefferson and/or Taj Gibson decided to leave for the NBA and don't finish the academic semester -- nullifying both their eligibility and retention. That would do some serious damage to the team's APR. Each departure is worse for basketball compared with large sports like football or baseball since it's based on percentages and hoops has one of the smallest rosters of any sport.
These comments take me back to a scene in the Galen Center hallways on the Wednesday before USC's final Pac-10 games against Cal and Stanford. Mayo was being interviewed by a group of reporters and Floyd poked his head in through the door:
Floyd: Tell 'em what you told me yesterday. Mayo: I've gotta' finish out school after this year -- finish out this semester. Floyd: Why? Mayo: It's the right thing to do.
In other words, dropping out of school mid-semester would stab the program in the back. A few minutes later Floyd told the same reporters, "I heard him tell you guys that regardless of what he does, he feels obligated to finish this semester academically. I respect that and hope he'll stay true to that."
Considering Mayo's toughest academic challenge this semester is a nutrition course he described as a "culture/lifestyle/health class," it shouldn't be too hard for him to keep his word.
USC's football spring camp is open to the public for all but one of 15 sessions. It's a great opportunity to stand on the sideline and see the players in a much more intimate setting than you'll have with 92,000 friends on Saturdays this fall. You can hear the pads crash, coaches yell, and kicks boom. You can also enjoy some of the great Southern California weather we've been having.
If you've got a kid who plays football (or any sport), it's a good opportunity to show them what it takes to make it at such a high level. There's a lot of dedication and hard work involved. Younger kids might get bored after a while, so keep that in mind as you plan your visit.
For the complete schedule of spring camp, click on this link. Here are a dozen more tips to help you get the most out of your trip to Howard Jones Field:
Sunscreen - Hanging out at spring practice is a great way to get a tan, but it's also a great way to get a sunburn. You might want sunglasses or a hat. But trust me on the sunscreen.
Jacket - It can be in the 80s around midday, but when the sun goes down at Howard Jones Field the temperature plummets. Bring something to put on, no matter how hot it feels when you get to campus.
Never Turn Away - Football players are bigger than you. They move fast. They wear pads. If you get run over, they will feel bad. You will feel worse. The same concerns apply to an errant ball. Always pay attention. If you bring kids, make sure to keep an eye on them.
The Dan Patrick Show (ESPN radio) was supposed to have O.J. Mayo on this morning, but the diaper dandy was a no-show.
Patrick had a good laugh about it on air and said that Mayo was welcome to come on the show any time in the future. He wrapped the show by comparing finding Mayo to finding Waldo.
At one point, a prank caller got on air pretending to be Mayo, but the wannabe's demeanor was way too casual and Patrick cut him off after just one sentence.
To hear the last hour of Patrick's show (including all the Mayo shenanigans) click here.
As previously hinted at on this blog, incoming USC swingman DeMar DeRozan reigned down some serious thunder at the McDonald's All-American high school slam-dunk competition. You can check out his winning tap-off-the-backboard slam in the video above. After the jump you'll see his between-the-legs-and-behind-the-head gem done just minutes before. Each dunk earned an 80 -- the only perfect scores of the entire competition.
Where's that "Boom goes the dynamite!" kid when you need him?
While much of the country has yet to thaw out, the Trojans started spring practice under beautiful SoCal skies. At first it seemed like there might be a little rust, but then Joe McKnight would take a fast step or Christian Tupou would show some muscle and the team looked sharp as always.
All eyes are on the battle at quarterback, but there's little to report on that front. Mark Sanchez is still the leader and Mitch Mustain is hot on his tail. Aaron Corp, who used to look pretty lanky, seemed much more solid (he's added 18 pounds since coming to USC). Coach Pete Carroll remained noncommittal on whether he'll even name a starter by the end of the 15-session camp. Regardless, the fact that USC has a trio of five-star recruits competing for quarterback should frighten the bejeezus out of their opponents in 2008.
Yet another five-star quarterback, Matt Barkley, was also on the practice field. He was just stopping by since he's only a junior in high school. The youngest-ever Gatorade National Player of the Year has already committed to the Trojans.
