Notes on a Scorecard - Feb. 26, 1992

If you are a UCLA basketball fan, this is the week you have been waiting for. . . .

If you are the UCLA basketball coach, you are eager to meet the challenge. . . .

“It’s funny just how the schedule worked out, but I don’t have any complaints,” Jim Harrick said about facing USC Thursday night at the Sports Arena and Duke on Sunday at Pauley Pavilion. “A UCLA coach expects to play big games. These games will help to prepare us for the NCAA tournament better.” . . .

Harrick says the rematch with USC, an 86-82 winner at Westwood on Jan. 29, is the most important game the Bruins will play this week. . . .

“We’re zeroing in on the conference,” said Harrick, whose team is one game ahead of the Trojans and two ahead of Arizona in the Pacific 10 Conference race. . . .

This should not come as particularly good news to USC Coach George Raveling, who claims that the Duke game is bigger for the Bruins. . . .

“In the overall framework of the season, this USC game really doesn’t matter to UCLA because conference championships don’t mean as much as they used to,” Raveling said. “The whole nation will be watching the Duke game.” . . .

Actually, the whole nation will have an opportunity to watch both games--UCLA-USC on ESPN and UCLA-Duke on ABC. . . .

“We’re going to have to play a lot better than the first time to beat USC,” Harrick said. “We shot four airballs and missed seven layups in the first half against them. We’ve got to get back on defense, stop their transition game, be tougher under the boards, and not let Yamen Sanders and Duane Cooper have career nights again.” . . .

The matchup Sunday will be between the teams ranked Nos. 1 and 2 in the CNN/USA Today poll and 1 and 4 in the Associated Press poll. . . .

“Actually, the poll that means the most to us is the NCAA poll,” Harrick said. “They have their power rankings, and we’ve been in the top four all season. That helps determine tournament seeds. After the draw comes out the final Sunday of the season, the AP and CNN/USA Today polls on Monday really aren’t very important.” . . .

Harrick on Duke: “They’re easy to scout, but hard to play.” . . .

If the Bruins win Sunday, Harrick’s team will have defeated those of Mike Krzyzewski, Bobby Knight, Denny Crum and Lute Olson in a single season. . . .

Harrick received his master’s degree in education in 1966 from USC. . . .

Strange, but now that Pat Riley is coaching a team that isn’t an NBA champion, his ability finally is being recognized. . . .

Only the Cleveland Cavaliers have improved their win-loss ratio more than Riley’s New York Knicks, who play the Lakers tonight at the Forum. . . .

The Knicks are 34-20, compared to 23-31 a year ago. . . .

It will be a busy night for Riley, who will be among those honored during ceremonies marking the 20th anniversary of the Lakers’ 1971-72 NBA championship team. A 6-foot-4 reserve, Riley averaged 6.7 points that season. . . .

San Antonio Spur owner Red McCombs was born in Spur, Tex. . . .

The Golden State Warriors can become the first NBA team to sweep the three Texas teams on the road twice. . . .

The Clippers were interested in Derek Harper, and the Knicks wanted the Dallas Mavericks’ other starting guard, Rolando Blackman. . . .

Some NBA trades finally will be consummated after the season when the salary cap is increased by $1.5 million per team. . . .

Watch out, Deion Sanders. Here comes Cleveland Gary, who signed a minor league contract with the Angels and could become a two-sport performer in the same stadium. . . .

USC Coach Jim Bush believes his shallow, but fast, team will contend for the NCAA track and field championship. The Trojans--led by Quincy Watts, the world’s 10th-ranked 400-meter runner; hurdler Mark Crear and two of the nation’s best relay teams--will compete against Stanford, Cal State Northridge and UC Irvine at noon Saturday at Cromwell Field on the USC campus. . . .

Look-alikes: Nancy Kerrigan and a young Katherine Hepburn. . . .

The importance of a good cutman was illustrated again Monday night at the Forum when John Montes Sr. was able to stop the bleeding that otherwise could have prevented Genaro Hernandez from defeating Omar Catari. Too many fighters choose to work without experienced cornermen. . . .

Jockey Corey Nakatani, 21, whose father was born in a World War II internment camp in Colorado, will represent the United States in the Young Jockeys World Championship March 9 in Japan. . . .

Big East basketball reminds me of NFC East football--grind ‘em out.