PACIFIC 10 BASKETBALL / DAN HAFNER : Scoring an Upset Is Great, but the Next Game Can Be a Real Bear

The late George Allen, a former Ram and Washington Redskin coach, always said the toughest game to win was the one immediately after a big victory.

USC Coach George Raveling, who had Allen as a lecturer at his basketball clinic a few days before Allen died, recalled Allen’s remarks after Arizona State stunned California last Saturday.

It was the game after Jason Kidd and his teammates scored an upset over Arizona in overtime at Tucson. “I’ve never forgotten George’s philosophy,” Raveling said. “If I had ever been a betting man, I would have won a lot of money. Just look what happened last week. Georgia Tech overwhelmed North Carolina and was trounced in the next game by Louisville. It happened to several teams just in the last week or so.”

The youthful Bears and their 30-year-old coach, Todd Bozeman, learned the hard way about losing after a big victory. In a dramatic finish, Arizona State’s Stevin Smith shot a 42-footer at the buzzer that hit only net and gave the Sun Devils a 63-60 victory.

Last Thursday, the Bears achieved a feat only two teams had accomplished in the previous 102 games at McKale Center--they beat the Wildcats, 98-93, in overtime. A three-point basket in the closing seconds by Cal’s Lamond Murray put the Bears in overtime and they went on to win their eighth in a row. The Wildcats led by 11 points seven minutes into the second half.

Until Saturday, Smith, nicknamed Hedake, had not often been a headache for any Sun Devil opponent this season. Smith’s scoring had suffered since he took over at point guard for Marcell Capers, who is sidelined for the season because of an injury.

But Smith showed he was regaining his shooting touch in a victory last Thursday over Stanford when he scored 19 points. Then on Saturday, he planted himself just past center court and released the winning shot at the buzzer to give the Sun Devils a 2-1 conference record.

The Bears, who are 3-1 and trail unbeaten UCLA by one game, are at Stanford tonight. “Everybody was building up the game with Arizona as if it was for the championship,” said Kidd, who made the pass that set up Murray’s three-pointer. “It may have been a championship-type of game, but it’s just too early in the season to be decisive.”

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After they overwhelmed USC for their first Pac-10 victory after three losses, the Washington State Cougars were in a confident mood.

“The coach wouldn’t want to hear us saying that,” senior center Fred Ferguson said, “but we think we can still win the conference. We really played well against UCLA, we just didn’t get any breaks.”

Raveling tends to agree with the Cougars.

“This is a wide-open race,” he said. “Nobody thought we’d be 3-1, and nobody thought the Cougars would be 1-3. Before a winner is decided, there will be some wild outcomes. The Cougars have a nice blend of seniors and freshmen. And they also have a pretty good sophomore in Mark Hendrickson. When he starts hitting his shots, the Cougars will really be tough to beat.”

The Cougars (11-5) have played nine games on the road. This week, they play two more away from Friel Court, where they are 6-1. Tonight, the Cougars play at Oregon. Last week, the Ducks, with Mira Costa junior college transfer Darryl Parker averaging 15 points and 10 rebounds, built a big lead and held off Oregon State at Eugene for their first Pac-10 victory.

“Before we got into what I call our Cadillac mood, when we aren’t really working and (we) let the other team be the aggressor, I thought we played pretty well,” Coach Jerry Green said.

“When I asked the players what to do about blowing leads, they said we needed the killer instinct.”

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Brevin Knight, Stanford’s talented freshman, had a tough time against Arizona’s Damon Stoudamire last week, and tonight he will go up against Jason Kidd, who figures to be even more difficult.

“Brevin is no longer a secret,” Stanford Coach Mike Montgomery said. “When he found himself being outplayed by Stoudamire, he forgot what his job is. He started playing too much one on one.”

Pacific 10 Notes

The season ended for three Pac-10 players last week: Cal guard K.J. Roberts aggravated a stress fracture, Oregon State guard J.D. Vetter will have surgery on a separated shoulder and Oregon forward Damon Runyon suffered a knee injury. All are eligible for redshirt seasons. . . . Arizona Coach Lute Olson on Cal’s Lamond Murray: “I can’t imagine a better 6-foot-8 athlete. He’s got great hands, he’s a tremendous jumper and he can shoot. At that size and at that position, the only person I can compare him to is Sean Elliott.”