USC upsets SIU; three big tests loom
Southern Illinois went to the Sweet 16 last year, and having seen them in person, I can confirm that their success in March was no fluke; they were a very good basketball team. So I'm disinclined to take issue with their preseason ranking of #24, nor with their climb to #19 heading into last night's game against USC. However, perhaps the loss of Jamaal Tatum and Tony Young had more of an impact than the pollsters thought, and as a result, this year's SIU squad is a bit overrated. Either that, or I was wrong to doubt whether USC could live up to the hype, because the Trojans absolutely wiped the floor with the Salukis last night, 70-45, to win the inaugural Anaheim Classic:
USC has won five straight since inexplicably dropping its opener, 96-81 to Mercer. But the real test of the Trojans' resurgence will come with a brutal six-day, three-game stretch at the end of this week and the beginning of next. They host Oklahoma (5-1) on Thursday and #4 Kansas (5-0) on Sunday, then travel to #3 Memphis (5-0) next Tuesday. (Damn, I wish I was going to be in L.A. this weekend. USC-UCLA at the Coliseum on Saturday, then USC-Kansas at the Galen Center on Sunday? That'd be sweet!)
After that, the Trojans will get a bit of a breather, finishing December with a trio of cupcakes (Delaware State, Cal Poly and UC Riverside) before diving headlong into the crucible of the Pac-10 schedule.
But hey, one game at a time, right, Coach Floyd? Fight on! Beat the Sooners!
I watched the SC-SIU game and SC's main strength is clear: they have 4 or 5 players on the court at all times that can handle the ball on the dribble, effectively negating a strong press defense. They'll struggle at times with a distinct lack of upperclassman experience and bulk, but if the defense continues to improve, and the shooting stays solid, they could challenge for the Pac-10 title.
Posted by: Scientizzle | Nov 26, 2007 12:11:37 PM
Is it just me, or does that trophy look like something that came out of SuperMario Bros. or some such game from a decade or so ago?
Posted by: Jay Johnson | Nov 26, 2007 1:04:22 PM
Oh yeah, but congrats on a nice win, though.
Posted by: Jay Johnson | Nov 26, 2007 1:05:03 PM
I watched the SC-Miami(OH) game at 10pm (West coast time) Friday, and was bored to tears. The arena was completely empty and ESPN kept the camera from catching the empty stands as best they could. The commentators kept talking about how dazzling and exciting this SC team is and well I couldn't keep thinking about why the hell there is something called "The Anaheim Classic". What does Anaheim have to do with basketball? And can you have a tournament with just 4 teams competing? And why would midwest schools travel all the way out here for this gay excercise? All my questions were answered when I saw that Trophy. It looks like a Trophy an 11 year old would win at their afterschool b-ball championship and then sell at a garage sale for 3 dollars.
Posted by: Sandy Underpants | Nov 26, 2007 5:20:56 PM
I'm gonna stop by Heritage Hall to check that Trophy out after work. Oh wait, we don't have a basketball section!
Posted by: Sandy Underpants | Nov 26, 2007 5:22:36 PM
Actually, there were 8 teams in the tourney. UC-Irvine, UT-Chattanooga, South Alabama, & San Diego were all 1st round losers. The poor Anteaters finished in last place...
The place was far too empty for every game that didn't involve USC, and even then it was kind of a lame crowd. And that trophy is pretty hokey...
Posted by: Scientizzle | Nov 26, 2007 6:08:13 PM
Very odd looking trophy...my first glance had me doing a double take...:)
Posted by: MumZ | Nov 26, 2007 6:26:06 PM
The problem is it was at the Anaheim Convention Center -- a completely staid, boring facility. I bet half the people who originally bought tickets parked their cars, saw Disneyland across the street, and went there instead.
SIU has no backcourt at the moment. Most of the time, USC doubled up on Falkner and left the perimeter largely unguarded. Many times a Saluki would get the ball with tons of space on the perimeter but wouldn't take a shot, and when he did take a shot, the Salukis went something like 5 of 19 from trey land. If your backcourt can't make three-pointers and jumpers, your team is doomed come tourney time.
Meanwhile, USC was hitting on 7 of 8 cylinders and looked mighty impressive at times. Davon Jefferson finally showed what he can do, and just imagine how good this team can be if Diarra can make it back and provide the Trojans with a true big man presence in the middle, freeing up Taj Gibson to play a 4 roll instead. I think this team is ahead of schedule in its development and cohesion, and by January we should be a force.
Posted by: Andrew | Nov 26, 2007 10:54:31 PM