LOS ANGELES (U-WIRE) — If two plus two equals four, then it would only make sense that Thursday’s men’s basketball game against Oregon at the Sports Arena would result in a USC victory.
Despite finishing its home season with an undefeated 16-0 home record, Oregon boasts the worst road record from the top six teams in the Pac-10 Conference.
The Ducks are 3-6 on the road. The Trojans, on the other hand, are 10-1 at home.
“We know they’re undefeated at home,” USC forward Sam Clancy said. “We know we’ve only lost one at home. I like our chances.”
Of course, in basketball, statistics often don’t mean a thing.
Take last Saturday. The then-No. 20 Trojans had one of their worst losses of the season to an unranked California team, 83-64.
And there’s always the chance of history repeating itself.
The last time USC played Oregon, the Trojans lost to the Ducks, 73-69, in Eugene.
“I’ve been looking forward to (Thursday’s Oregon game) as soon as the (last) game ended,” Clancy said. “I feel they stole it from us.”
With only two home games left in their careers, Clancy and the other Trojan seniors — forward David Bluthenthal and point guard Brandon Granville — feel the pressure to win the next games against Oregon and Oregon State.
Wins will result in at least a share of the Pac-10 title.
“The three guys really know what these two games mean to them and to the program,” USC coach Henry Bibby said. “They feel the urgency on finishing their careers doing something that hasn’t been done at USC.”
The real challenge will be to motivate the other players to work for the title as much as they are.
Bibby kicked forward Jerry Dupree and guard Gennaro Busterna out of a film session Monday because of what he said was their recent lazy play.
Bibby said the team needs more help from the bench.
“There’s a lot of pressure on the seniors, but the younger guys need to be more responsible, too,” Bibby said. “If you can’t get your game off in four or five minutes, you don’t have a game. The substitutes are coming in to make something good happen for you or make something bad happen. … Their mindset has to be on that.”
Bibby left it up to the team to decide the punishment of Dupree and Busterna.
The team opted for extra 6 a.m. practices for the two.
Granville said the starting seniors naturally have a bigger desire to win because they have been at USC longer.
“You understand the importance of every game as you get older in the program,” Granville said.
The seniors have tried to instill that motivation into this season’s new players.
“We try to convey our feelings,” Granville said. “We try to tell them about all the notoriety you get. … The more you win, the better it is for everyone.”
Granville said the seniors have tried to emphasize the importance of building up the newer Trojan basketball program.
“They’re starting to see the importance of every game,” Clancy said.
As for Thursday, “We will all be on the same page,” he said.