Scoring Leaders Go Head-to-Head

The two leading scorers in the Pacific 10 Conference bump heads tonight when 25th-ranked USC faces Oregon.

Duck forward Bryan Bracey, averaging 19.3 points a game, has a slight edge over Trojan forward Sam Clancy, at 19.0. Both players are drawing praise for their breakout seasons.

Oregon Coach Ernie Kent calls Clancy “a warrior. He’s a very strong, physical player. The biggest improvement I’ve seen is he has made himself a better perimeter shooter. He is almost automatic from 15 feet. With his size, the length of his arms, and his athleticism, he clears himself to get good looks, but he also has power. He’s a difficult matchup for anyone.”

USC Coach Henry Bibby sees a similar development in Bracey. “Last year, coming off the bench, he was more of an inside player. This year he’s effective inside and outside. Of all the Pac-10 players I’ve seen, he probably made the biggest improvement from one year to the next.”

The question, which won’t be answered until tonight, is how each coach will try to neutralize, if not shut down, these scorers.

The Trojans, initially, may be more comfortable in trying to double-team Bracey and forcing another player to beat them. But the Ducks, who average 83.2 points a game, haven’t had many problems scoring.

Oregon knows if Clancy is double- or triple-teamed, then Brian Scalabrine or David Bluthenthal can have a big night. If the Ducks don’t play a lot of zone defense, they will guard Clancy man-to-man unless he forces them into a different defense.

TONIGHT

vs. Oregon, 7:30

* Site--Sports Arena.

* Radio--XTRA (690)

* Records--No. 25 USC 13-4, 3-2 in the Pac-10; Oregon 11-4, 2-3.

* Update--USC has dropped its last three games against Oregon, and last season’s two losses--by a total of four points--were especially hard to take. Bracey is the Ducks’ leading man, but he is supported by Frederick Jones (13.9) and Anthony Norwood (12.8). Jeff Trepagnier (6.5) is still looking for his shooting touch to return. Coach Henry Bibby said Trepagnier needs to relax. “Jeff is trying to make up for the games he missed,” Bibby said. “He’s overly excited and is pressing. Once he settles down and knows there are enough games to show what he can do, he’ll be OK.”

* Tickets--(213) 740-4672.