Trojans Assume That Familiar March Look

Their snoozing of last week complete, their naps of the last four months finished, USC blinked them open Thursday with the wonder of newborns.

The eyes of March.

On David Bluthenthal, they shined.

On Brandon Granville, they danced.

On Sam Clancy, they were clear, steady, a picture worth four words.

Been there. Done that.

USC’s 103-78 victory over intimidated Stanford in the first round of the Pac-10 tournament was not about how the Trojans looked, but how they looked.

They glared as they did last March in the thriller against Boston College, the stunner against Kentucky, the stand against Duke.

They looked more than Sweet, better than Elite.

They looked downright Final.

They looked as we thought they would look at the start of this season, before their stars lined up in Coach Henry Bibby’s doghouse, before buzzer-beaters whipped their confidence, before one last blown lead killed their conference championship.

We wondered, did the grind of the last four months sap this potentially special team of too much spirit?

About five minutes into Thursday’s game, in front of the sort of roaring crowd that gave them a standing ovation just for walking from the stands to the locker room, we wondered no more.

Tied 14-all with an opponent they had beaten twice this year, an opponent supposedly too savvy to be hat-tricked ... the Trojans avoided the Stanford brains by putting it in their face.

Desmon Farmer through the middle of the defense for a layup.

Farmer through the middle for another layup.

Granville through the middle for another layup after a goaltending call.

The score now 20-14, the Trojans then backed up and killed the Cardinal softly.

Granville soaring three-pointer.

Clancy fadeaway jumper.

Farmer lofted three-pointer.

It was part of a 23-5 run that turned one of college basketball’s most sophisticated programs into jelly.

“They fell right into our hands,” said Farmer.

Now the Trojans must increase their reach. Tonight, in the tournament semifinals, they play regular-season champion Oregon, a team that beat them twice this year by a total of six points.

USC intimidated?

Are you nuts?

“They stole two from us this year,” barked Clancy. “They stole two from us this year, and we’re going to get one back.”

No argument here. Not with a guy who, a day after being named Pac-10 player of the year, blocked two shots on one possession, made a leaping-out-of-bounds assist on another possession, and, oh yeah, scored 25 points.

Afterward, he spoke not with excitement, but with a shrug.

Tournaments are survived with such shrugs.

“It seemed familiar,” Clancy said. “Big arena. Big crowd. The whole thing was very familiar.”

Familiar, times three.

The successful postseason experience that any good March team has in one player, the Trojans have in triplicate.

Clancy, Bluthenthal and Granville--all seniors who have survived four years with Bibby--combined Thursday for 62 points, 16 rebounds and 14 assists.

In other words, throw in Farmer, and they probably could have beaten Stanford while playing shorthanded.

“What surprised me was how the young guys who have not been in this position acted so familiar,” said Clancy.

It only makes sense. Bibby sketched this the way he sketches every other crazy strategy.

According to his players, Bibby occasionally stops practice, grabs one of the three seniors, and asks him to tell a campfire story about this month.

“It’s all been explained to everyone, what it takes, how it feels, how we did last year,” said Farmer, the excitable sophomore who scored 19 points while dancing 19 different celebratory steps. “The young guys have taken it all in. Everybody knows what to expect.”

What exactly would that be?

Granville was hoping we’d ask.

“We want to get to Atlanta,” he said, referring to the site of this year’s Final Four. “I know you don’t expect USC to talk like that, but that’s our goal.”

Oh, but he’s wrong. After watching them win for the fourth time in their last five postseason games, there is nothing that should surprise us about these Trojans.

Not the fact that Bibby’s offense so thoroughly outmaneuvered the defense of Stanford’s renowned Mike Montgomery, the Cardinal eventually resorted to body slams and desperate grabs.

“We had no answer,” said Montgomery.

Not the fact that Bibby’s defense kept Stanford so off balance, the Cardinal missed 15 of 19 slipping, sliding three-point attempts.

“They just flat out kicked our butts,” said center Curtis Borchardt.

And certainly not the fact that Bibby did all of this while wearing a funky purple tie that matched his postgame mood when somebody asked how his team so thoroughly dominated one of the top programs in the country.

“I don’t know,” said Bibby.

Of course he knows. But he’s not telling. So stop asking. Just watch.

Watch the Stanford player throwing a ball so far out of bounds, Clancy and Granville stop, stare at the ball, and laugh.

Watch Bluthenthal shaking his head after hitting one of his four three-point shots, the same sort of shots that beat Kentucky last March.

Watch their eyes.

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Bill Plaschke can be reached at bill.plaschke@latimes.com.