NCAA Tournament Open Thread USC vs. Kansas State

I'm watching updates on my computer. I'm actually in the law library right now writing my thesis. The only blips popping up on him are negative at the moment.

by BruinFan1 on Mar 20, 2008 4:58 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

watch it live

here

by Paragon SC on Mar 20, 2008 5:03 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Just Keep The Deficit At 5

and you should be okay for the second half.

by BruinFan1 on Mar 20, 2008 4:59 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Mayo to the line

Makes both

4 points all from the line, absent

by Paragon SC on Mar 20, 2008 4:59 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

turnover by SC

AGain KSU up 10

by Paragon SC on Mar 20, 2008 4:59 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

mayo finally hit a 3

by Paragon SC on Mar 20, 2008 5:00 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

3 by KSU

Box and 1 not effective leaves a guy open

by Paragon SC on Mar 20, 2008 5:01 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Halftime...

I have a hard time believing that will win this game if they continue to get burned on the boards and if they take better care of the ball.

Mayo has been absent for most of the 1st half and once again we have some significant foul trouble.

Not looking good they need to come out firing in the 2nd half. We have been in this situation before but this time it matters.

by Paragon SC on Mar 20, 2008 5:07 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

I'm pretty shocked at this moment

Your team seems pretty sound defensively in my opinion. There's no reason to give up 37 to K-State. Hopefully Floyd knows I'm putting pressure on him since I picked USC to win.

Floyd, you are on notice!

by BruinFan1 on Mar 20, 2008 5:09 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

20:00 minutes left in the OJ Mayo era. How will he be remembered? One of the greatest players in SC history? The most overrated recruit in NCAA B-Ball history? How about as very good player but not a great player, a kid whose character was much better than advertised, but whose basketball skills were not, unfortunately, equal to the hype.

by Zoulou on Mar 20, 2008 5:12 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

I'm Not A USC Fan

but this attitude is far too defeatist for a school that has the motto of "fight on."

20 more minutes of basketball to play. Buck up. Anything can happen. You are NOT in an insurmountable hole.

by BruinFan1 on Mar 20, 2008 5:16 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I've seen this before

Mercer, the 1st Cal game, both WSU games, the last two UCLA games.

If Taj is in foul trouble, it's bad news. If Devon can't get going, it's cause for concern. If OJ has his typical 5-14 FG, 14 pt, 3 assist and four turnover game, we lose.

I have yet to see OJ make a truly clutch play. And it's doubtful that I will, at least while he's wearing SC uniform.

by Zoulou on Mar 20, 2008 5:33 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

well lets se how it goes

by Paragon SC on Mar 20, 2008 5:28 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Long jumper by Mayo

by Paragon SC on Mar 20, 2008 5:28 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

poor shot by Taj

SC down 6

by Paragon SC on Mar 20, 2008 5:29 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

4th foul on Taj

by Paragon SC on Mar 20, 2008 5:29 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Hackett fouled

beasley has 3 fouls

SC down 8

by Paragon SC on Mar 20, 2008 5:31 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

WIlkinson fouls walker

by Paragon SC on Mar 20, 2008 5:32 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

they can't even defend inside

and the foul

SC down 9

by Paragon SC on Mar 20, 2008 5:32 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

SC can't penetrate

but Mayo hits a 3

down 6

by Paragon SC on Mar 20, 2008 5:33 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

DJ with the steal

score on the dunk SC down 4 still some work to do. 15;51 left.

i'm still not happy with the effort, they look a little listless.

by Paragon SC on Mar 20, 2008 5:34 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

SC looks out of position on a lot of plays

thus a lot of fouls

by Paragon SC on Mar 20, 2008 5:36 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

beasly foued on the put back

goes to the line he hits it 3-point play

by Paragon SC on Mar 20, 2008 5:40 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Hackett scores inside

by Paragon SC on Mar 20, 2008 5:40 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

lewis hits a 3

sc down 2

by Paragon SC on Mar 20, 2008 5:41 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

nice give and go t kent

by Paragon SC on Mar 20, 2008 5:42 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

DJ fouled ...shot goes

goes to the line

misses

by Paragon SC on Mar 20, 2008 5:43 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

mayo steals hits the shot

and is fouled...we are tied mayo hits it

SC up by 1 48-47

by Paragon SC on Mar 20, 2008 5:44 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

WIlkinson fouls beasley

shoots 2

makes both

by Paragon SC on Mar 20, 2008 5:45 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

trading buckets now

SC down 3

Beasley fouled by Hackett +1

makes it

SC down 4

by Paragon SC on Mar 20, 2008 5:49 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

lewis with a 3

by Paragon SC on Mar 20, 2008 5:49 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Walker fouls Lewis

by Paragon SC on Mar 20, 2008 5:50 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

his 3rd

by Paragon SC on Mar 20, 2008 5:50 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

foul on DJ his 4th

refs calling it tight

by Paragon SC on Mar 20, 2008 5:51 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

gibson in

by Paragon SC on Mar 20, 2008 5:51 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

week effort by Taj not putting it in

by Paragon SC on Mar 20, 2008 5:52 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Oh no

Here comes that point in many Trojan B-Ball games, where they expend so much energy to come back, they go into an offensive lull.

by Zoulou on Mar 20, 2008 5:53 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Yeap

by Paragon SC on Mar 20, 2008 5:57 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

KSU 3

sc down 4

by Paragon SC on Mar 20, 2008 5:53 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

terrible effort by Hackett

by Paragon SC on Mar 20, 2008 5:54 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

no boxing out on the offensive boards

pathetic

by Paragon SC on Mar 20, 2008 5:55 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

down 8

by Paragon SC on Mar 20, 2008 5:55 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

taj to the line

makes both

by Paragon SC on Mar 20, 2008 5:55 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

travelling on KSU

by Paragon SC on Mar 20, 2008 5:56 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

travelling on SC

by Paragon SC on Mar 20, 2008 5:57 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

are they just all taking a break from scoring?

