USC’s Upswing Continues

Tim Floyd should have considered calling Ben Howland late Saturday evening and asking his UCLA counterpart to reschedule the second game of their cross-town rivalry.

How does today in Portland sound?

USC certainly appears ready for the rematch. The Trojans have experienced a stunning transformation since their 21-point loss to the Bruins 11 days ago, the latest evidence unfolding Saturday during an 84-78 victory over Oregon at McArthur Court.

What’s so special about a victory over the seventh-place team in the Pacific 10 Conference?

Well, it ended a six-game losing streak against the Ducks and marked the first time the Trojans had won in Eugene since February 2001.

More impressive, it completed USC’s first road sweep since beating the Washington schools in December 2001 and its first road sweep of the Oregon schools since the 1996-97 season.

“It’s my first sweep since I’ve been here at SC, so it’s pretty big for the team,” said sophomore guard Gabe Pruitt, who scored a game-high 30 points Saturday, including five free throws in the final 2 minutes 28 seconds. “This is a tough place to play in, and it always feels good to get a win.”

With their third victory in four games, the Trojans (14-6 overall, 5-4 Pac-10) move into sole possession of sixth place in the conference. They will move into a tie for fifth, with the loser of today’s game between Washington and Stanford.

Pruitt and his teammates might have been a little misty-eyed boarding their early morning flight out of the Pacific Northwest today, considering the way they came together during this trip.

In both victories over Oregon and Oregon State, the Trojans built a double-digit second-half lead and withstood a spirited comeback by displaying poise in the final minutes.

Oregon shaved a deficit of 10 points to one on a free throw by Chamberlain Oguchi with 4:35 left and got the rebound after the sophomore guard missed his second attempt. But Duck guard Brandon Lincoln turned the ball over and USC sophomore swingman Nick Young drew a foul while making a running jumper that extended the Trojans’ lead to 68-65.

Young missed the free throw, but Ryan Francis grabbed the rebound and fed Lodrick Stewart, whose three-pointer from the corner made it 71-65. All the Trojans had to do the rest of the way was make their free throws.

Stewart acknowledged afterward that the Trojans, who have already equaled last season’s number of Pac-10 victories at the midpoint of conference play, had made qualifying for the NCAA tournament their “longtime goal.”

It will be a tall order for a team that hasn’t cracked the top 100 in the Ratings Percentage Index, but not impossible. USC plays five of its final nine conference games at the Sports Arena, beginning Thursday night against Arizona.

The Trojans are also starting to display some of the signs of a quality team. They are 5-2 on the road and 7-1 when playing on one day’s rest or no rest.

Against Oregon (10-11, 4-5), five USC players scored in double figures and the Trojans committed only one of their nine turnovers in the second half while playing in one of the conference’s most intimidating environments.

“They’re loud and they’re right in your face,” Stewart said of the Duck fans. “We just tried our best to keep them out of it because teams feed off it. They made a few runs and then everyone stepped up and made big shots.”