Letdown Factor Downplayed

Now that the 15th-ranked Trojans have put the Utah game and all it represents behind them, they can concentrate on the rest of the nonconference schedule.

And it’s a good thing their next opponent is Northridge. Good in that the Matadors, who have lost their two previous meetings against USC, should not catch the Trojans having a letdown.

Not with Northridge coming off a 20-win season, something the Trojans haven’t had since 1992. Not with the Matadors’ upset win at UCLA on Nov. 21 still fresh in everyone’s minds

“The Utah win was a great win for us and the school because, to be honest, I wasn’t really sure where we were at,” said Sam Clancy. “We had three games that weren’t as good as we wanted to be. But we’ve kept getting better.

“I hope this win is a springboard for us. We know we have a target on our backs now. Every night we have to come to play. We’ll have to play Northridge with the same intensity that we brought to Utah.”

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Brandon Granville, noting the loosey-goosey atmosphere among the Trojans before Saturday’s game, figured the Trojans were ready to play well.

“I didn’t feel any nervous energy from anybody,” Granville said. “We played in the Wooden Classic last year against Duke. We played big games against North Carolina, and Arizona and Stanford in the Pac-10. We know what it takes to play at this level.

“We were eager to go out there and prove we’re the best team in L.A. and one of the best teams in the country. We were on national television a lot and we’ll be on a lot this year. That’s helped given the sense of calm this team has.”