There’s a Reason for Their Confidence

The reason last-place USC was able to pull off season sweeps of Arizona State and California?

In a word -- confidence.

“We already beat them [once] before so we felt like we could do it again,” Trojan senior power forward Jeff McMillan said.

And the rationale the Trojans are giving this week for believing they can beat UCLA at Pauley Pavilion despite having blown an 18-point halftime lead at the Sports Arena on Jan. 29 in a 72-69 defeat that ended USC’s four-game winning streak in the rivalry?

The same.

“We beat them for the first half,” McMillan said. “We just need to do the same things we did then. This time for the whole game. Everybody just has to take it personal this time.”

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McMillan, who turned 25 the day before the victory at Cal, was truly a man among boys in the paint against the Golden Bears, getting his third double-double of the year with 19 points and 10 rebounds in 32 minutes. It was a rare combination of inside-out offense that began with Gabe Pruitt’s hot shooting from the perimeter that opened up the lane for McMillan to get his 13th career double-double at USC. McMillan transferred from Fordham after his sophomore year.

And with Gregg Guenther playing as complete a game as he has had in Pacific 10 Conference play -- the senior power forward had 12 points, eight rebounds, five assists, two steals and only two turnovers in 30 minutes off the bench -- low post play is another area the Trojans hope to exploit against the Bruins.

“Definitely, because with Gabe shooting it, they can’t just double- or triple-team [us] down there,” McMillan said.

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With interim Coach Jim Saia employing a seven-man rotation against Cal, guard Derrick Craven and forward Nick Curtis were the odd men out.

“They’re ready to go [and play] -- they’re seniors, if I need to go with them,” Saia said.

But when asked if anything could be read into Saia’s playing four walk-ons -- Reed Doucette, Greg Gaudino, Andrew Moore and Chris Penrose -- and not playing Craven and Curtis, Saia was terse in his response.

“I’m not commenting on that,” he said.