They Experience Too Few Senior Moments

USC’s six-man senior class has been next-to-invisible this season, leading to speculation that some have mentally quit.

Errick Craven has nursed an ankle injury longer than expected; Derrick Craven and Nick Curtis have played their way all but out of the rotation; Gregg Guenther is not happy with his off-the-bench role; Jeff McMillan is still rounding into shape after breaking his left hand in the third game of the season, and Rory O’Neil’s production has gone south.

So how distressing must it be for a coach, even one in an interim role, to wonder if his seniors have already given up?

“It’s infuriating, but I didn’t cause it, I inherited it,” interim Coach Jim Saia said after the Trojans’ light practice Friday morning. “It’s something in life I don’t understand.

“I’m not saying they don’t care, I just want them to go hard, give themselves to the team.... You fail when you don’t give everything you’ve got.”

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Gabe Pruitt and Lodrick Stewart eased their aching bodies into the hotel whirlpool.

Nick Young sat back listening to the soothing riffs of Maroon 5 and John Legend on his CD player.

These are the dog days of the season for USC, and no matter how hurt the Trojans’ bodies and pride are, they realize time is running out for them to qualify for next month’s eight-team Pacific 10 Conference tournament at Staples Center.

“That’s what we’ve been talking about, there’s no second chances,” Young said. “We lose, we’re done, and my freshman year goes down the drain.”

USC, mired in last place, is chasing Cal, among other teams, but the Trojans already have a victory over the Golden Bears, so a win today and a season sweep would give USC a tiebreaker advantage. The Trojans are 2 1/2 games behind Cal for eighth place with four games remaining and are also trying to pass Oregon for at least the No. 8 spot in the tournament.

The Trojans’ season could come to a virtual end with a loss today, though.

“It would be slim,” Saia said. “We’d have to win every one of our games and get some help.”

The Trojans have not helped themselves in conference games, playing well only for stretches before collapsing as they did again at Stanford on Thursday.

“Now it’s really starting to hit us,” Young said. “These have been heartbreakers.”

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Stewart, who did not start against Stanford because Saia said he missed Tuesday’s 6 a.m. practice, has been deemed off limits to the media for the remainder of the season by the USC staff.... USC has started a late-season campaign for Pruitt for Pac-10 freshman of the year. In conference games the point guard is averaging 13.4 points, 2.7 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.9 steals in 30.6 minutes, shooting 48.5% from the field, 48.6% on three-pointers and 71.4% from the free-throw line.

*

TODAY

at California, noon, FSNW

Site -- Haas Pavilion.

Radio -- KMPC (1540).

Records -- USC 10-15 overall and 3-11 in Pacific 10 Conference; California 12-11, 5-8.

Update -- Cal junior guard Richard Midgley has made only two of his last 21 shots from the field over the last two games. In two games at Berkeley against USC, Midgley has averaged 22.5 points and shot 50% from the field, 44.4% (eight for 18) from three-point territory.