Note to USC... < 6 minutes to one and done, gents, get cracking.

by DC Trojan on Mar 20, 2008 6:04 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

As I said

We are just too streaky on offense.

by Zoulou on Mar 20, 2008 6:04 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

0 of 9 FG

for six minutes.

And that's it ...

One and done. Nice for you to visit OJ. Now just finish your class work so we don't lose your scholie.

by Zoulou on Mar 20, 2008 6:05 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

not very fast

Are they just gassed?

by DC Trojan on Mar 20, 2008 6:08 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

argh, what's happening?

they're losing gas!

by Joe Trojan on Mar 20, 2008 6:12 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

2 minutes on the clock...

So the game will end in about 20 minutes then?

by DC Trojan on Mar 20, 2008 6:14 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Gibson fouls out...

pretty much a non-issue at this point.

by DC Trojan on Mar 20, 2008 6:16 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

not sure what to make of it

by Paragon SC on Mar 20, 2008 6:18 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

blah.

that is all.

by Joe Trojan on Mar 20, 2008 6:19 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

and there goes Jefferson

Again, hardly important at this point.

Maybe Floyd could get an end-of-tourney technical just to put the cherry on the sundae?

by DC Trojan on Mar 20, 2008 6:20 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

On the bright side

Other than the lack of offensive rebounding, the poor shooting, and our guards not covering their guys thus forcing our big men to deal with them in the paint and draw repeated fouls in the process, we played a solid game.

by Defender90 on Mar 20, 2008 6:23 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

more optimism

Hey, we've got Lil Romeo coming in next year, the tide is definitely turning!

Or not.

by DC Trojan on Mar 20, 2008 6:37 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Sorry Gents

I didn't watch the game live so there was a lot of information that I wasn't able to see (ie - general lack of effort, not boxing out, foul trouble). I'm sure I sounded a little clueless when typing here. My apologies.

Last year I won my NCAA pools. This year I picked very very poorly. That's how it goes.

Good luck next year.

by BruinFan1 on Mar 20, 2008 6:27 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

well you've always got your alma mater

Since it doesn't look like they're having too break a sweat tonight, I think you're pretty safe in assuming that they will go a couple rounds further yet.

by DC Trojan on Mar 20, 2008 8:24 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

that's all she wrote

That wasn't much of an effort, across the board.

On the plus side, I can now stop pretending to care about basketball until whenever next season starts.

by DC Trojan on Mar 20, 2008 6:35 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

It's all over but the finger pointing

Alright, next for discussion: was the OJ Mayo era worth it.

Basically, is the program better for OJ coming here, worse or the same?

I say we are right where we were after Floyd's first year: a second tier program with aspirations to become an elite program. OJ's goal, quoted in the LAT, was to build a program, wasn't it, to take us deep into the tourney, to help establish USC as an elite program. None of that has happened. We lost to an 11th seed, and we looked bad doing so. OJ's gone, Taj might follow, odds are Devon will be forced to follow because he might not make it through another academic year. While UCLA pulls in another top rated class, we have to waste a scholie on a washed up rapper so we can attract another five-star one-year wonder.

Yeah, we probably won't have gone to the tourney without OJ, but after all the hype, I feel like a client with Eliot Spitzer's escort agency. That's it, that's all there is.

I'm just glad I refused to get too invested in this team. The UCLA win was the highlight. Everything else was an interesting distraction.

by Zoulou on Mar 20, 2008 6:36 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

We'll have to see...

OJ Mayo makes a splash this year, Lil Romeo and whatsisname next year. Not exactly a lot of team-building from that. I understand that it's hard to keep budding NBA players in, but USC football and UCLA basketball manage to maintain continuity. The relative presence of continuity is what is going to make or break SC basketball.

I think Floyd needs a GM - or at least, Garrett to 1) take a break from patting himself on the back for hiring Pete Carroll, and 2) work with Floyd to set some direction and boundaries for recruiting into the program.

by DC Trojan on Mar 20, 2008 6:43 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Will we ever become a top tier bball program?

(Eventually. This means from 2007 - infinity).

by Joe Trojan on Mar 20, 2008 6:40 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

From Wolf's Blog

Garrett also said that future recruiting of players who might leave after one season, as Mayo has the opportunity to do, won't be hasty decisions. Garrett said that Mayo promised to finish his classwork for the school year so that the Trojans do not have to forfeit his scholarship slot if he decides to leave.
"That's the agreement," said Garrett, who said Mayo has fulfilled every expectation during his freshman year. "In the next years, we'll go case by case. We're looking for character."

Clearly the athletic department has thought this through. I think the onus is on Floyd. I think he's a great game day coach, but weather he wants to program build, which is what he going to have to do, we'll have to see.

by Zoulou on Mar 20, 2008 7:05 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs