Trojans upset Bruins
Keep their NCAA tourney hopes alive
LOS ANGELES – Desperation looked like the perfect motivation at Staples Center on Friday night.
USC kept alive its NCAA tournament hopes with a hard-working 65-55 victory over rival UCLA in the semifinals of the Pac-10 men’s basketball tournament. The victory was the first in three tries for USC against the Bruins this season, and it came at a time of urgent need.
A loss likely would have knocked USC out of the NCAA field.
The Trojans, the No. 6 seed, knocked off the second-seeded Bruins by playing all-out defense and stifling a 15th-ranked UCLA team that has struggled in spotlight games this season.
USC plays Arizona State in the championship game today. The prize is an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.
The Trojans looked like they wanted it more. The numbers suggest they did. UCLA shot just 28.8 percent from the field and the Trojans beat them on the boards. UCLA’s best player, Darren Collison, made just one of his nine shots.
USC freshman DeMar DeRozan continued his hot play, scoring a team-high 21 points and hauling in 13 rebounds. It was the second consecutive double-double for DeRozan, who appears to be living up his considerable preseason hype near the end of the season.
The teams matched similar defense-first strategies that made for humdrum viewing at times but also made for brutally difficult possessions. The teams combined for 18 points in the first 10:11 of the second half, neither team willing to cede baskets.
The Trojans seemed willing to sacrifice their bodies to slow the Bruins, and their defense was nearly impenetrable for long periods. The Bruins had their worst shooting night of the season.
It wasn’t so much about a grudge for USC as it was about preservation. The Trojans lost six of seven near the end of the regular season to make this tournament their final salvation.
For No. 15 UCLA, the blow was far from fatal but certainly painful. The Bruins could have benefited by winning this tournament, but they look like a good bet to secure a No. 5 seed for next week’s tournament.
UCLA is now at the whim of the selection committee in terms of its travel plans. The Bruins were hoping to open the tournament in Portland or Boise, something that would have been likely with a victory Friday.
They couldn’t match USC’s sense of urgency – or its poise.