A loss to Washington on Thursday would have no impact on USC's bid for second place in the Pacific-10 Conference. The Trojans will get second if Washington State loses to UCLA on Thursday and USC beats the Cougars on Saturday. Then, even with a Washington loss, the teams would be tied at 12-6 in conference play and would have split their series. The tiebreaker would be better record against the conference's top teams, and USC would win based on being 2-0 against Oregon.

However, a loss to the Huskies likely would impact USC's NCAA Tournament seeding, so the Trojans do have reason to play their hardest.

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Following an emotional farewell in his final game at Galen Center, senior Lodrick Stewart will get another sendoff this week in Washington.

Stewart went to high school at Rainier Beach in Seattle. His father, son, girlfriend Sherrill Simmons and many other family members still live in the area. He expects to have around fifty friends and family members at the Huskies game Thursday.

``Going home brings a different player out of me,'' Stewart said. ``I want to get a win in front of my hometown crowd, especially being my last time playing there.''

Stewart is 1-2 in Seattle with the Trojans. USC won there his freshman year but lost by 14 last season and 30 the year before.

It will be the first game this season for his son Jaylin, who turned two earlier this month.

``He watches all my games on TV,'' Stewart said. ``It's funny, when he recognizes me on TV he runs and tries to grab the TV.''

Also at the game will be his younger twin brothers, Hadeem and Kadeem. They are basketball players just like Lodrick and his twin brother Rodrick, who started at USC before transferring to Kansas. Stewart said his younger brothers, who are nearly 14 and plan to start at Rainier Beach High next year, are more advanced at their age than he and Rodrick.

``If coach Floyd is still here, they'll play for coach Floyd,'' Stewart said. ``That's what my dad says, too.''

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Against Stanford, RouSean Cromwell looked like the aggressive and tireless defender with quick reflexes who made an impact at USC as a freshman. He had just two points, three rebounds and two blocks in 19 minutes, but Cromwell's defense on the 7-foot-tall Lopez twins was key in the Trojans' 69-65 victory.

The 6-foot-11 sophomore forward finally is getting back to the way he was playing before two serious injuries set him back. Cromwell fractured his foot in the middle of last season and had to miss 15 games when he stepped on a loose ball during warm-ups. He came back for the final five games, but then needed to have offseason knee surgery to clean out debris.

``Sitting out as long as I did, I was a little reluctant to move that hard,'' Cromwell said. ``Compare the Stanford game to the beginning of the season, I'm putting a lot more pressure on my legs and my movements are a lot quicker.''

Cromwell still has a screw in his right foot that sometimes hurts during cold temperatures.

``I would love to go back in time and not had these injuries but they are a part of me now,'' Cromwell said. ``So instead of seeing this as a barrier in front of me, I can go out there and work just as hard as anyone else and not cry for my feet or my knees.''

Posted by Matthew Kredell at 6:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Gabe Pruitt was forced to walk up and down steps in the Galen Center stands during practice Tuesday because he missed two tutoring sessions. Pruitt was academically ineligible for the first 11 games of this season. Coach Tim Floyd said that would be the extent of the punishment, and Pruitt would be allowed back in practice Wednesday.

``I had a problem in the past earlier so I should be the last one to do that,'' said Pruitt, who added that he overslept. ``I take responsibility for it happening.''

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Dwight Lewis said his right wrist has bothered him throughout Pac-10 play and was the reason he sat out practice Friday.

The freshman guard said he doesn't remember the exact nonconference game that he sprained the wrist on a fall.

``I landed on the wrist and it's never been right since,'' Lewis said.

After only playing three minutes Thursday against Stanford because the Trojans went big to match up with the Cardinal's 7-foot-tall Lopez twins and then skipping practice Friday, he came off the bench to score a career-high 14 points Saturday against Cal.

``It's more my wrist feels better,'' Lewis said. ``It's been bothering me for a while, but it's getting better and better every day now.''

