There’s Little Margin for Error

With Thursday’s loss to UCLA, USC has put itself in a hole that could grow deeper if it doesn’t play well against Arizona State and Arizona this week.

All season long the Trojans have geared themselves to earning a bid to the NCAA tournament, but now that USC has slipped to fifth place in the Pacific 10 Conference, that goal is in danger.

“The tournament is no longer a long-term goal,” point guard Brandon Granville said. “It’s in front of our faces and that has to be the concentration now. We have to win at least six more games, and we definitely have to beat Cal again to get in. We know they will take four teams, but if we’re the fifth-place team we probably won’t get in.”

Coach Henry Bibby said his team must continue to play with the attitude that they have to bull their way into the field of 64.

“Every game we’ve faced this year has been like a playoff game for us,” Bibby said. “We’re not going to be one of the favorites when the [NCAA tournament] committee starts talking about teams. We have to make our own way.

“That’s why the urgency has been there for every game. Every game has had that magnitude to this point. But our concern is to win the next game. We’ve got to take care of the rest of our games, but Arizona State on Thursday is the most important game we’ll play because it’s the next game.”