There will be several other compelling position battles to watch. Ricky Rosas, special assistant to Pete Carroll and Gatorade bartender extraordinaire, said he plans on paying special attention to the tailbacks and wide receivers. Similar to last year, USC has an embarrassment of riches in their backfield. In the receiving corps, transfer Damian Williams from Arkansas was a breath of fresh air and looks ready to make a big impact.
L.A. Times USC football beat writer Gary Klein stopped by after practice to talk shop -- click play to get some more reflections on USC's first day back in the trenches:
You can also catch a few minutes from Pete Carroll's post-practice media gaggle:
UPDATE: If you listen to the audio above, Carroll doesn't get pinned down on naming a quarterback by the end of camp, merely saying, "That'd be nice ... I don't care when it happens." But offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian left little doubt that it will happen by April 19. I wouldn't call that a discrepancy, just more specificity.
Start time for this Saturday's (March 29) USC Senior Night men's volleyball match in the Galen Center against Stanford has been moved to 5 p.m. (from 7 p.m.). The Dodgers are hosting the Boston Red Sox that night at 7 p.m. at the Coliseum and over 100,000 fans are expected. Trojan volleyball fans should expect traffic and parking to be that of a USC football game day, so they are encouraged to arrive early.
The last year has yielded two of the Internet's most guilty pleasures: the Rick Roll and Stuff White People Like. Both are amusing and, on some level, awkward and disturbing.
With a nod to EDSBS's recent post on Stuff Black and Gold People Like, we present Stuff Cardinal and Gold People Like (not to be confused with the alumni organization by that name, which primarily likes football and tailgating) ...
Numbers - The nine-oh. The two-nine. The three-two. These all mean something to Trojans (though younger ones might now know the latter as "Superior"). Area codes fall into this as well. The 949 carries a different social meaning than 909 or 818. Those new to the area claim to be "still reppin' 213" when they get their new digits. And nobody knows what the Harbor freeway is anymore. It's the 110.
Whoever Is Playing UCLA/Notre Dame - When the Bruins and Irish face each other, USC fans will be satisfied only if both lose. Longtime Trojan broadcaster Pete Arbogast coined the term "The Perfect Day" for any time that USC wins and both of its archrivals lose. Trojan fans have been reported to have a toast outside of the Coliseum whenever a perfect day occurs.
Orange County - If they aren't from there, cardinal and gold people have usually watched their fair share of Laguna Beach or The Real Housewives of Orange County. And don't forget that The OC was produced by a USC alum. But mostly, cardinal and gold people are either from Orange Country or dated somebody from there.
Some of the Wonderlic scores have leaked out. On the test used by NFL teams assessing prospects, people of average intelligence are supposed to score a 20. Sam Baker nailed a 27 while Keith Rivers got a 16. This Wikipedia article has more on what the scores mean.
Emmanuel Moody is learning a new system in Florida. He reportedly said he chose the Gators because he didn't think he could ever become the feature back in USC and still wanted to be somewhere in contention for the national championship. (h/t Da Wiz)
Do you hate Love? Hate to love him? Is it a Love-hate relationship?
There were a number of people wearing USC gear at the UCLA-Texas A&M game on Saturday night in Anaheim (not to mention Kansas Jayhawks, Los Angeles Angels and Dallas Cowboys apparel). Among the Trojan positions on the Bruins:
I'm rooting for the Bruins. Pac-10 all the way!
I wouldn't mind if UCLA loses.
I rooted for Stanford, but I'm rooting against the Bruins.
I'm not rooting for anybody. I just bought this shirt as a souvenir.
I guess there's something to be said for clean clothes -- and maybe for claiming a victory over the possible national champion.
The Honda Center crowd was obviously tilted in UCLA's favor. At halftime of the first game (Stanford escaped Marquette in overtime) the NCAA paid tribute to USC's recent national championship in women's soccer. The fans booed.
What's your take ... is it ever acceptable to root for your archrival?