Posted by Matthew Kredell at 6:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Floyd said he didn't know about the possible first-week NCAA Tournament sites until told by the media Monday. New Orleans stood out as a place he'd like to go. Floyd coached in college at New Orleans from 1988 to 1994 and in the NBA for the New Orleans Hornets for the 2003-04 season.

``I'd love to go get a shrimp po' boy,'' Floyd said. ``But, outside of that, there's going to be quality teams and the same worries anywhere.''

New Orleans also would make it easier for Ryan Francis' mom Paulette to attend the game. Floyd said they hadn't yet talked about bringing Paulette to whatever site they play at, though he said it was a good thought.

The possible first-week NCAA Tournament sites are Sacramento, Buffalo, Winston Salem (NC), Lexington, Chicago, Colombus (OH), Spokane and New Orleans

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Washington, Thursday's opponent, is 15-2 at home and 1-10 on the road this season.

``What we're looking at is the 15-2 because that's where were heading,'' Floyd said. ``It's a team that's been very poised at home, very aggressive at home, very purposeful at home getting the ball inside, the break has been outstanding and they've been a hard team to beat.''

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The team worked out and watched film Monday but did not practice. A couple players shot around after the film session. One of them was Kasey Cunningham, a freshman who is redshirting because of a knee injury. Floyd came out and worked one-on-one with Cunningham for about half an hour.

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Tim Floyd turned 53 on Sunday.

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Venoy Overton, a point guard who orally committed to USC but did not sign a letter of intent in September, has decided to stay closer to home and said he will sign with Washington in April, according to this article in the Seattle Times.

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Gabe Pruitt could join Lodrick Stewart and Nick Young as the third Trojan to reach 1,000 career points this season in Thursday's game at Washington. Pruitt, a junior who missed the first 11 games of the season because of academic ineligibility, has scored 987 points.

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Sweeping the Bay Area schools in L.A. put USC back in the national polls Monday, No. 23 in the AP and No. 24 in the ESPN/USA Today coaches. It's the third time this year USC has been ranked. Let's see if they have some staying power this time. Pac-10 teams ranked in the AP: No. 2 UCLA, No. 13 Washington State, No. 17 Oregon, No. 23 USC.

Posted by Matthew Kredell at 2:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

Gabe Pruitt, who said Friday that he planned to return for his senior season, said after the game that he still may attend the NBA pre-draft camp June 4-8 in Orlando, Fla., to see where he stands.

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On a night Galen Center had a its highest attendance at 10,027, the arena culminated its first season with its loudest cheer ever. And it was for a little-used walk-on.

Senior Chris Penrose entered the game with 2:23 remaining, after the crowd had been chanting for him. Each time he touched the ball, fans yelled for him to shoot.

His 3-pointer with the shot clock winding down in the final minute didn't draw iron. But he got one more chance at his ``Rudy'' moment and swished a shot from the right corner with 5.3 seconds to go.

`` I turned around and looked at the student section and couldn’t really hear anything because the place was so loud,’’ said Penrose, who brought his career total to 16 points. ``My heart was going a mile a minute, and I was just so happy and excited. It’s kind of a storybook ending to a little walk-on's career.’’

Posted by Matthew Kredell at 10:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (25)

Nick Young watched the pregame ceremony honoring USC’s seniors with envy, knowing he may never get the same treatment.

The junior has said he will explore his NBA options after the season, and will turn professional if he receives feedback that he will be a first-round selection.

``That was very emotional coming out there because it could be my last game at Galen,’’ Young said. ``I try not to think about it, but it kind of got to me because I want my jersey hung up like that too.’’

Seniors Lodrick Stewart, Abdoulaye N’diaye and Chris Penrose came away with framed jerseys to commemorate their time at USC.

Long after the game ended, as Young walked off Galen Center court for perhaps the last time, the crowd chanted ``One more year!’’

``It’s good having them thinking about me at the end of the game and showing me support that they want me to come back,’’ Young said. ``I feel like part of the Trojan family.’’

