University Southern California Trojans
USC Looks to Continue What It Started Last Season
March 14, 2002 | Men's Basketball
March 13, 2002
By BETH HARRIS
AP Sports Writer
SACRAMENTO, Calif. - Southern California felt it really started something last season by reaching the final eight of the NCAA tournament for the first time.
This year, the Trojans expect to do as well or better.
"We're building something special," senior guard Brandon Granville said. "Hopefully, we're beginning to get some recognition across the nation as one of those teams that's consistently getting into the tournament and winning some games."
The Trojans begin against 13th-seeded North Carolina-Wilmington (22-9) in Thursday's first round at Arco Arena.
"Now I feel like a veteran," said senior Sam Clancy, the Pac-10 player of the year. "I feel like I've already been here, where last year I didn't know what to expect. This is all familiar to all three of us. We know what it takes to win the big games."
Clancy was referring to Granville and fellow senior David Bluthenthal. They are among five players averaging double figures. Clancy and sophomore Desmon Farmer lead the way with 17 points each.
Seventh-seeded Wake Forest (20-12) opened Thursday's play against No. 10 Pepperdine (22-8), followed by No. 2 Oregon (23-8) and 15th-seeded Montana (16-14).
Later, fifth-seeded Indiana (20-11) faces Utah (21-8), which finished second in the Mountain West Conference.
While USC tries to establish tradition, Utah is looking for consistency.
The Runnin' Utes barely sneaked into the tournament with a No. 12 seed in coach Rick Majerus' first season back after taking a leave to care for his cancer-stricken mother.
Utah is 8-0 in first-round games under Majerus, but the Utes' seed is their lowest under him.
"Someone said, `Is the pressure off because you're a 12 seed?' and I think I'd like the pressure of being a five seed," he said. "We don't have a lot of depth."
This year, USC earned a fourth seed, reflecting its 22-9 record and runner-up finish to Arizona in the Pac-10 Conference tournament.
For the first time in more than 60 years, the Trojans put together consecutive 20-win seasons. They were 24-10 last year, and lost to eventual national champion Duke in the regional final.
Those credentials are enough to convince Bluthenthal that USC has surpassed crosstown rival UCLA (19-11), which stumbled to a sixth-place Pac-10 finish, its worst ever.
"We felt like we passed them up last year. We got farther than they did in the tournament and we've been playing better than they have all year," Bluthenthal said.
Granville disagreed.
"I don't really think you can say we passed up UCLA because of the history their basketball program has," he said.
USC coach Henry Bibby helped build UCLA's legacy, playing point guard on three NCAA title teams in the 1970s.
"I didn't hate SC the way Sidney Wicks hated SC. It was another basketball game for me," said Bibby, a North Carolina native who was recruited by John Wooden. "When John Wooden comes into your home and offers you a scholarship, you can't turn that down."
Bibby relishes having three seniors whose heads aren't turned by the tournament atmosphere.
"They know what it's all about. They're not overly excited about being here like they were last year," he said. "They're not in awe of anything. They're just saying, `Hey, let's play basketball.'
"They've really made this program. They've been the cornerstone for the last four years of building what we're hopefully on our way to, being a real good basketball school."
