USC v. ASU
And we're off. It's the usual noon crowd at a Pac-10 Tournament. And O.J. Mayo hits his first 3-pointer for a 3-0 lead.
A USC coach told me if the Trojans win the Pac-10 tourney, they will get a No. 3 seed in the NCAA’s. Hmmm.
It's a sluggish start, as expected. But Matt Leinart and Nick Lachey are sitting in the second row for the stargazers.
James Harden hits a 3 and is 18 for 20 against USC this season. Mayo comes back with a 3 and has 8 points as the Sun Devils lead 17-14.
Keith Wilkinson hits a 3! And Marcus Simmons is playing. Who said USC does not have depth? Wilkinson gets fouled an hits 1 of 2 free throws to cut ASU’s lead to 21-20. I just heard again James Harden and Jeff Pendergraph say they will return next season, so ASU will be top conference team next season.
Mayo's come to play, with 14 of the first 29 points. Daniel Hackett just hit his second 3-pointer and it's 32-28 USC. But the Sun Devils' Pendergraph answers and it's 32-30.
Harden knocks the ball loose from Mayo and the Sun Devils' Ty Abbott dunks right before the buzzer. The Trojans lead 34-32 at halftime.
George Raveling is reading a newspaper at halftime, reminding me of the stacks of old papers outside his office when he was the basketball coach.
Tim Floyd finally blows his lid on a non-goaltending call after Pendergraph blocks a shot. The Sun Devils come out and outscore USC 7-2. It's 39-36.
The teams are are unable to break away from each other, with ASU up 43-40. USC's not getting much from Davon Jefferson, who has four points.
The officiating is bad, for both sides. When you hear a player get slapped, no call. Then no contact, and the whistle blows.
ASU goes up seven but the Trojans tie it at 49 and again at 51 as Mayo scores both times.
The Trojans grab the momentum and lead 57-53 with 2:10 left. Floyd's still mad about the officiating but Mayo's kept things together with 23 points. ASU's also gone cold.
Another controversial call in a Pac-10 game (surprise!). Jeff Pendergraph gets called for going over the ball on a dunk that would have tied the game with 17 seconds left. He also fouls out.
Herb Sendek throws his hands at the refs as the game ends and yells an expletive while seeking a replay after the game. The Trojans win. Will they face UCLA or Cal tomorrow?
Just got back from the game. If you have never been to a Pac-10 Tournament game it is a little strange. The crowd is made up of fans from six different schools, and thus there is not a lot of concentrated fan support for any team...Being the first game has its advantages because the crowd was sparse, and it was easy to sneak into the courtside seating...such an uneven game it was not real exciting except the end...they should have coaches' challenges in the last 2-minutes of a basketball game to avoid the controversial endings of so many games...Pete Carroll, Jim O'Bradovich, Kiki Vandewegh were sitting near me. Pete looked pretty perplexed over the call at the end; so were others...as I walked out I said to the ugly ucla rooters that they were next (if they beat Cal); if so, Staples will be rockin' tomorrow night-- wouldn't miss it for the world.
Other then the fact we scored more points, why did we win this game - did we outrebound them, was our defense better, did we do a better job on three's, turnovers, foul shots etc.? Likewise, what kept it close?
Thanks,