Kapono Takes a Shot, and Trojans Rebound

It takes very little fuel to create an inferno between Bruins and Trojans when it comes to sports. And both basketball teams are doing their best not to give the other any added motivation for tonight’s game.

Even UCLA freshman Jason Kapono’s unintended (or intended) shot at USC and its fans did not do much to rile the USC players.

After the Bruins’ win over Washington State on Saturday, Kapono was quoted as saying, “They’ll be thinking ‘since the Bruins lost [by two] to Washington and we beat Washington by two, that must mean we’re better.’ They’ll be jacked up and sitting in first place [in the Pacific 10] and fans, instead of 20 of them, they’ll have 6,000.”

USC center Brian Scalabrine shrugged off the remarks Tuesday.

“I can’t take that personally,” Scalabrine, a junior, said. “But I hope our USC fans do take it personal. Take the attitude of ‘Hey, we got a guy from UCLA saying we don’t support our team.’ But Jason is a freshman. I don’t know what he can say. I don’t know what he has done. He’s a very good player, but to say we only get 20 fans, I just don’t think he has a right to talk about that.”

USC forward Sam Clancy said Kapono’s remarks did reach the bulletin board this week. “But I’m not going to take it to heart or anything,” the sophomore said. “That’s what he has to say. He’s a freshman, what does he know?”

*

UCLA is the underdog tonight.

Says who?

UCLA.

“They’re in first place and we’re not, so you have to say yes,” Bruin forward Sean Farnham said.

“It’s a different feeling. But that happens in college basketball. There are changes in power. There are new teams at the top. The teams that used to be at the top are trying to work their way back up.”

Said Coach Steve Lavin: “Facts are facts. They [the Trojans] are the top dogs in the conference, along with Arizona, until someone knocks them off.”

TONIGHT

7:30, Fox Sports Net

* Site--Sports Arena.

* Radio--XTRA (690), XTRA (1150).

* Records--USC (9-5, 2-0 in Pac-10); UCLA (9-3, 1-1)

* Update--Emotions and tradition aside, USC Coach Henry Bibby is trying to keep a perspective on tonight’s game. “Every game is big. I know this downplaying is not exactly what people want to hear, but that’s what we’re trying to do. We’re not placating anybody to say this is the game of the century. It’s a big game, yes. You want to beat UCLA? Yes. Do you want to beat Arizona State? Yes. It’s on the same page of what we’re trying to do in the Pac-10 conference--win games. That’s what my thinking is in looking at this game tomorrow.”