Kevin O’Neill can do something new with USC over UCLA

Kevin O’Neill can do Sunday what Tim Floyd never could -- coach USC to a victory over UCLA in the Galen Center. . . .

Nearly 3 1/2 years since the building opened amid much fanfare in October 2006, Ben Howland and UCLA still have not lost there. . . .

As long as Lamar Odom continues playing at a high level, what difference does it make whether he’s a starter or a sub? . . .

Even as half an All-Star, as Chris Kaman described his recent selection as an injury replacement, it’s rare for a Clipper to be picked for the All-Star game. . . .

Kaman joins a list that also includes two-time selections Danny Manning and Elton Brand, Norm Nixon, Marques Johnson and, from the team’s San Diego days, World B. Free. . . .

Sixteen basketball courts could fit on the floor of Cowboys Stadium, but only one will be needed Sunday. . . .

Spring training kicks off next week, Angels pitchers and catchers reporting Wednesday, their Dodgers counterparts Feb. 20. . . .

If you think Indianapolis Colts fans are suffering, consider Minnesota Vikings fans: The Vikings played in four of the first 11 Super Bowls, never led, and haven’t been back since 1977. . . .

The Super Bowl has not been kind to NFL most valuable players of late, reader James Lloyd of Compton notes, Peyton Manning’s loss Sunday following defeats by Tom Brady in 2008, Shaun Alexander in ‘06, Rich Gannon in ’03 and Kurt Warner in ’02. . . .

Warner, 10 years ago, was the last MVP to claim a Super Bowl victory in the same season he won the individual honor. . . .

The Kings’ recent surge in the standings has benefited more than the club’s rising playoff hopes, Dustin Brown & Co. having pledged $200 per player to the American Red Cross relief effort in Haiti for each of their victories this month. . . .

There’s no place like home for Bobby Ryan and the Ducks. . . .

Fifteen years ago this month, John Stockton moved past Magic Johnson to become the NBA’s all-time assist leader -- on a pass to Karl Malone, of course -- and Harold Miner won the NBA slam dunk contest for the second time in three years. . . .

Shannon Brown is a slight favorite over Nate Robinson to win Saturday’s slam dunk contest, according to odds posted at bodog.com, while Clippers-killer Stephen Curry is favored to win the three-point shooting competition. . . .

Kevin Love, Russell Westbrook and O.J. Mayo are part of the 27-player pool that will be used to select Team USA rosters for this summer’s world championships and the 2012 Olympics. . . .

Reader Doug Thomson of West Los Angeles e-mails to note the irony that Florida State’s 2006 Emerald Bowl victory over UCLA, which was vacated this week because of an academic cheating scandal, featured a pair of Rhodes scholars in UCLA’s Chris Joseph and Florida State’s Myron Rolle. . . .

Congratulations to the Super Bowl for drawing an average of 106.5 million viewers, brushing past Hawkeye and Hot Lips to become the most-watched show in U.S. television history, but the 2006 World Cup final drew an average of 260 million. . . .

And it featured a head-butt, courtesy of Zinedine Zidane. . . .

Northwestern, which hosted the NCAA tournament’s first championship game in 1939, is the only team from a major conference that has never played in the tournament. . . .

A Sporting News mock draft shows UCLA’s Brian Price and USC’s Taylor Mays going in the first round this April. . . .

“Cool Runnings,” a John Candy-starring 1993 comedy about the Jamaican bobsled team, is history’s greatest Winter Olympics-themed movie, according to a MovieTickets.com poll. . . .

Runner-up: “Blades of Glory,” a 2007 figure-skating spoof starring Will Ferrell and Jon Heder. . . .

With all the talk out of New Orleans this week, reader Bob Bayer of West Hills e-mails to remind that L.A. Rams fans used to shout about running back Jim Jodat, “Who dat? Jodat!” . . .

Tom Lasorda, speaking at a dinner in Long Beach last weekend, told of betting on a horse named Hat Rack after dreaming about large hats, then watching the horse bolt to a big lead before faltering at the end and losing to a 90-1 longshot. . . .

“The winning horse,” Lasorda lamented, “was Sombrero.”

jerome.crowe@latimes.com