USC Tries to Sneak Up on Oregon in TV Game

The Pacific 10 basketball season is just under way, but there already seems to be a trend. Or rather the lack of one. There doesn’t appear to be a dominant team.

One league official said he wouldn’t be surprised if five teams wound up at 10-8 and the other five at 8-10.

Now, that’s balance for you, but it can also be construed that the league’s teams aren’t overwhelmingly talented.

“I think a lot of coaches in our conference have reason to be optimistic about sneaking in,” said USC Coach Stan Morrison, referring to the championship.

USC will continue its sneaking process today when it plays Oregon (Channel 2 at 2 p.m.) at the Forum. The Lakers will play there at night against the Washington Bullets. An ice show at the Sports Arena has kept USC moving around lately, even for practice sessions.

“I think the conference race will be a real knock-down, drag-out dogfight,” Morrison said.

If so, it’s imperative that teams win at home. USC, 5-5 overall, lost its conference opener to Oregon State, 68-64, Dec. 22 at the Sports Arena, so the Trojans would be at a real disadvantage if they lost to the Ducks (5-6 and 0-1) today.

Oregon extended UCLA Thursday night before losing, 71-65, at Pauley Pavilion.

The Ducks don’t have their aircraft carrier, 7-foot Blair Rasmussen, at the post anymore. That means Oregon can’t lob the ball inside for sure points, as it has done in the past.

On the other hand, the Ducks were predictable with Rasmussen on the floor. Now, they’re a quicker team with a man-to-man emphasis on defense.

Oregon Coach Don Monson said as much: “I’ve been too predictable. They (opponents) knew we were going to be in some type of zone trying to protect Blair (from foul trouble) and get him the ball in his best possible position.”

Oregon is now relying on a smaller front line of 6-7 Keith Balderston, 6-6 Kenny Sprague from Santa Monica High School and 6-8 Jerry Adams from Verbum Dei.

Adams is the Pac-10’s leading rebounder with an average of 10.4 a game and is the only senior in the starting lineup.

The sophomore guards, Anthony Taylor and Rick Osborn, each 6-4, have supplied much of the offense this season. They’re averaging 18.5 and 11.9 points, respectively.

Oregon was picked to finish last by the conference coaches, but the way things look now, any number of teams could fall into that niche.

The Trojans will be playing the Ducks without their leading scorer, freshman Tom Lewis, who is averaging 18.4 points. Lewis has a sprained right ankle and will be replaced by another freshman, Bo Kimble.

Kimble will be joined in the starting lineup by Troy LaMar, Derrick Dowell, Rod Keller and Larry Friend.

With Lewis unavailable, the 6-6 Dowell will be expected to supply most of the scoring and rebounding for USC. He is averaging 16.1 points and 9 rebounds.

The Trojans don’t have a dominating player at the post position, but neither do most of the teams in the conference. Washington has 7-foot Chris Welp, but the Huskies, the preseason choice to win the league title, have been struggling lately.

So, there are a lot of contenders for the conference title now in what might become a .500 league.

Trojan Notes Channel 2 had previously planned to televise today’s game on a delayed basis, not wanting to buck the NFL playoff game between the Raiders and New England Patriots at the Coliseum. But that game is now blacked out in Los Angeles, so the USC game will be shown live. . . . Stan Morrison said freshman Hank Gathers will be the first replacement at the post position, with Brad Winslow and Kevin Steward backing up Kimble at a wing. . . . USC is shooting 47.1%, a figure matched by its opponents. . . . Morrison on the influence of the 45-second clock in college basketball this season: “Teams that are behind, because of the clock, can stay in the zone. Teams that are ahead when they see the zone can’t profit by staying at halfcourt and holding the ball under their arms because the defense will just extend the zone. So the end result is that the team on offense takes more time on shot selection and punching the ball inside against the zone. You’re going to see lower and lower scores, teams playing it closer to the vest. Tempo will become a more critical factor than ever before, and I say it’s easier to slow a game down than it is to speed one up.” . . . Oregon alumni in Southern California will gather at the Airport Park Hotel, across from the Forum, for a pregame party starting at noon today.