Troubled USC Opens Pac-10 Race at Stanford : Munk, Leading Rebounder, Ineligible to Play Against Experienced Cardinal

USC’s not so ready for prime-time basketball players will be in prime time tonight.

The Trojans open the Pacific 10 Conference season against Stanford at Maples Pavilion, and George Raveling’s team hasn’t indicated so far that it will be a factor in the league race.

USC has a 1-6 record, equaling the 1931-32 team for the worst start in the school’s history.

Moreover, center Chris Munk, USC’s best rebounder and interior defender, won’t play tonight. He is academically ineligible and Raveling isn’t sure when he’ll be back.

That’s a matter for the National Collegiate Athletic Assn. to decide. Federal privacy laws prevent Raveling from commenting on Munk’s academic problems.

In any event, Raveling said he’s fearful that his team’s confidence factor may have evaporated.

“Our progress is coming much too slowly now,” Raveling said.

The USC coach identified the problem areas as foul shooting, rebounding, turnovers and interior defense. That’s a bunch.

The Trojans are shooting only 57.1% from the foul line, don’t have a rebounding advantage and have committed 27 more turnovers than their opponents.

Raveling could have added field goal shooting to the other negative statistics. USC is shooting only 41.5%, 35.9% from three-point range.

“We can’t keep ourselves in a competitive situation because we’re missing our key foul shots,” Raveling said.

It’s not that the Trojans don’t work on this phase of the game. They spend at least a half hour every day in practice going to the free-throw line.

Raveling broke down his team’s statistics by positions and it was a painful survey for him.

For example, his point guards, Rich Grande, Dave Wiltz and Duane Cooper, are shooting a collective 30% from the field and 43% from the foul line.

Raveling said, however, that his team has had the benefit of working on fundamentals the past week in practice while not playing a game during a period of final examinations.

“I do think we have improved on our intensity, offensive patience and better shot selection,” he said.

USC opened the season Nov. 27 on an auspicious note. The Trojans extended highly regarded North Carolina before losing, 82-77, in a tournament in Richmond, Va.

USC has been sliding ever since, though, beating only Seattle, an National Assn. of Intercollegiate Athletics school.

The Trojans don’t figure to snap out of their slump against Stanford (6-2), one of the most experienced teams in the league with four starters returning from last season.

The Cardinal is led by junior forward Todd Lichti, an all-Pac-10 selection in each of his first two years.

“Lichti is one of the two or three best players in the league,” Raveling said. “He’s a multidimensional player who can can be moved to almost any position that they need him.”

Lichti is supported by forward Howard Wright and 6-foot 11-inch center Greg Butler, whom Raveling says are two of the most improved players in the league.

Senior forward Eric Reveno is out for the season with a back injury, but 6-6 Bryan McSweeney has filled in adequately for him.

“Next to Arizona, Stanford is probably the most consistent team in the conference,” Raveling said. “Coach Mike Montgomery has a simple, but well executed offense and, on defense, Stanford uses a man defense, but will play some 2-3 zone.”

As for his own team, Raveling, an optimist like his predecessor, Stan Morrison, said: “The conference season is a new mountain for us to climb, a new opportunity for us.”

That mountain could be Mt. Everest.

Trojan Notes

Tonight’s game begins at 7:30. USC will conclude its Bay Area trip with a game against California (3-2) Wednesday night in Berkeley. . . . USC Coach George Raveling has practically conceded the league championship to second-ranked Arizona. “But the race from second to 10th will be as competitive as it has been in a long, long time,” he said. Raveling said that Arizona reminds him of some of the old UCLA teams. “At this juncture, they have no obvious weakness,” he said. “It’s an unselfish team with a balanced offense. And I’ve never seen a team with a better bench attitude. No one hardly sits down during a game. They have as good a chance as anyone to finish the regular season as No. 1.”

USC has lost seven straight games to Stanford. Even USC’s 1984-85 team, co-champion of the Pac-10, was swept by Stanford. . . . Stanford forward Todd Lichti is averaging 22.1 points a game. . . . Raveling on center Chris Munk, who is academically ineligible: “He’s our most physical player by far. He’s also our best rebounder and best interior defender. His absence doesn’t enhance our opportunity to beat Stanford or Cal.” . . . USC has been outscored, 298-222, in the second halves of its games. Conversely, USC has led or been tied at halftime in five of its seven games. . . . Raveling says he’ll continue to play nine players, a pattern he followed while coaching at Washington State and Iowa.