Victory at Pauley Would Be First Since ’93

According to the sports information department at USC, you have to go back to Feb. 2, 1962, for the last time a ranked Trojan team played an unranked Bruin team in basketball.

USC, then ranked fifth, fell to UCLA, 73-59.

This group of Trojans, ranked 19th, is interested in more recent history: that USC has not defeated UCLA at Pauley Pavilion since 1993.

Last season USC ended a 10-game losing streak overall to UCLA. Now the Trojans want to end the Pauley hex.

But they’re not going to get themselves into a lather about the game, even though it is against their cross-town rival. The game is important enough because it’s a Pacific 10 Conference game, and both teams must travel to Arizona next week.

“I’m not going to get into the hype and everything,” said Sam Clancy, who was injured last year when the Trojans lost at Pauley, 83-78. “That can mess you up mentally. I’m just going to come out and try to play my game.”

Said Jarvis Turner: “It’s my last visit to Pauley and I’d love to end the streak. But it’s a big game for both teams, not just the rivalry. Both of us want to go 3-0 in Pac-10. We want to go out there and play up to our potential. It’ll be a dogfight, and it should be real fun.”

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Clancy, a 6-7 junior forward, has blocked at least three shots in five consecutive games, and has done that six times all season. Clancy leads the Trojans in blocked shots with 32, five more than he had in 20 games last season.