Cardinal presents a large problem

Seventeen days from now, when brackets are filled and bubbles are burst, USC’s loss to last-place Arizona State could be lamented as the start of an epic collapse.

Or it could be hailed as the stimulus for a late-season charge to the Trojans’ first NCAA tournament berth in five years.

The Trojans will have a better idea of which way their season is headed by the end of tonight, when they play Stanford at the Galen Center in a battle of teams tied for third place in the Pacific 10 Conference.

There was nothing even about the teams in their first meeting, Jan. 25 at Maples Pavilion. Brook Lopez, the Cardinal’s 7-foot freshman center, set the tone for Stanford’s 65-50 romp when he blocked the Trojans’ first shot.

Nothing unusual about that except for the fact that it was a jump hook by 6-11 center Abdoulaye N’diaye.

The Trojans continually attacked the basket only to have shots swatted as Lopez and his twin brother, Robin, combined for 15 of Stanford’s team-record 19 blocks.

“They were all over the place,” N’diaye said. “It was like their best game.”

Tim Floyd called Brook Lopez’s performance -- he finished with 18 points, 12 blocks and 11 rebounds -- probably the most dominant by an opposing player against the Trojans in his two years as coach.

USC junior point guard Gabe Pruitt said the block party was a function of taking shots too early.

“We should have made extra passes and just been a little more patient,” he said. “When we saw the tape, there was a lot of one-on-one.”

Pruitt said he intended to work the ball inside to freshman forward Taj Gibson early “to get him in the feel of the game.”

Gibson has totaled only two points in the last two games, the first slump of an otherwise impressive season in which he is averaging 11.8 points and 8.4 rebounds.

“If we get early post looks and get the ball inside early, that carries on throughout the whole game,” Pruitt said. “But once we start off the game shooting jump shots and not looking inside, that kind of makes it a long game for us.”

*

USC has dropped to No. 60 in the NCAA’s official Ratings Percentage Index figures, one of the criteria the NCAA tournament selection committee considers.... Start times have been announced for the Trojans’ final two regular-season games. They will play at Washington on March 1 at 7 p.m. and at Washington State on March 3 at 4 p.m.

TONIGHT

vs. Stanford, 7:30, FSN West

Site -- Galen Center.

Radio -- 710.

Records -- USC 19-8 overall, 9-5 Pacific 10; Stanford 17-8, 9-5.

Update -- Stanford sophomore guard Anthony Goods, the Cardinal’s second-leading scorer at 13 points a game, will not play because of a high left ankle sprain.

ben.bolch@latimes.com