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USC
Road to the Final Four.............................................................................................
Put it this way -- the Trojans hardly strolled confidently through the front door. USC struggled down the stretch of conference, but the separation within Pac-10 play of the top five teams to those on the bottom was enough to earn a bid in the end. USC won 12 of its first 14 games and looked every bit the top 25 team many predicted at the season's outset. But things changed against the league's elite teams. USC went 0-6 against Stanford, Arizona and UCLA. Two horrible losses -- at Northwestern and at Oregon State -- didn't help USC's cause as a serious NCAA contender. But the Trojans also competed twice with Stanford, losing by six and two points, respectively. It's like USC is a poor man's version of Arizona, featuring a starting five that can rival most nationally on a given night. Mystery is, will enough of the talented bodies show up and play? It certainly helped that USC managed a sweep of NCAA-bound Cal by scores of 80-66 and 74-69. Player to Watch USC's most consistent player is junior center Sam Clancy, but its most explosive talent is wing David Bluthenthal. The junior averages 13 points and seven rebounds, but has had efforts like 29 points against Cal State Northridge and Oregon and 13 rebounds against Bradley. He can get hot enough from 3-point range to carry USC for games at a time, a critical component in March. Opponents have made the mistake of double-teaming USC's post players and leaving Bluthenthal alone to shoot. If it happens to be a night when the jumper is falling, USC usually leaves a winner. With the Ball It is a balanced attack that likes to afford several capable scorers enough good looks. The first option tends to be forward Brian Scalabrine setting a high ball screen for guard Brandon Granville. If nothing develops and the pass can't go to Clancy, the ball is swung to Bluthenthal. USC likes to run him off staggered double screens for 3-point shots. Four players average between 13 and 17 points and USC has one of the nation's more athletic weapons in guard Jeff Trepagnier. The Trojans shoot close to 46 percent from the field and 34 percent on 3s. Scalabrine -- inconsistent at times this season -- is still a 6-9 power forward with guard skills. Defending the Ball USC has to be physical to be any good here. The Trojans don't have great size inside, but they stayed with the likes of Stanford by bumping shooters off their spots and fighting over the top of screens. USC does a good job of switching and is athletic enough to contest most shots, even though it has often been burned by good (and bad) 3-point shooting teams. The lack of bulk takes its toll over 40 minutes. USC spent the season ranked among the bottom tier of conference teams in scoring defense and has been average in rebound margin. Its athletic ability comes through in block shots, where the Trojans ranked second only in conference to Arizona State. Seed Analysis Exceeding the Seed None Playing to Expectations Falling Short BRACKETOLOGY SCORE: .675 (1.000 is playing exactly to a team's historical seeding) Bracketology Report1985-2000: USC has an undistinguished NCAA history and is probably the most over-seeded team in this year's field. In their most recent appearance (1997), the Trojans were the last at-large team in the bracket and got drilled by Illinois in round one. This year's team is much better than that one, but has few quality wins to show for it. The East Region draw does not shape up as one in which USC will exceed its seed. Roster
 NCAA Basketball Championship Week It's March, which means the madness has started and invitations are being reserved throughout Championship Week.  Send this story to a friend | Most sent stories |  |
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Coach Henry Bibby admits USC's strategy against Duke backfired (Courtesy: NCAA Productions).
Elite Eight preview: Duke vs. USC (courtesy: NCAA Productions)