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Chris Penrose, who is scheduled to graduate in the spring with a degree in Economics, said he hoped to return to the USC basketball team as a graduate assistant.

``Basketball is a love of mine and I’d really like to start my way into coaching,’’ Penrose said. ``But we’ll see what happens.’’

Floyd praised Penrose as the ultimate team player, a guy who urged on his teammates at practice and hosted nearly every recruit USC has brought in over the past two years.

``When I first got here, it was a little dysfunctional at times, and Penny was the one guy I could always count on,’’ Floyd said. ``He’s a big USC guy and will be his whole life. The kid’s going to be a great success at whatever he does.’’

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Family members joined Chris Penrose and Lodrick Stewart for the pregame festivities. Abdoulaye N’diaye, who comes from Senegal in western Africa, said his parents hoped to come out for their first USC game but could not get a travel visa.

``I’m thinking about sending the framed jersey to my parents back in Africa so they can see what I accomplished,’’ N’diaye said. ``I know they wish they were here tonight, and they’re with me in spirit.’’

Posted by Matthew Kredell at 8:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (34)

Having cemented at least a fourth-place finish in the Pac-10 and having a shot at second, the players feel they guaranteed a spot in the NCAA Tournament with this victory.

``We're playing for seeding now,'' Lodrick Stewart said. ``There's not a doubt we're going to the tournament. I think we're going now, and the coaches feel the same way.''

Posted by Matthew Kredell at 8:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (29)

``I think it's the most exciting thing that's happened this season, building a fanbase with the students,'' Floyd said. ``Those kids are acting like they're having a great time and creating an atmosphere in our building.''

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notes following

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just when USC needed a big shot as Cal had pulled within five points with a little over 13 minutes remaining.

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Boyd has introduced most of the halftime honorees at USC games this season. With Boyd being honored, athletic director Mike Garrett gave the introduction. Of the venerable former USC coach and player, Garrett said: ``If you want one reason why we play basketball, this is it -- Bob Boyd.''

Boyd, who has been at nearly every home game this season and was out on the Arizona trip, told the story of how he met his wife Betty 60 years ago on the steps of Alhambra High School. He then went on to talk of the current state of USC basketball.

``I got to tell you, our basketball program has never been in such good hands as it is now with Tim Floyd,'' Boyd said. ``Tim recently said USC will win a national title in his lifetime. I'd like to see if he can speed that up a little bit and get one before it's time for me and Betty to go.''

Posted by Matthew Kredell at 5:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (43)

The Trojans dominated after falling behind 9-2 to start the game. Lodrick Stewart gave USC its first lead at 12-10 on the shot that tied Brandon Granville's school record of 218 career 3-pointers. The most spectacular play of the half was when Dwight Lewis tapped the ball away for a steal, Gabe Pruitt picked up the loose ball and got it back to a streaking Lewis for a slam dunk. Lewis hit a long jumper in the final seconds to give the Trojans their biggest lead at 39-27 entering the break.

Posted by Matthew Kredell at 5:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (21)

Paulette, the mother of slain former USC guard Ryan Francis, was at the game as a guest of USC and was on the court for the ceremony honoring the seniors prior to the game.

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in his final home game, and scores USC's first four points.

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Lodrick Stewart, Abdoulaye N'diaye and walk-on Chris Penrose were honored before their final home game at USC. Each was given a large, framed jersey to keep as a reminder of their time at USC. According to the announcement, Stewart will graduate in the spring with a degree in Sociology and Penrose in Economics.

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Photographers for SLAM Magazine were at Galen Center today taking pictures of Nick Young for an upcoming story.

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Lodrick Stewart spoke about meeting actor Denzel Washington in the locker room after the game. Stewart's father took a picture of him with Washington.

``He said he really liked my game, how I showed emotion, playing defense, going hard on both ends,'' Stewart said. ``I never thought I'd ever say I talked to Denzel Washington in person. You know, some stuff you never think would happen.''