At this weekend's NCAA women's swimming championships, junior Rebecca Soni (above) won her third consecutive national title in the 200y breast stroke. She also captured her first crown in the 100y breast stroke.
After struggling against strong West Coast competition this year, the Trojans' baseball team not only took two of three games from Arizona (ranked #2 in the nation), but did it with a pair of 5-0 shutouts.
Here are the official highlights from CBS of USC's loss to Kansas State. They do a really good job of boiling the game down to just two minutes.
You can also click here to see some more analysis from SprintTV and click here to watch Davon Jefferson's big dunk.
It's amazing how tightly the NCAA and CBS regulate everything. Among their breaks from convention: They don't allow any non-CBS media cameras in the postgame news conferences (much less the actual game), they charge the media for Internet access, and rumor is they require banners to be taken down from the local arenas (there was no Ducks Stanley Cup banner up in Anaheim). But at least they do a good job with distributing all their content!
There are 64 teams in the NCAA football postseason and 65 in the NCAA basketball tournament. That's about as similar as they get.
By the time the BCS National Championship Game ends, 32 schools have finished their seasons on a high note.
In hoops, only one leaves happy.
In fact, pretty much every sport dictates that the overall champion is the only (good) team that can finish its season with a win.
Keep that in perspective when thinking about what USC basketball accomplished (or didn't) this year. A lot of people will rush to compare football and basketball, pointing out how the gridiron still reigns supreme in Troy. Although they're right, they should remember that football has won five of its last six season-ending games -- but they weren't all for the national championship.
In hoops, even USC's first-round game against Kansas State had title implications. (That's not to excuse the Trojans' performance in Omaha.)
There's been a lot of discussion this season about the triangle-and-two defense, which you'll likely see employed today when USC takes on Kansas State. Expect to see one defender (Taj Gibson, primarily) used to take on Michael Beasley while Bill Walker gets covered by another defender (here's hoping that duty falls to O.J. Mayo for a matchup involving a lot of personal history). The remaining three defenders form a triangle zone.
USC Coach Tim Floyd has also tried some other techniques (most famously frustrating Stanford with a press) and he reflected a little on defensive experience and philosophies this week with reporters.
USC is a #6 seed facing a #11, but somehow Kansas State is the one playing in its own backyard. Here's what Tim Floyd, O.J. Mayo and Taj Gibson had to say about this week's travel schedule.
Do you trust the wisdom of crowds? As of right now, out of 32 games, ESPN users are only predicting two upsets in the first round of the NCAA Tournament: Davidson over Gonzaga and Saint Mary's over Miami. The nation has all #1 seeds in the Final Four and all #1 and #2 seeds in the Elite Eight.
Betting in a March Madness pool this year? Technically, it's illegal (c'mon, stop laughing -- we're trying to pretend this is serious!). Some Sacramento lawmakers want to leave the bracket busting to the underdogs instead of the crimedogs and are looking to decriminalize the practice.
File this under "Reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated." Pete Carroll's Facebook page was down temporarily. Since it's the offseason, that prompted a report from EDSBS. Fear not, news feed fanatics. Pete's online, and he currently "loves March Madness!"
Andy Katz continues to beat USC's war drum louder than anybody in the nation. He took to the airwaves this morning on Mike & Mike:
I've seen USC multiple times. I think they're one of the more talented starting five in the country. Davon Jefferson doesn't get nearly as much pub as he deserves. ... I think they can play with anyone in this field. I don't think they'll win the national title, but they have enough talent to win the national title.
Find out in today's podcast with L.A. Times USC beat reporter Ben Bolch as we look forward to USC's trip to Omaha and try to untangle the round one game against Kansas State:
Reggie Bush is doing radio PSAs encouraging people to get off the couch and be active. We couldn't find a link to the actual spot, but here's the cause.
Hoops
Andy Katz called USC his sleeper pick for the Final Four before Selection Sunday. Now that the brackets have been drawn up, Stewart Mandel and Dan Wetzel agree.
If you're on Facebook and need to do something besides poking Pete Carroll, you can poke fun at Kevin Love. Among the accusations made against UCLA's rarely penalized star: "Kevin Love shot JFK and Lincoln" and "Kevin Love took down the Titanic and the ship was called for the charge."
