USC Win Really Rates

The timing was just about perfect. On the day the NCAA released the first official Ratings Percentage Index figures, USC secured a victory that could get the tournament selection committee’s attention.

The Trojans checked in at No. 102 but that could improve after a 77-70 victory over Arizona on Thursday night at the Sports Arena.

The Wildcats, who have an RPI of 16, succumbed to USC’s pressure in the final minutes, committing turnovers on back-to-back possessions and calling a timeout when they had none.

“I was kind of surprised,” said Trojan sophomore guard Gabe Pruitt, who had a game-high 25 points and seven steals. “They were kind of careless with the ball and our defensive intensity put them on their heels.”

USC, which improved to 15-6 overall and 6-4 in the Pacific 10 Conference, snapped a five-game losing streak against Arizona and beat the Wildcats for the sixth time in their last 10 meetings at the Sports Arena. The Trojans have defeated Arizona at the Sports Arena in every even-numbered year since 1998.

“We’re tired of losing, tired of being that underdog team, so we felt we had a lot to prove,” said USC sophomore swingman Nick Young, who had 21 points and nine rebounds.

Lodrick Stewart had 17 points and reserve freshman forward Keith Wilkinson, pressed into action with center Abdoulaye N’diaye in foul trouble most of the game, had four points and nine rebounds in 32 minutes.

With the Trojans clinging to a three-point lead and under four minutes to play, Stewart stole the ball and went in for a layup. When the Wildcats brought the ball back down court, Pruitt took it away and fed Stewart for another layup that gave USC a 63-56 lead with 2 minutes 56 seconds left.

“It kind of broke their back,” said Stewart, who helped limit Arizona guard Hassan Adams to a season-low nine points. “You could kind of tell they lost confidence in their game.”

Trailing, 71-66, the Wildcats had one last chance to get back into the game when the Trojans turned the ball over on an inbounds play with 29 seconds left. But Arizona guard Mustafa Shakur signaled for a timeout at a time when the Wildcats had already used their entire allotment and was called for a technical foul.

Pruitt made one of two technical free throws, and after a Shakur three-point attempt rattled in and out, Pruitt grabbed the rebound and was fouled. His two free throws gave USC a 74-66 lead with 22 seconds left.

Freshman forward Marcus Williams finished with 17 points and Shakur added 16 for Arizona (13-8, 6-4), which committed 22 turnovers and lost for the first time in five games on the road when scoring at least 70 points.

N’diaye picked up his fourth foul 89 seconds into the second half, prompting Coach Tim Floyd to replace him with Wilkinson, who had already played 14 minutes in the first half because of his fellow big man’s foul trouble.

When N’diaye returned, with 7:41 left, he lasted only 29 seconds before picking up his fifth foul. But Wilkinson made his presence felt with a block that started a fastbreak ending in a Pruitt layup that gave USC a 57-52 lead.

“That was a real plus for us, the minutes he gave us,” Floyd said of Wilkinson, who has surpassed fellow freshman forward Jeremy Barr in the rotation.

With only four victories over top-100 RPI teams -- Arizona, No. 38 North Carolina, No. 91 Stanford and No. 92 Brigham Young -- the Trojans probably will need to beat at least one or two more quality teams down the stretch to receive their first NCAA tournament berth since 2002.

They have games remaining against No. 12 UCLA and No. 54 Washington.

“It is a significant win in terms of the stature of their program and what Coach [Lute] Olson represents in this league,” Floyd said.

“We love it, but it doesn’t mean anything if we lose our next eight, and we’re the type of team that could lose eight in a row.”