UCLA 56, USC 46, and Boy, Was that Homely
Looks great in the "W" column for the Bruins. They beat their crosstown rival, stay a game ahead of Stanford in the Pac-10 standings, maybe even move up a spot from their No. 6-in-the-nation ranking.
But aesthetically ... it was a mess. Close. Interesting. Great atmosphere at Galen Center.
But one ugly game.
UCLA missed 41 of 62 shots and 9 of 21 free throws.
USC had 22 turnovers (11 of them by O.J. Mayo, who scored only four points and was stunningly awful) and only eight assists. The Trojans also gave up 19 offensive rebounds, and that allowed UCLA more scoring opportunities -- as well as lots more chances to drain the clock, which was a major point of attention for Ben Howland's kids.
USC falls to 15-9, 6-6 in the Pac-10 and is mucking around in a five-team clot in the middle of the conference standings. USC is tied with Arizona and Arizona State for fourth, with Cal and Oregon only a half-game behind.
A couple of NCAA berths are available for those five ... but that means three will wind up in the NIT. (Six Pac-10 tourney teams seems less likely as the league continues to beat up on itself.)
At least the atmosphere was interesting and the "Black Out the Bruins" promotion kinda fun. (Students got black T-shirts, and the USC players wore black jerseys with cardinal trim. UCLA got the victory, though.)
USC played without Daniel Hackett, a key performer, and if he doesn't come back from the hairline fracture in his back (and he might not), the Trojans are in major trouble. That leaves them essentially a five-man team, and one of those five is Angelo Johnson, an overmatched point guard who had four points in 40 minutes.
This team isn't going to make the NCAAs. Just a hunch.
Said USC coach Tim Floyd: "We've got to figure out a way to win the home games and stay in the plus column and sneak a few on the road. We are who we are right now. We have several men not with us. But I like the guys we have."
On Mayo's awful night, which included 2-for-8 shooting, Floyd said, "It doesn't concern me. We know who he is. He had a tough night tonight. I had a tough night in Pullman last week."
Mayo was a bit harder on Mayo. "I feel like I cost my team the game," he said.
An NBA scout told a reporter, after the game, that Mayo was so awful that he might have slipped a spot or three in the NBA draft, which would cost him maybe $1 million in the first year of his contract.
UCLA coach Howland was a bit more cheerful.
"It is a great win for us," he said. "We needed to bounce back from a difficult loss.
"USC is a very good team. I expect them to be a very competitive team down the stretch and into the pac-10 tournament. I thought they played tough tonight. Mayo is a great player. Russell (Westbrook) did a good job defensively on him."
He added, "The game was a defensive battle. They did a good job of getting back into it after being down. ... It was a very physical game. We were very happy to come out with a win."
The Bruins and Trojans get Oregon and Oregon State this week, go to Arizona and Arizona State next week and finish up at home with Stanford and Cal.
UCLA may need to sweep those six to get a No. 1 regional seed. Or win at least five.
USC probably needs to win four of the six to get to 10-8 in the Pac-10 and probably make the NCAAs as an 11 or 12 regional seed. Anything less ... yeah, the NIT is always out there.