Notes on a Scorecard - Jan. 7, 1993

The upside to the Pacific 10 Conference basketball race that begins tonight is that as many as half the teams could be contenders, and the championship might not be decided until the last weekend. . . .

The downside is that no Pac-10 team is ranked in the top 10 nationally, and the chances of the conference being represented in the Final Four for only the second time in 13 years are between slim and none. . . .

“The league doesn’t look as good to me as people thought it would be,” Stanford Coach Mike Montgomery said. “There is a lack of marquee players.” . . .

“Until we get an ESPN TV package and a conference tournament, we’re not going to be as tough as the ACC, Big East, Big Ten or SEC,” Arizona State Coach Bill Frieder said. . . .

On opening night, Frieder’s Sun Devils will play USC at the Sports Arena at 7 and Arizona will oppose UCLA at Pauley Pavilion at 9. Both games will be televised live, which, at least, is an improvement over some years. . . .

The USC rooting section ought to chant, “Three points . . . three points . . . three points,” instead of the traditional two, every time the Trojans come down court. . . .

They are making an average of 10.7 three-point shots per game, compared to the NCAA record of 10 set by Kentucky during the 1989-1990 season. . . .

The Trojans’ three-point percentage, 42.3, is slightly less than their two-point percentage, 44.5. . . .

“We’ll live and die with the three,” said Raveling, whose team has lived seven times and died twice this season. “It’s the fuel that ignites our engine. It takes advantage of our speed and quickness. We’ll put up at least 20 three-point shots a game and may gravitate to 30. One of those times might be against Arizona State.” . . .

UCLA’s smallest player--5-foot-10, 145-pound sophomore point guard Tyus Edney--has been the most valuable during the Bruins’ 9-2 nonconference season. . . .

“Edney is having a terrific year,” Coach Jim Harrick said. “He’s our catalyst.” . . .

I’ve never seen anyone hit a home run--or strike out--with more flair than Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson. . . .

About 50 Dodger major and minor leaguers who live in the area are expected to begin winter workouts Monday at Dodger Stadium. . . .

Tom Lasorda predicts Tim Wallach, who had only 59 runs batted in for the Montreal Expos last season, will get 80 for the Dodgers. . . .

There is no great demand to see Larry Holmes--who beat Everett (Big Foot) Martin on Tuesday night--but a Holmes-George Foreman bout might be attractive if it is promoted in good humor and billed as a farewell to both former heavyweight champions. . . .

Harold Miner returns to Inglewood with the Miami Heat on Sunday against the Lakers, but he won’t be able to watch USC play Arizona on Saturday at the Forum because of a game against the Kings in Sacramento that night. . . .

“Harold came to one of our games in Florida,” Raveling said. “He sat right in the middle of the bench and was giving advice to some of the kids.”. . . .

The folding of SportsChannel Los Angeles meant no local telecasts of the Clipper games the last two nights. . . .

Memphis State is having a disappointing season, but junior Anfernee Hardaway, a 6-7 guard with Magic Johnson-type skills, might go first in the next NBA draft. . . .

The complaint I hear most from people who go to Santa Anita and Hollywood Park occasionally is that there is too much time between races. . . .

John Robinson is studying for the rules test that all newly hired NCAA coaches must pass before they can go out on the road to recruit. . . .

Florida State--which loses linebacker Marvin Jones but retains quarterback Charlie Ward--probably will be No. 1 in the 1993 preseason rankings. . . .

A longshot possibility for the New York Giant coaching job is Ray Rhodes, the Green Bay Packer defensive coordinator and former San Francisco 49er assistant. . . .

Cortez Kennedy must have had some season to be voted NFL defensive player of the year by Associated Press, despite the Seattle Seahawks’ 2-14 record. . . .

Playoff predictions: Saturday--Buffalo over Pittsburgh, San Francisco over Washington. Sunday--Dallas over Philadelphia, San Diego over Miami. Next week--San Francisco over Dallas, San Diego over Buffalo. Jan. 31--San Francisco over San Diego. . . .

Jan. 5 will be remembered by Chicago sports fans as the day that Mike Ditka was fired by the Bears and by L.A. fans as the night the Lakers swept the season series from the Bulls.