Trojans Get Started at Home

There’s no telling how many people will actually file into the Sports Arena tonight to see USC open the season against Bradley. Some fans may be stuck in traffic from the Rose Bowl.

Nonetheless the 23rd-ranked Trojans are ready to start proving they deserve the preseason buzz they have generated.

A veteran starting unit--guards Brandon Granville and Jeff Trepagnier, forwards David Bluthenthal and Sam Clancy, and All-American candidate center Brian Scalabrine--has been waiting since March to shoot past last season’s 16-14 record and sixth-place Pacific 10 Conference finish, and get the Trojans back to the NCAA tournament for the first time since 1997.

After watching practice Friday, Coach Henry Bibby may wait until game time to decide if Trepagnier (stress fracture) and Bluthenthal (arthroscopic knee surgery) are able to start. But that doesn’t lessen the anticipation.

“I like the experience,” Bibby said of his team’s eight returning players. “I think the kids have confidence in what they can do. I think they know they’re capable of winning games.”

Bibby, however, wants to see some defense. Last season the Trojans gave up an average of 72.7 points a game.

“I think we’ve always been in the position where we’ve scored enough points to win,” he said, “but you have to stop the other people and we haven’t met that challenge.”

Bradley is coming off a 14-16 season and a fifth-place finish in the Missouri Valley Conference.

Sophomore guard Andre Corbitt and junior forward Jermaine Brown are serving one-game disciplinary suspensions and a walk-on player is injured, leaving Coach Jim Molinari with eight uniformed players.