Bibby’s Seeking to Protect Middle

USC Coach Henry Bibby wants some better treatment from the officials for Brian Scalabrine.

“He’s really getting beat up out there,” Bibby said of his 6-9 junior forward. “He can play both physical and finesse basketball. But people are really going at him; they want to take him out of the game. Neither he or Sam (Clancy) are going to the free-throw line enough for the kind of [physical] play they are getting inside.”

Scalabrine, the Trojans third-leading scorer (15.4) and most often the first option on offense, has attempted 35 free throws (and made 22) in 10 games. Clancy, USC’s leading scorer (17.5), has gotten to the free-throw line 74 times, more than double any other USC player. He has made 47.

“One of the things the rules committee talked about this spring was cleaning up the game inside, making more calls,” Bibby said. “But if physical play isn’t called, it will take anybody out of their game.”

One of the reasons Scalabrine only took four shots and had just four points in the loss to Long Beach State, Bibby said, was that Scalabrine was hit in the nose early in the game and was bothered by blurred vision.

“The Long Beach game was as physical as any we’ve played this season,” Bibby said. “And that includes North Carolina.”

TONIGHT

at San Diego State, 7

* Site--Cox Arena at Aztec Bowl.

* Radio--KCTD (1540).

* Records--USC (5-5), San Diego State (2-4).

* Update--The Trojans had a modest two-game winning streak snapped by Long Beach State. They’ll try to rebound against the Aztecs, whose two victories this season (against UC Riverside and South Carolina State) have come at home. San Diego State has only beaten USC once in 10 games--79-73 on Dec. 9, 1989.