Second-Half Schedule Is Favorable

Moments after rolling past Cal to stay in range of the Pacific 10 Conference race, a thought popped into the Trojan minds.

Time to get back on a roll.

It seems as if a year has passed since No. 21 USC opened the season with eight consecutive victories. Since then the Trojans have gone 8-5, and have struggled somewhat to achieve that mark.

But two things bear watching as USC prepares for its second showdown with UCLA on Thursday night.

First, the Trojans, so far, have avoided the kind of skid that kept them out of the postseason last year. The longest losing streak has been two, and Coach Henry Bibby wants to keep it that way.

“If you lose two or three straight games in conference, you’re always looking for some way to make those games up,” Bibby said. “Everything gets tougher and you can fall into a bad streak.”

Second, USC already has played what should be its toughest Pac-10 road games. The Trojans have come through the first half of conference play tied for fourth at 6-3, trail Stanford by two games, and have the Cardinal, Bruins and Arizona at home, where USC is 10-0.

Which is why the Trojans are still thinking Pac-10 championship.

“I think our chances are good,” Sam Clancy said. “We just need to do what we have to do, and not worry too much about other teams. We’ve got to take care of business at home, and if we do that, everything should be fine.”

If they can get on a roll.

“I think we’re finally starting to click,” Brandon Granville said. “I’m in my third year here, and I realize from just missing the NCAA and NIT that you have to get every game you can. But when we’re rolling, when we bring focus and concentration with our talent, we can play with anybody.”