Trojans Burn Rubber in L.A.

↵I suspect much of the East Coast missed the gorgeous semifinal of the Pac-10 tournament between UCLA and USC, considering the second half began well after midnight Eastern. The game (a 65-55 USC victory) featured the Bruins shooting 27%, the starting point guards combining for 16 turnovers, and Tim Floyd looking as haggard as ever. (Seriously, someone slip that guy some Nyquil, a pillow and a comb.) Beautiful basketball! As a result, the Trojan will meet James Harden’s Arizona State in a very reddish and gold Pac-10 final.
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↵That’s probably the only way USC makes it back to The Dance, with a win Saturday. As we learn from the burgeoning “soldiers of fortune” talk following USC during this run, the team dropped six of seven games at the end of February and finished with a 9-9 conference record. But watching UCLA self-destruct heady Trojan defense and some incredible action from frosh DeMar DeRozan have turned the ship around.
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↵Like O.J. Mayo before him, DeRozan has gotten a bad rap this season. Like Mayo, he’s much more of an NBA-style player. While that works better in the Pac-10 than, say, the Big Ten, it still undersells his abilities. Those were on full display Friday night -- just ask the Fox Sports Net announcers, who thrice asserted a particular dunk by DeRozan would end up on YouTube. (They were correct.) DeMar needs help, and has help. (Taj Gibson’s cool, man.) A tournament berth could really help out his draft case. That makes today’s game vital.↵