Posted by Matthew Kredell at 6:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Senior Lodrick Stewart will play his final game at Galen Center tomorrow against Cal.

``I know it's going to be emotional just knowing I'll never play here in a college game again,'' Stewart said. ``It's going to be sad. But everybody's time comes where you have to walk away from one program or whatever level you're playing at and move on.''

With three regular-season games remaining, Stewart sits at 11th on the school's all-time scoring list with 1,356 points, sixth in steals at 143 and second in 3-point field goals made at 216. He could break Brandon Granville's 3-point record of 218 tomorrow.

It could also be the final home game for juniors Nick Young and Gabe Pruitt, who could make themselves eligible for the NBA draft. Pruitt said he didn't think it would be his final home game.

Young said: ``I haven't really thought about it. It's been a long season, and I just want it to keep going. I want to keep winning.''

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Floyd went to football coach Pete Carroll yesterday and asked him to speak to the team before the game against Stanford. Special Teams coach Sam Anno came with Carroll. Floyd tried to act like he was surprised when Carroll came knocking on the locker room door.

``He was awesome,'' Floyd said of Carroll. ``The kids loved it. ... Late in the season, it's great to have something different, something fresh. There's nobody better than him.''

Floyd joked that Carroll now thinks he's a basketball coach.

``I think I created a monster,'' Floyd said. ``I talked to Pete today and he wanted me to put in three new inbounds plays.''

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Freshman forward Taj Gibson sat out practice Friday because of a bruised right elbow. Also missing practice on the orders of the trainer were Abdoulaye N'diaye (bruised foot) and Dwight Lewis.

``The trainer said to leave them out so we left them out,'' coach Tim Floyd said. ``They'll be ready to go tomorrow.''

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USC's 14-3 record at home is its best since 1992.

Taj Gibson's eight rebounds gave him 234 for the season, establishing a new USC freshman record. The old mark was 231 by Cliff Robinson in 1978.

Lodrick Stewart hit three 3-pointers, giving him 216 for his career. That leaves the senior two short of Brandon Granville's school record.

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Tim Floyd said he thought this victory gets USC into the NCAA Tournament.

``I think so, especially when you look at the Oregon and Arizona sweeps,'' Floyd said. ``And we have four road wins in the league. ... We won't approach it that way, though. We'll approach it that we've got to go out and get another one and then another one.''

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USC had plenty of support Thursday just when it needed it most.

Pete Carroll banged on the locker room door before the game, giving the players a pep talk that had them jumping up and down. It sparked the Trojans to a 15-8 lead early in the game.

``Pete Carroll came in, got us pumped up and we fed off that energy,'' Nick Young said. ``We went out there and tried to play like the football team.''

After the game, Denzel Washington, who had courtside seats in his first appearance at Galen Center, was in the locker room celebrating with the players.

``You know we have a lot of support if Denzel is here,'' said Lodrick Stewart, who got his picture taken with Denzel.

With the victory, USC (20-8, 10-5) moved out of a third-place tie with the Cardinal. The Trojans reached 20 victories for the 16th time in the team's 100-year history and first time since the 2001-02 season -- the last time the Trojans made the NCAA Tournament.

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Brook and Robin Lopez were born in the San Fernando Valley and lived in Granada Hills for the first six years of their lives. Their oldest brother, Alex Lopez, who is 6-foot-10 and played college ball at Washington and Santa Clara, graduated from high school at Campbell Hall of North Hollywood. The twins were regulars at his high school games. Alex now coaches varsity basketball at El Camino Real of Woodland Hills.

Check out my story in today's Daily News for more.

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The March 1 game at Washington (7 p.m.) will be televised tape-delayed at 9:30 p.m. on FSN Prime Ticket.

The March 3 game at Washington State has been changed from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. to accomadate Fox Sports.

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Monday was 16 years to the day that Nick Young's oldest brother, Charles Jr., was shot and killed. It used to be a sad day in the Young household, though with the help of the hope provided by Nick's basketball future it has transformed into a time to celebrate Junior's memory.

Nick, his father Charles Sr., mother Mae and brothers Terrell and John, had a family dinner Monday night. Charles Sr. cooked up some soul food with chicken, greens and mashed potatoes. Then they watched the movie ``Four Brothers'' with Mark Wahlberg.

``This week I'm going to try to do something special for him,'' Young said of Junior. ``I'm trying to make the (NCAA) Tournament for him.''

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The Cardinal will be without guard Anthony Goods, the team's second-leading scorer at 13.0 points per game, who is still recovering from a sprained ankle suffered Feb. 11 against Washington. Goods scored 10 in Stanford's victory over USC in Palo Alto.

However, the Trojans don't think his absence will be much of an advantage. Mitch Johnson started in his place last week and had 12 points in Stanford's victory over Oregon.

``(He's) just as good and can shoot it just as well,'' Pruitt said of Johnson. ``They're a tough team, even without Goods.''

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USC commit O.J. Mayo returned to the court Monday after a three-game suspension, coincidentally facing the same Capital High team against which the incident that led to his suspension took place. This one was less controversial, with Mayo scoring 23 points as Huntington (W.Va.) High won 79-64. See USA Today article here.

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In Palo Alto last month, Stanford set a school record with 19 blocked shots in thoroughly dominating USC. The Cardinal have two 7-footers underneath in twins Brook and Robin Lopez. Brook had 12 of the blocks, also breaking the school mark.

After watching film of that game, the Trojans believe they know what went wrong and are confident that it won't happen again.

``I just think we were impatient,'' Gabe Pruitt said. ``Those guys are really good and we just made it easier for them by playing into what they wanted us to do. ... We should have made more extra passes. When we watched the tape, we saw too much one-on-one.''

Pruitt said USC wanted to crash the boards because it is key for the Trojans to get up the court quick and create some fastbreak opportunities.

``We notice that as players,'' Pruitt said. ``(The Lopez twins) are 7-footers, so we can outrun those guys.''

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Taj Gibson, who scored two points on the Arizona trip, admitted to tiring toward the end of his first college season. He said he had a long talk with Floyd today and felt somewhat rejuvenated after taking a day and a half off.

``He's going to play well this weekend,'' Floyd said. ``I believe that.''

Gibson said he is still bothered by tendonitis in his left knee that first flared up Dec. 28 against Washington.

``Coach told me to suck it up,'' Gibson said. ``There are players in worse situations throughout the country. I've played through it all year long, so I can play through it.''

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Losing to the conference's previously winless team could have lingering effects, but USC players and coaches were focused on Thursday's game against Stanford at practice.

``We have to move on,'' coach Tim Floyd said. ``It's not any different than getting beaten by UCLA or Stanford at Stanford. You got to go play the next game, go get ready, and I thought our guys practiced well today."

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As a result of losing to the conference's last-place team, USC slipped out of both rankings despite Thursday's win over previously ranked Arizona. The Trojans are first among "Others receiving votes" in the AP poll and third in the coaches' poll. The Pac-10, which once had six teams ranked, is down to three: No. 4 UCLA, No. 9 Washington State and No. 23 Oregon.

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The Huskies finally announced the time for the March 1 game at 7 p.m. with no television.

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With a chance to reach 20 victories Sunday and all but lock up a spot in the NCAA Tournament, the Trojans instead suffered the dishonor of being the first team to lose to the Sun Devils in Pacific 10 Conference play.

``It’s very, very, very disappointing,’’ USC forward Nick Young said. ``This could have been one of those games that put us in the tournament.’’

After ending a 21-game losing streak against Arizona in Tucson on Thursday, USC players were talking about not wanting to be the team to lose to the Sun Devils.

That pressure might have gotten to the Trojans down the stretch.

``You have so much going on in your head, like you don’t want to get this loss,’’ Young said. ``... We didn’t settle down.’’

Though USC remains in good position to make the NCAA Tournament, its seeding will almost certainly take a hit.

