USC Faces Arizona State Today

TEMPE, Ariz. — USC and Arizona State seem suited for each other. They’re the only winless basketball teams in Pacific 10 Conference competition.

Moreover, the Trojans, 5-8 overall and 0-5 in the Pac-10, can’t seem to get any appreciable offense from their backcourt.

The Sun Devils (4-7 and 0-3) have a front line that can’t locate the basket.

So the match-up of these errant shooting teams today at 3 p.m. may set some lows for field goal accuracy. The game will be televised by Channel 2.

USC’s guards, Brad Winslow, Rich Grande and Ivan Harris, made only 10 of 49 shots in losses to Stanford and Arizona, Monday and Thursday nights, respectively.

The Trojans, at least, are missing from the perimeter, though. The Sun Devils can’t get two-footers to go down. ASU’s front line of Mark Carlino, Tarre Isiah, Tyrone Mitchell and Mark Becker made only 3 of 15 shots in a 61-51 loss here to UCLA Thursday night.

“Our approach to spreading the ball around and giving equal opportunities to score, our inside people as well as our outside people, is very sound,” ASU Coach Steve Patterson said. “But our inside people have got to put the ball in the basket. They’ve got to make two-footers.”

Arizona State is a guard-oriented team. Steve Beck and Arthur Thomas are the trigger men. They were a combined 12-for-24 against the Bruins, supplying most of the offense.

The Trojans shot only 28% from the field in losing to Arizona, 78-44. If they lose again today, they’ll equal their worst start in conference competition since the 1976-77 team lost six straight. That team wound up with a 6-20 record.

It’s obvious what the Trojans concentrated on in their shoot-around Friday.

“It’s just like putting in golf,” USC Coach George Raveling said. “You have to keep stroking the ball until you get your rhythm back.”