On balance, Trojans simply better than Longhorns

University of Southern California freshman guard Daniel Hackett began the season wearing jersey number 11.

When that jersey, formerly worn by longtime NBA player and coach Bill Sharman, was retired in January, he switched to No. 25. That one, worn by another ex-star Paul Westphal, was also retired so he ended up with No. 13.

Given his performance in the Trojans 87-68 NCAA subregional basketball victory over Texas in the Arena Sunday, Hackett may be beginning a legend of his own.

The victory advanced USC to the NCAA tournament’s round of 16 against North Carolina next weekend in East Rutherford, N.J.

Hackett, part of a smaller starting lineup to help offset the explosive Longhorns, scored a career-high 20 points, one of five USC players who finished in double figures.

That, said Texas coach Rick Barnes, spelled the difference in the game.

“You look at their balance and the lack of ours and you’re not going to win at this time of year,” Barnes said.

While the Trojans were getting a team’s worth of scoring, 50 of Texas’ 68 points were scored by two players.

Kevin Durant finished with 30, but half came too late following a 19-3 second-half scoring explosion by the Trojans that put them ahead 53-33. A.J. Abrams added 20, 12 in the first half.

USC never trailed in the game, which began with Hackett’s 3-pointer, and was only tied once, at 5-5. From there, the lead quickly increased, to as many as 15 points at 32-17 with 6 minutes to go until intermission.

The Trojans’ early dominance was primarily due to a defensive scheme employing guard pressure out front – including by Hackett – coupled with backside help and emphasis on avoiding fouls, that limited Texas to 11-of-28 field-goal shooting in the first half.

“I loved our unselfishness and the way our guys switched screens and were into each other on the defensive end, the way we defensive rebounded and tried to make a big deal of not fouling Texas,” said coach Tim Floyd.

Offensively, USC shot 52 percent from the field in the half, led by Hackett and Nick Young, including five 3-pointers.

Texas regrouped to outscore USC 10-2 in the final 5:35 until intermission, Abrams hitting a 3-pointer with less than 3 seconds remaining. The Longhorns made it 34-30 by scoring the first two baskets of the second half before the Trojans went on a 5-minute lesson in transition, thanks to 13 rebounds, split nearly even at both ends of the court, a couple of turnovers and in Barnes’ words, “poor offense” on Texas’ part.

Five different players scored for USC, including Young, who scored nine points on his way to a team-high 22. Others in double figures were 6-foot-9 freshman Taj Gibson, who had 17 points and 14 rebounds despite taking a blow to the jaw. Lodrick Stewart and Gabe Pruitt each scored 10.

Hackett got substantial playing time at point guard and had several double-figure games in December while Pruitt was academically ineligible. With Pruitt’s return, one of the top recruits in California wound up averaging just 4.8 points per game.

“I got a lot of experience when Gabe wasn’t playing and also practiced against him, which helped me so much,” Hackett said.

His starts diminished, except in situations like Sunday which coaches felt was a matter of matchups. He scored 10 points in each half, dished out eight assists and hauled down six rebounds.

“Today, the guys were getting me the ball, there were pretty much open gaps in the defense and I took them,” Hackett said.