``It’s a black eye for us but we know there’s a couple of more games ahead of us so we have to keep fighting,’’ Taj Gibson said. ``We can’t dwell on this one loss. This is the big win for their season but we have bigger things ahead and more important things to worry about.’’

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Floyd says the coaching staff has been warning the players about this game all week, even looking past Arizona to focus on the Sun Devils.

``It's been the only time all year we've talked outside our next game,'' Floyd said. ``We've talked more about Arizona State this week than we have Arizona because we knew the effort would be there for Arizona.''

Floyd sees similarities between the Sun Devils and this season's biggest surprise team in the conference.

``I expect them to be where Washington State is in two years because they're just so tough to play against,'' Floyd said. ``They play smart, play so well defensively and take such great shots. As their talent continues to improve, they are going to be right in the thick of (the Pac-10).''

Posted by Matthew Kredell at 6:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Nick Young heard a lot of chatter about his scoring being being down early in the season. With his 26-point performance Thursday against Arizona, he went up over his scoring average from last season for the first time.

Young is averaging 17.4 points per game, compared to 17.2 at the end of last season. He is at 19.8 points over the past eight games.

``I knew if I kept being patient and didn't worry about it, the scoring would come,'' Young said.

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Gabe Pruitt is getting back to his pocket-picking days of yesteryear. The junior guard had a season-high four steals to lead USC's defensive effort in Thursday's 80-75 victory over Arizona, giving him eight steals in the past three games.

``It's just anticipation,'' Pruitt said. ``I saw a couple opportunities that I was able to get out in the passing lanes and get them. I kind of got away from it a little bit, but we're at a real critical point of the season now.''

Pruitt, who is seventh on USC's all-time list in the category with 132, averaged 2.2 steals per game last season but had made just 13 through his first 12 games played this season.

Part of the decline is that Floyd doesn’t stress steals.

``I don’t think it’s a critical stat,’’ Floyd said. ``If it happens within our defense, that’s great. But steal attempts can put you out of position and allow teams to play five against four. We emphasize containment.’’

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Big moments like yesterday's victory over Arizona, USC's first at McKale Center in 22 years, make Nick Young think of Ryan Francis. Young roomed on road trips with Francis, the point guard who was killed back in Louisiana last summer following his freshman season.

``Last night, we would have been celebrating that win, just having fun,'' said Young, musing on what it would be like if Francis was around. ``We used to always have pillow fights every other day. He was a fun guy. (Thursday's win) is something he would have been proud of. ... This would have been a great year for him to be part of.''

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USC entered the season with the goal of reaching 20 victories and 10 conference wins, numbers the coaches and players thought would get them into the NCAA Tournament. The Trojans could reach both marks by beating Arizona State on Sunday, though they won't be celebrating a spot in the tournament quite yet.

``The coaches talk, and they say two more wins probably seals it,'' Gabe Pruitt said. ``I think our record right now should be good enough to make the tournament, but just to be on the safe side we've got to get a couple more wins.''

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Arizona State has to be the most fearsome last-place team in any conference in the country. The Sun Devils (6-19, 0-14) have lost by six points or less in each of the past five games, three of which came against ranked opponents. They led No. 5 UCLA by 10 points with about 10 minutes left before losing 67-61 yesterday.

``They're going to get that one game,'' Nick Young said. ``We just don't want it to be against us.''

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``USC's whole emphasis is on defense,'' Chase Budinger said. ``They tried to be physical with us from the start and played a lot of man-to-man. They're just a better defensive team.''

``USC did a great job pressuring the ball,'' Lute Olson said. ``Obviously, the difference in the game was the turnovers (nine for USC, 16 for Arizona). Some of those turnovers were because of their defense, but some were just obviously our fault. There were times when it seemed that we could not get a handle on it. There is not much I can say other than that you cannot turn the ball over 16 times and beat a good team like USC.''

Posted by Matthew Kredell at 10:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)