SI's Andy Staples raised an eyebrow at Tim Floyd's decision to sign Romeo, then pointed out he's probably being a good CEO.
USC will travel 1,305 miles to Omaha for its opening round game against Kansas State, which saunters a mere 146 miles. It's practically a home game for the Wildcats, who are traveling the shortest distance of any team going to Omaha. Portland State is going the farthest in the subregional at 1,356 miles, just slightly longer than the Trojans.
Check out how far all 65 teams are traveling in this new interactive map feature at www.latimes.com/ncaamap. The project was put together by Tom Lauder, Sean Connelley and Ben Welsh.
54,591 miles (round trip) will be traveled by the 65 teams over the next week. Cornell's one-way 2,302 mile trek to Anaheim is the longest in the opening round of the tournament.
The Pac-10 will send six teams to the Big Dance, led by #1 seed UCLA. This year's preseason media poll had all six teams on top of the league, though not exactly in the right order:
UCLA
Washington State
Oregon
Arizona
Stanford
USC
California
Washington
Arizona State
Oregon State
Arizona State actually finished tied for 5th in the regular season, but got a raw deal from the NCAA selection committee. A controversial call at the end of its Pac-10 tournament game against the Trojans might have made the difference for the Sun Devils. After that game, USC Coach Tim Floyd was confident that Arizona State would make the tournament.
USC’s game against Kansas State will be at 6:10 p.m. local time ... the announcers will be Kevin Harlan and Dan Bonner.
UPDATE: That's 6:10 p.m. Omaha time, so 4:10 p.m. in Los Angeles. Considering this should be the most hyped-game in the opening round (Mayo-Beasley), it's surprising they'll play before prime time in the east and before people leave work in the west. Mayo pointed out these things are all about the money, and this timing isn't going to maximize ad revenue.
USC will take on Kansas State in Omaha this Thursday in round one of the NCAA Tournament. Here's what you can talk about with your friends this week at the water cooler to sound like you've been following the team closely all season ...
Youth -- USC is known for its freshmen, and more than 95% of its scoring this season was by underclassmen. Kansas State's top three scorers are freshmen.
Super Freshmen -- USC has Mayo and K-State has Michael Beasley. They won't exactly match up on the court (Beasley is a forward), but they will on paper. Beasley was Big XII Player of the Year and is projected to be a top NBA pick -- possibly #1 overall. His stats (26.5 PPG and 12.4 RPG) are disgustingly good.
Best Friends -- Mayo and Kansas State freshman Bill Walker have been best friends since they were 2 years old, they played together in high school, and still talk on the phone several times per week. On a phone call before the selection show, Mayo told Walker that they would probably face each other in the first round in Omaha. He based that on the Wildcats' early exit from their conference tournament. We knew he had court vision, but apparently he's clairvoyant, too.
ASU -- With six Pac-10 teams in the tournament, all with pretty good seeding, the team with the 5th bet record got left out. ASU also had a better record (in conference and overall) than Arizona and swept its in-state rival this year. The Wildcats get a 10 seed. The Sun Devils get zilch. Something doesn't seem right about that.
Last Year Doesn't Count -- USC and Kansas State played last year, but the Wildcats have a new coach and neither team looks similar to their 2006-07 versions.
Tough Season -- USC has played three of the four #1 seeds in the tournament (UCLA, Kansas and Memphis). Kansas State beat two top-10 teams this year (including top-seeded Kansas), but only won two of their last seven games.
Common Opponents -- USC lost to Kansas, while Kansas State split their series with the Jayhawks. Kansas State beat Cal, while USC split with the Bears. Kansas State lost to Oregon, while USC beat them twice. Both teams beat Oklahoma.
This was my favorite picture from last night's game against UCLA. Late in the second half, Floyd was trying to keep his team focused and give them a shot to win it at the end. The team's four biggest leaders formed the inner circle of the huddle, and Floyd seemed to have a teaching moment amid a game full of chaos.
