Clancy Finally Toeing Line

Nearly lost in the course of Sam Clancy’s seventh consecutive double-double of the season Saturday in USC’s 73-69 loss at Oregon was his proficiency at the free-throw line.

Clancy started the game making 58.3% of his free throws, second-worst on the team. But the power forward made seven of his eight free throws against the Ducks, finishing with 25 points and 11 rebounds with a steal and four turnovers in 40 minutes.

He has been better in 11 Pacific 10 Conference games, shooting 64.1% from the free-throw line. He began the season a career 61.3% free-throw shooter.

“I’m just making more now, not doing anything different,” Clancy said. “Once you start to miss a few, then you miss them all. Once you start to make a few, then you make more. It’s all in the mind.”

Clancy, though, is the first Trojan with seven consecutive double-doubles since Ron Riley had nine in a row over the end of the 1970-71 season and at the start of 1971-72 season. Clancy has a conference-best 13 double-doubles in 21 games this season and 31 in his career.

“I started to get on a little roll and when I get on a little roll, I get a little more confident and I think it’s a little harder to stop me once I get my confidence up,” Clancy said. “Things are going well for me, starting to [make more] free throws.”

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The 23rd-ranked Trojans (16-5 overall, 8-3 in the Pac-10 and tied with Arizona for second place) are 3-3 in the conference after jumping out to a 5-0 start. USC also is 1-2 in Pac-10 games decided by five points or fewer, 3-3 in all such games.

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Oregon Coach Ernie Kent says the conference’s parity should pay off handsomely for the league come Selection Sunday.

“There are six of us right now ... anybody can win this conference championship,” Kent said of Oregon, Arizona, USC, UCLA, Stanford and California.

“All six, I think, are good enough to be in the NCAA tournament. Hopefully, we’ll all be there and not beat ourselves up too much.”

Paul Gutierrez