USC basketball: UNLV pregame

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‘Merry Christmas, you wonderful old Building and Loan!’

I love that line, shouted by George Bailey (James Stewart) as he’s running through Bedford Falls in ‘It’s a Wonderful Life.’

The movie is on here, in Greenwich Village in New York City, where the Holmes family is anxiously waiting for an 18-pound turkey to finish roasting in the oven.

But as for USC (7-4), the Trojans basketball team has a Christmas date in Honolulu tonight with UNLV (12-1) in the finals of the inaugural Diamond Head Classic.

Here are some pre-game fixings to whet your appetite before tipoff at 6:30 p.m. (televised on ESPN2, radio broadcast on 830AM):

USC player to watch: forward Leonard Washington

Point guard Mike Gerrity seems a sure pick here, since he has scored 17 points in each of the Trojans’ first two wins in the tournament. But let’s go with Washington, who became eligible Wednesday after missing the year because of academic ineligibility. Coming off the bench against St. Mary’s, Washington scored 10 points, had six rebounds, two assists and two blocks. Washington gives the Trojans a third post player that can give forwards Alex Stepheson (11.1 points, 9.2 rebounds) and Nikola Vucevic (13.5 points, 10.1 rebounds) a rest. He also brings a physical presence probably more suited for a football field.

UNLV player to watch: guard Derrick Jasper

The Running Rebels are led by guard Tre’Von Willis (15.4 ppg) and Oscar Bellfield (10.7), but Jasper is a complete player who presents match-up problems. At 6-foot-6, the Paso Robles native is fourth on the team in scoring (8.0), second in rebounding (4.7) and second in assists (3.2).

USC Coach Kevin O’Neill’s keys to the game:

- Handle UNLV’s offensive pressure.
- Take the Running Rebels out of their pick-and-roll scheme.
- Establish an inside game with Washington, Stepheson and Vucevic.
- Control the tempo.

Other notes:

- Watch the turnover battle: UNLV forces its opponents into 18.4 turnovers per game while USC is one of the worst teams in the Pac-10 when it comes to turnovers, averaging 16.5 per game.

- Streaking: The Trojans and Running Rebels each enter the game on five game-winning streaks. UNLV’s only loss came at home against Kansas State (95-80). UNLV has already defeated a Pac-10 team, winning at Arizona in overtime on Dec. 2, 74-72.

- Defense: USC hangs its hat on defense, and has one of the top 20 scoring defenses (56.4 ppg) in the nation. UNLV is one of the top 50 teams in the nation (out of 334) when it comes to scoring, averaging 78 points a game.

-- Baxter Holmes