I've still got to work on some video and a photo gallery tonight, but for those of you who can't wait to get some more insight on this game, here's the full postgame press conference audio.
USC's Tim Floyd, O.J. Mayo, and Daniel Hackett (about 6 minutes):
UCLA's Ben Howland, Kevin Love, Josh Shipp, and Russell Westbrook (about 13 minutes):
So I asked Floyd. He admitted that he had called IU and he had left the voicemail. He also confirmed that Greenspan recently called him back and the coaching vacancy came up. Floyd does want to go to Indiana ... but just for a game or two.
Indiana was one of several schools Floyd reached out to, including Kentucky, Florida and Georgetown, to schedule future home-and-away series. Greenspan said that he needed to focus on filling the Hoosiers' coaching vacancy, and Floyd said that after that happens the Trojans would love to set up a two- or four-game series.
Pretty simple, huh? But how do these Internet rumors get started?
Apparently, Floyd originally had the wrong number for Greenspan's office. Welcome to 2008, where a misdialed number can -- and will -- wind up on YouTube.
Floyd wasn't thrilled that he keeps having to respond to these things, but ultimately he was really cool about it. He's got nothing to hide and is emphatic about staying at USC. He couldn't be more clear on the matter. According to my count, this was the umpteenth time that he stated this will be his last coaching job.
As for the "hitchhiker" rumor, Floyd was walking back to USC yesterday so he could get a little exercise. Somebody offered him a ride, and he decided to take it. In case you're wondering, the Galen Center is very walkable from Staples Center.
At least Floyd doesn't have the paparazzi following him -- we hope.
UCLA has exploded out of the blocks in the second half. ... The Staples Center Internet is increasingly unreliable, but I'll keep posting when I can. ... The Bruins opened the second with a 12-0 run. The way the crowd is reacting, this game may as well have been played down the 10 at Pauley Pavilion. ... The only thing crashing harder than the Trojans this half is the Staples Center WiFi. The game must not be a sellout, because I don't think Staples could afford to pay its Internet bill. I'm getting through on a Verizon air card, but even that connection is terrible. Ironic, because Verizon is one of the event's main sponsors. But I'm not bitter or anything. ... Westside Rental Man is continuing to get down with his bad self, as he has for the past couple of days. He's been the subject of a lot of the lunch and dinner conversations in the press area. I don't want to see him in knee socks, but he may have more moves than any of the cheerleaders here. It's not clear if he's rooting for USC or UCLA, but his pink jacket looks like he washed a pair of new Trojan and Bruin jerseys together. ... USC is down by seven with about five minutes to play. The Trojans need to go on a run soon if they want to make a comeback like they had against ASU yesterday. Even though UCLA seems to have dominated, the Trojans are still within striking distance. They're also in foul trouble.
Today's rubber match between USC and UCLA is underway. Daniel Hackett almost dove out of bounds on the first play of the game but was able to stop short. Trojan nation let out a collective sigh of relief.
I'll try to live-blog a bit (so you'll have to keep refreshing to get any updates), but the Internet connection is hit-and-miss tonight. ... Davon Jefferson was the key to the first two meetings between the Trojans and Bruins this year. In the first game he came up big and USC shocked everybody in Westwood. He was shut down downtown, and UCLA prevailed in the second match. So far tonight he's had a couple of strong plays above the rim and collected an early foul. He also proved that he can, indeed, take a charge. ... It's not usually acceptable to use this term in sports, but Mayo and Lewis both made some baskets that were downright pretty. ... Daniel Hackett is taking a breather, but stood up to yell some encouragement to his teammates. He's about five feet from me, but I have no idea what he's saying. ... Davon is en fuego. He's hitting threes, blocking shots, and talking some smack, too. This game may be on his shoulders for Troy. ... UCLA's Luc Richard Mbah a Moute went down hard and appeared to be fouled on the Bruins' offensive end of the court. Play continued for a while, before he had to be helped off the court by a couple of teammates. Oddly, USC's players were the first to come over and see if he was all right, while UCLA's stayed away. ... Looks like Pac-10 officiating will be questioned again tonight. And again. And again. ... USC just had a crazy fast break. It ended with Davon Jefferson taking a swan dive into the melee under the hoop. ... Keith Wilkinson's got game and he's proving it when it counts. ... This is definitely a Bruin crowd. ... Halftime: USC 34, UCLA 28.
