Bibby Urging a Quick Start

California guard Thomas Kilgore ranks among the top scorers in the Pacific 10 Conference, and in the last 12 games has shot 54% from the field and averaged 16 points.

The Golden Bears also have a plus-5.7 turnover margin and one of the conference’s best defenses, giving up 67.9 points a game. So why have they lost four of their last five games, leaving them near the bottom of the standings?

“This is a very tough league,” Coach Ben Braun said.

Or, as USC Coach Henry Bibby put it: “Cal is one of the best 3-7 teams around.”

They are, at the very least, one game ahead of the Trojans after winning, 89-75, at the Sports Arena last month. USC has prepared for the rematch by working on defensive rotation and encouraging point guard Brandon Granville to push the ball upcourt to convert turnovers and defensive rebounds into layups. A quick start could be especially helpful at The New Arena in Oakland.

“We’ve been getting behind,” Bibby said. “We need to be in games early.”

Coming up: Saturday at Stanford, Feb. 17 at UCLA.

TONIGHT at California, 7:30

* Radio--XTRA (690)

* Site--The New Arena, Oakland.

* Records--Trojans 11-9, 3-8 in Pac-10; Golden Bears 12-8, 3-7.

* Update--The Golden Bears’ biggest weakness has been their offense, shooting only 41% from the field.