USC Looks for Its First Victory Tonight at Virginia Tech

Even though USC’s basketball team has yet to win a game this season and is coming off a 75-53 loss to Boston University, Coach George Raveling is not discouraged.

“I’m more encouraged than I’m discouraged,” Raveling said Sunday. “I see far more good things about our team than anything bad.”

USC (0-2) will try again tonight in Blacksburg, Va., where it will play Virginia Tech (0-1) in a game that starts at 4:30 p.m. PST.

The Trojans extended No. 3 ranked North Carolina before losing, 82-77, Friday night in the Central Fidelity Holiday tournament at Richmond, Va. That was the good part.

Then, on Saturday, USC shot only 33.3% while being overwhelmed by Boston University in the consolation game of the tournament.

“We were mentally flat,” Raveling said. “Maybe it was too much to expect to come back with a quality performance 24 hours later. But I still believe that these road games will help us get ready for the conference season.”

Raveling said that given a choice he wouldn’t open the season with three games on the road considering the inexperience factor of his team. But the schedule was set before he became USC’s coach.

Of the 10 players he uses regularly, two are freshmen, three are sophomores along with two junior college transfers.

“Every game is an emotional experience for our team, but the North Carolina game proved the vast potential it has,” Raveling said.

Virginia Tech has four returning starters from a 10-18 team last season and a new coach, Frankie Allen, a former assistant, who was promoted when Charles Moir resigned before the start of fall practice.

Trojan Notes USC Coach George Raveling said that freshman forward Ronnie Coleman has earned more playing time based on the Boston University game. He scored 11 points, making 9 of 10 free throws. . . . Guard Andy Olivarez’s father, Cruz, died of a heart attack Saturday. But Olivarez elected to stay with the team. He came off the bench to score eight points in three minutes, making two three-point shots.