Stewart Gets Tough Assignment in Adams

The changing of the guard is expected to continue tonight for USC against Arizona at the Sports Arena.

The task of guarding the opponent’s top scorer, usually the exclusive domain of freshman guard Ryan Francis provided that player was no taller than 6 feet 7, has been spread around recently as Coach Tim Floyd continues to gain confidence in the defensive abilities of his other players.

The switch contributed to a pair of victories last week for the Trojans. Sophomore guard Gabe Pruitt held Oregon State’s Chris Stephens to one field goal during the stretches he guarded him and sophomore swingman Nick Young limited Oregon’s Malik Hairston to eight points on two-for-nine shooting.

Tonight, junior guard Lodrick Stewart faces an even bigger assignment in Arizona’s Hassan Adams, whose 19.5 scoring average leads the Pacific 10 Conference. Francis held Adams to 16 points on six-for-12 shooting in their first meeting, a 74-63 Arizona victory.

“He’s a real emotional player who likes to win and hates to lose, just like me,” Stewart said. “So it will be a test for me on defense, and I have to just go right back at him on offense.”

Francis, who will shadow point guard Mustafa Shakur, said he liked the switch because “it keeps me fresher for ball handling and trying to set the table on the offensive end.”

Arizona, coming off a season-worst 17-point loss to North Carolina, is expected to slash toward the basket and work the ball inside more than usual after Coach Lute Olson’s admonition this week that any Wildcat caught taking a three-point shot would be taken out of the lineup.

“I’m hoping Hassan shoots one on the first possession and that they bench him,” Floyd joked. “Our preparation has not been altered by that comment.

“We still have a great respect for their ability to make those threes, especially Shakur and Hassan and [Ivan] Radenovic based on our last game with them. It seemed like they made them all.”

Actually, the Wildcats made 50% of their three-pointers against the Trojans, well above their conference-worst 31.3% average.

Leading by only two points at halftime, Arizona pulled away with a 25-11 run over the first 9:27 of the second half, a stretch in which USC made four of 13 shots and committed eight turnovers.

“It seems like Arizona, they come right out [after] halftime and just jump right on you -- full-court pressure, denying every wing pass, that’s what they focus on,” Stewart said. “They’re one of the best teams in the nation at that. So we just have to come out and be focused at halftime.”

TONIGHT

vs. Arizona, 7:30, FSN West

Site -- Sports Arena.

Radio -- 1540.

Records -- USC 14-6 overall, 5-4 in Pacific 10 Conference; Arizona 13-7, 6-3.

Update -- Backup point guard Dwayne Shackleford suffered a broken nose in practice Monday during a collision with a teammate but will be available tonight. X-rays on the right foot of freshman forward RouSean Cromwell indicated that his fracture is healing properly. Cromwell has begun walking again but won’t rejoin the team for at least several more weeks.

Tickets -- (213) 740-4672.