USC basketball: Arizona pregame
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Greetings, salutations and Happy New Year’s Eve to you and yours!
Coming to you from the Galen Center, where a pair of awkward reunions will unfold this afternoon when USC (8-4) tries to extend its six-game winning streak against Arizona (6-6).
What reunions, you say?
- Arizona has three freshmen -- Derrick Williams, Solomon Hill and Lamont Jones -- who used to be part of the 2009 USC recruiting class. The three bailed amid allegations of scandal involving then-USC Coach Tim Floyd, but return today. Read Times Staffer David Wharton’s excellent story in today’s paper on the situation.
- USC Coach Kevin O’Neill was brought on as an assistant coach at Arizona in 2007 and was pegged to become the replacement for longtime Wildcats Coach Lute Olson, but O’Neill was unexpectedly canned in 2008. Says O’Neill, ‘You know what, I never said anything after I left. A lot of people did a lot of talking after I left. I chose not to.’
But this isn’t ‘Days of Our Lives,’ so enough drama. Here are some pregame facts and stats to hold you over until tip-off at 4 p.m. (televised on Prime Ticket, radio broadcast on 710):
USC player to watch: Senior guard Dwight Lewis
It gets old putting Mike Gerrity’s name here, so why not Lewis (12.4 points per game). The senior wasn’t stellar in Hawaii during the Diamond Head Classic, averaging 9.6 points in three games, but he’s looked solid in practice all week and stayed late most days to work on his jump shot. Look for USC to get him involved on offense, and for the ball to be in his hands when the shot clock is winding down.
Arizona player to watch: Senior guard Nic Wise
Wise is athletic, shifty and a clutch dead-eye shooter (93% from the free-throw line) who had hit back-to-back game-winning shots against Lipscomb and and North Carolina State. But he is coming off a three-for-eight performance in Arizona’s 99-69 loss to BYU. Expect Wise, who leads the team with 16.3 points per game, to be aggressive against USC as he tries to bounce back.
O’Neill’s key to the game:
-- Limit Wise and guard Kyle Fogg from getting open looks, especially from three-point range.
-- Attack Arizona’s zone defense.
-- Push the ball and be strong in transition.
-- Be aggressive early and wear Arizona down for 40 minutes.
Key to the game: USC’s defense
The Trojans’ offense hasn’t been spectacular, scoring only 60.8 points per game, but the defense has been stellar, holding foes to 56.3 points per game, the 10th-best scoring defense in the nation out of 334 teams. Can they continue to frustrate offenses or will Arizona, which comes in averaging 71.3 points, be able to break the Trojans’ defense? If USC can control the tempo and turn the game into a grinder by keeping the final score in the 50s, the Trojans should come out on top.
-- Baxter Holmes