Philly Feeling Is Welcome

On the bus ride from the airport to USC’s downtown hotel here Monday, a sweet sense of remembrance overcame Trojan Coach Henry Bibby.

The last time the Trojans played in Philadelphia, they were enjoying their improbable run to the Elite Eight in the 2001 NCAA tournament.

“We were on the way to the arena for the game and I said to [former assistant] Dave Miller, ‘Gosh, I really love this feeling. I can’t wait to do it again next year,’ ” Bibby said. “He just looked at me and said, ‘Coach, people don’t get to do this every year.’ He was right. It was only [three-plus] years ago, but it feels like years and years ago.”

Especially considering the Trojans have not won an NCAA tournament game since and took a 97-65 shellacking Sunday at North Carolina. So they find themselves in need of a group hug in the City of Brotherly Love and perhaps they have found the perfect pick-me-up in their next opponent -- La Salle, a once-proud program shaken by a rape allegation that claimed two of its best players and prompted its coach to resign last summer.

“We need to just play and we should be fine,” said senior shooting guard Errick Craven, who struggled against the Tar Heels with four turnovers and eight missed shots, in 10 attempts, in 23 minutes. “North Carolina is a great team ... it was a good measuring stick. Now we know what we have to do.”

Which is?

“We have to continue to hustle but stick to the game plan. We played hard, but we’ve got to score points to win. Effort doesn’t win games by itself.”

Nor will simply showing up.

“The effort was there 200%,” Bibby said of the North Carolina game. “We just didn’t do the details. We need to go at game speed all the time and the results will follow.”

Then maybe USC can leave Philadelphia feeling good again.

TONIGHT

at La Salle, 4 PST

Site -- Gola Arena.

Radio -- KMPC (1540), KSPA (1510), XEMM (800).

Records -- USC 1-1, La Salle 0-2.

Update -- Despite 10 turnovers by his starting backcourt of Derrick and Errick Craven against North Carolina, Coach Henry Bibby said he would not change the lineup for this game. La Salle is led by forward Steven Smith, who averages 22 points.