UCLA at USC ... Pretty Cool, It Turns Out
I saw this 7 p.m. start on the schedule USC and UCLA basketball schedules and thought, "what the ...?"
College game at 7 p.m. on a Sunday? That's lame. It's too late, it's too weird.
Now that I'm in the Galen Center 90 minutes before tipoff ... I've come around on the idea.
This has a chance to be semi-memorable. Distinct.
We've got the Bruins and Trojans, and that's always a good start. Especially when both are good (USC) to really good (UCLA) and aspire to significant runs in the NCAA tourney.
But this is amped up a bit by USC's decision to wear all black uniforms AND give black T-shirts to everyone in the building ... by the fact that this will be the only sports event on local TV in prime time tonight ... by the Will Ferrell "Semi-Pro" faces on paddles (are they for fanning yourself?) distributed at every seat ... and because the big curtain at the north end of the venue is open, and that means we've got a view of downtown.
I like this. It will be fun. Even a blowout would be fun.
I'm thinking the Bruins win this one. USC without Daniel Hackett has issues.
Another key will be what happens in the paint. USC's two talented big men, Taj Gibson and Davon Jefferson, stayed out of foul trouble (four fouls, between them) the first time and showed their athletic superiority over their Bruins' counterparts -- Kevin Love, Luc Mbah a Moute, Alfred Aboya and Lorenzo Mata-Real.
Gibson and Jefferson are still bigger and faster than UCLA's inside guys, but can they log 70 minutes, between them, as they did in the 72-63 victory over the Bruins back on Jan. 19?
I'm thinking no, they can't. Gibson (especially) and Jefferson are foul machines. And with either of them out, USC is far less effective.