There's a rumor picking up some traction on the Internet that Tim Floyd has contacted Indiana about its open coaching position. It's been written up on a Scout.com affiliate website, and now there's even a voicemail posted on YouTube with Tim Floyd asking for Indiana Athletic Director Rick Greenspan to give him a call.
The voice on the message sounds exactly like Floyd and leaves his direct telephone line (which is why we aren't linking to the video here). A recent attempt to call that line wasn't answered, but it did indicate Floyd's own voicemail was full -- not an unusual occurrence, according to L,A, Times reporter Ben Bolch.
The voicemail from Floyd is left with "Stephanie," who presumably would be Greenspan's assistant. Here's the catch. ... There's nobody by that name in the Indiana Athletic Directory. IU Sports Information Director J.D. Campbell confirmed by e-mail that he doesn't know a Stephanie.
We don't know if the message circulating the Internet is old (it's undated) or fake, but we do know that it doubles as a 20-second billboard for a blog based in Boston. Among the funnier comments on that site:
"Tim bet Rick $100 that Kelvin wouldn't last two years, he wants his money..." -- johnb122
When USC and UCLA tip off today at the Staples Center it will be the first time the two programs have ever faced each other in the Pac-10 Tournament. It may also be the last time you see the school bands at a hoops rivalry game. UCLA this year ended a long tradition by refusing to invite the Spirit of Troy to Pauley Pavilion. It also declined to send its band to the Galen Center.
Whether you're watching in person or on TV, make sure to enjoy the sounds of the Trojan Marching Band. If you've got some time, check out the band's 2007 Year-In-Review (after the jump), which chronicles an impressive 452 engagements and 47,677 miles traveled. It's amazing how much work goes into the performances around the nation. Maybe it deserves an invite back across town.
After escaping with a 59-55 victory over Arizona State, the Trojans will play UCLA in the Pac-10 tournament semifinals Friday. UCLA pounded Cal, 88-66. USC players hung out courtside during Thursday's second game to see who their next opponent would be. Since that was never really in doubt, they left early -- like a lot of the fans in Staples Center.
Unfortunately there was some trouble with my audio recording in the news conference after the USC-ASU game, so that won't get posted today. Suffice to say, Coach Tim Floyd was buoyant about the win and the performance of his team. Asked if he had any problem about the play where ASU's Jeff Pendergraph fouled out, Floyd joked that he wasn't too happy about the dunk. He also acknowledged he didn't really see the play and probably wouldn't have been too happy if the tables were turned. Sun Devil Coach Herb Sendek was obviously upset over it, but in good enough spirits to joke about getting lots of text messages from his friends (and added that his enemies don't say anything).
Even though they were fighting for their NCAA tournament lives, I didn't expect ASU to present such a big challenge for the Trojans. I also think that USC matches up really well against UCLA (especially with Daniel Hackett's continued improvement) and have a great shot at making it to the final game. However, that would be the Trojans' third game in three days. They don't match up well against Washington State and depended on a full-court press to beat Stanford. Considering the Trojans' limited depth, they could be pretty tired on Saturday. We may see a repeat of last year's tournament result.
Yesterday we looked at some reasons why O.J. Mayo should stay at USC for his sophomore year. Most people believe that's a long shot. Here's why ...
Shaun Livingston - O.J. Mayo projects as an oversized NBA point guard. He is expected to turn pro in his first year of eligibility and be a top lottery pick. Livingston's story was identical
Thomas Williams spent his last year at USC getting less attention than fellow linebackers Keith Rivers and Rey Maualuga, but the senior was one of the team's most versatile and consistent (and possibly under-appreciated) players. Now he's moving on to the pros and has already found one of the best marketing tools -- blogging.
I'm surprised that it's not being marketed this way, but USC has a great Tuesday lineup.
