The Trojans will head into Gill with a 11-6 record. The Beavers are 6-12. The Trojans just upset then #4 UCLA. The Beavers haven't won since before Christmas. Tim Floyd is making the Trojans a perennial contender in the Pac-10. Kevin Mouton, in his first game at the helm, is trying to do the same.
It'll be a tough road for Mouton and company, considering the Beavers seem to be on track for an 0-18 Pac-10 record. It doesn't help that Kansas transfer C.J. Giles was booted from the roster earlier this week, and the Beavers are without the man that was in charge five days ago.
The Beavers are among the worst shooting teams in the nation. Seth Tarver leads the Beavs with 12.6 points per game, and he's second on the team in field goal percentage at 44%. And oh by the way, the Beavers are officially one of the worst ten teams in the nation at effectively scoring the basketball (#332). USC comes in at #89.
Freshman standout O.J. Mayo leads the Trojans with 19.7 points per game. Fellow Freshman Davon Jefferson is second in line with 12 points per game. Dwight Lewis, Daniel Hackett, and Taj Gibson follow.
Hackett, Mayo, and Lewis celebrate after beating UCLA last Saturday. (AP Photo/Danny Moloshok)
As a team, the Trojans aren't very flashy on paper. Get this-- they're one of the top tier teams in field goal percentage, but they have one of the worst three point field goal percentages. However, they don't shoot three point shots very often. And when they do, it's usually O.J. Mayo who pulls the trigger. He has half of USC's three point attempts.
I'll wrap this thing up by saying the Beavers need to win badly. They need it for the players, the coaches, the administration, the school, and the fans.
What if we discover over these next twelve games that our next head coach is the guy already in charge?
GO BEAVERS!
--JB--