Jeff Lewis - AP

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Editor's Note: The comments are now closed. Please feel free to move over to the Post-Game Thread.

So here we go...the final drive.

SC has an early start today in Tucson as they face the Wildcats. This is the game I really want to see but when I checked late last night it is not scheduled to be on here in the NYC area.

There really isn't much to offer up here. The team looks fatigued and they really have nothing to play for. What went from a promising season turned into a nightmare once the self-imposed sanctions were announced. The teams inability to play against the zone that just about every team threw our way made for some bad games. Sloppy play and the inability to hang onto big leads frustrated many of us too.

You have to hand it to these kids, they didn't quit...they just ran out of gas.

I am still not sold on Kevin O'Neill.

I realize he got thrown a bad hand with Garrett cutting loose of our recruiting class but just I don't think he is the guy for this job. I am not thrilled by his ambiguous statements about the staff. If they choose to go on their own then fine but they have done Gods work this season and if any of them want to stay then they should be allowed to do so.

Anyway, there will be plenty of time for analyze this once the season is over.

You can find the game online....HERE. Guess not..they pulled it.

Leave your comments and rants here.

FIGHT ON!

Jason Redmond - AP

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Editor's Note: The comments are closed. Feel free to head on over to the post-game thread.

We've sort of reached the end of the road for Kevin O'Neill and the Trojans, as they have just two games left against the Arizona schools before the season comes to an abrupt end with no Pac-10 or NCAA tournament in the cards. After officially being eliminated from contention for the Pac-10 regular season title, 'SC doesn't have a whole lot left to play for other than pride and the opportunity play spoilers as Arizona State still has a shot to earn a share of the conference title with Cal. From the LA Times:

Up until this point, they had something to play for - a shot on the Pacific 10 Conference regular-season championship - but that was 86'd last week.

"I'll be interested to see who our guys react," O'Neill said.

The chance to spoil Arizona State's chance of winning a share of the league title is some motivation. Pride is another. "We still want to finish at the top rather than the bottom, where everyone projected us," point guard Mike Gerrity said.

Picked to finish ninth in a Pac-10 preseason poll, USC stayed in championship contention until last week. However, the Trojans have lost three straight.    

After everything this team has worked for this season, it would be rather disheartening if they just came out flat and tanked over these final two games. While I recognize that there is hardly anything left to play, it'd still be nice to end the year on a positive note, especially considering everything that has happened. At the very least, they can finish above UCLA in the conference standings, which is always something to drink to.

Fight On! 

Lori Shepler - AP

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The Trojans face Oregon State in what is to be the final home of the season for USC. As a result, tonight will be Senior Night, as the team will pay tribute to its three seniors Mike Gerrity, Marcus Johnson, and Dwight Lewis, as well as redshirt junior Kasey Cunningham, who will not return to the team and instead graduate this summer. While Kevin O'Neill's bunch will no longer be able to earn a share of the Pac-10 regular season title thanks to Thursday's loss to Oregon and Cal's win over Arizona State earlier today, they are still looking to end the season on a positive note. Per ESPN Los Angeles: 

2. The Trojans are coming off two straight losses. What can coach Kevin O'Neill's team do to prevent extending its losing streak? 

The last time USC lost more than two games in a row was early December, but that was before the zone epidemic reached Los Angeles. Every Pac-10 team has been defending USC with a 2-3 zone since January, and the Trojans re going to see much of the same from Oregon State. Craig Robinson's team will be in that zone all game long, and O'Neill's team isn't well-equipped to handle that. 

"We'll be playing all our games against the zone," O'Neill said at the start of his press conference following Thursday's loss. "And it'll be the goal of our weekend to try to bounce back from this loss and try to play a better game on Saturday." 

3. Oregon State's a grudge match for the Trojans. They led by five at the half last time in Corvallis before collapsing in the final 20 minutes to lose, 51-45, shooting 39 percent and turning the ball over 19 times. What can they do different this time around? 

"We had leads in the first half, leads in the second half," O'Neill said. "That was a case of just turning the ball over, which is uncharacteristic of us. We're going to have make sure

Championships and postseason bids aside, it'd be nice to see this team end the season on a high note, especially after all the stuff they've been put through thanks to Mike Garrett and the rest of the athletic department. So if you get the chance, tune into today's game which will be televised on Fox Sports Prime Ticket and also stop by our gameday thread here as well.

Fight On! Beat the Beavers! 

Dean Hare - AP

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To put in bluntly, Oregon isn't a very good basketball right now. Presently, the Ducks rank last in the Pac-10 at 4-10, and have won just two times in the past twelve games - not exactly encouraging signs from the Green and Gold backers. As a result, Ernie Kent's job is on the line as UO heads south to face a USC team still hoping to win the regular season Pac-10 title. But the Trojans, who are 1-4 against the bottom of the conference, need to take care of business at home before worrying about Cal and Arizona State, who are presently ranked ahead of the Trojans. And as usual, defense will be the key:

THE DEFENSE NEVER RESTS -- USC enters the game having allowed 1467 points in its first 26 games (56.4 ppg), its fewest through 26 games since allowing 1335 points in the first 26 games of the 1950-51 season. USC is fourth in the country in points allowed per game at 56.4. USC held 9 consecutive opponents to 56 points or less from Dec. 8-Jan. 6 (longest streak since 12 in the 1947-48 season). USC has held 15 opponents to 56 points or less this season and only twice has allowed more than 67 points (69 at Texas and 79 at Georgia Tech). The last time USC had just two games of allowing more than 67 points in a game was the 1949 season.

CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARDS -- Nikola Vucevic has led USC in rebounding for nine consecutive games (10.4 per game) and has grabbed seven or more boards in all but two games this season. Vucevic's 251 rebounds this season rank fourth all-time by a Trojan sophomore and he is just nine rebounds away from passing Taj Gibson(259) and moving into third place.

We've seen the Trojans stutter before so they can't take this one for granted. A win is an absolute must right now.

Fight On!

Michael Thomas - AP

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After a thrilling three-point victory over Washington in Seattle, the Trojans, who trail first place Cal by half a game, head east to Pullman to face a struggling Washington State team that just lost to UCLA by twenty points on Thursday night. Purely, based on recent results, USC appears as the odds on favorite to leave the Evergreen State with another victory in hand even though the Cougars got the best of the Trojans earlier this season in Los Angeles. 

SCOUTING THE COUGARS -- Washington State is coming off a 71-51 home loss to UCLA on Feb. 18. Since winning 67-60 vs. USC at the Galen Center on Jan. 21, the Cougars have dropped six of seven games. Washington State is led by Klay Thompson who averages 20.8 points per game, second among conference players. USC leads the all-time series 66-42, but is 1-5 in the last six games at Pullman, winning 46-44 last season.

TROJANS GET BIG ROAD WIN IN SEATTLE -- Dwight Lewis scored 16 of his 22 points in the first half, Mike Gerrity added six key points in the closing minutes and USC held off a furious rally by Washington in the final nine minutes for a 67-64 win on Feb. 18 in Seattle, Wash. Down by 16 with nine minutes left, Washington suddenly got hot, closing to within 61-60 on Venoy Overton's driving basket with 1:25 left. But Gerrity answered with a layup of his own, then clinched the victory with a fallaway 12-footer with 15 seconds left. Gerrity finished with 12 points, all in the second half. It was just the second home loss all season for Washington (16-2).

This marks yet another USC basketball game that won't be on television locally so most of us are going to have to resort to following it on game tracker. Still, this is an important one and the guys need our support.

Fight On!

Jeff Lewis - AP

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Just a few days removed from their hard-fought home victory over rival UCLA, the Trojans head north to take on the Washington Huskies, who trail 'SC by a half a game in the conference standings. Despite their lower ranking, the Huskies enter the game as the favorites after winning fives out of their last six games. Additionally, the game is taking place at Bank of American Arena in Seattle, a place where UW has had much success. From the Daily Trojan:

"[Washington's] energy at home in that building is unbelievable," USC coach Kevin O'Neill said. "The way they play at home is different. The second time around you play teams you change some things, and we'll definitely make some adjustments. We're going to have to make sure we control the tempo because if we play at their tempo we'll lose."

So far this season, the two teams have demonstrated polar opposites strengths. The Huskies, who average 81.1 points per game, enter tonight's matchup ranked first in the conference and 19th in the nation in scoring but second to last in points scored against per game. The Trojans, on the other hand, are second to last in the Pac-10 in scoring but continue to be ranked among the top-five teams nationally in defense, averaging only 56.4 points allowed per game.

But in terms of head-to-head success, the Trojans certainly have the upper hand this year.

The last meeting between the teams ended in a lopsided 87-61 victory for the Trojans, who turned the tables on the Huskies and dominated offensively. Senior forward Marcus Johnson led the Trojans with 22 points as he shot 82 percent from the field, and all five USC starters recorded double-digit point totals. Washington was unable to find its rhythm offensively, as senior Quincy Pondexter was held to two points on 1-for-10 shooting.

"I know [Pondexter] didn't have a great game last game, and I know at home he'll be looking to score," said Johnson. "He's athletic, he's strong and he's real versatile. It'll be a good matchup."

Washington isn't going to lose by 26 points this time. That much I can say. Are they going to beat the Trojans this time around and fully exercise their home-court advantage? I'm not so sure. Yes, they are certainly playing much better as the year goes along, but so is 'SC. Kevin O'Neill's bunch is doing a fantastic job at controlling the tempo and slowing the games down, which gives the Trojans a distinct advantage against teams like Washington. Yet, they still have yet to win a road game outside of Los Angeles so this will certainly be a challenging matchup for them. However, based on their most recent performances, you have to like their odds against a team that struggles on the defensive end of the floor. 

Luckily, this game is being televised on Fox Sports Prime Ticket, so for all those Trojan fans across the country, come on and stop by for the gameday thread. I'll be here for most of it. It should be real fun.

Fight On!

Lori Shepler - AP

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The Time: 7 P.M. PST

The Place: Galen Center

The Coverage: Fox Sports Prime Ticket

If you listen to all the chatter taking place across town, then you'd most likely be aware of the fact that today's matchup between USC and UCLA is basically meaningless. With an 11-12 UCLA bunch taking on a USC team that will not be eligible for the postseason, this game is essentially a wash. Well, that's what they want you to believe.

While it may not be to the magnitude of last year's contests when both teams were contenders for at-large births in the NCAA Tournament, this year's edition of the heated crosstown rivalry has its own distinct flavor - how far can UCLA fall? In the past three years, the Bruins are just 4-3 against the Trojans, and if they end up losing tonight, then the esteemed Ben Howland will have become the first coach in the post-John Wooden era to lose three straight games to USC.

From a purely PR perspective, that isn't good at all. In a time when USC is shoring up the gap between the two programs, especially after a 21-point victory in Pauley, now isn't the time for the Bruins to start racking up losses to Kevin O'Neill surging Trojan program. It doesn't look good for recruits in the Los Angeles area, and it isn't going to do anything to increase alumni support either. In a troubled economy where the state of California is making budget cuts directly involving education, the UCLA athletic department needs all the financial support it can get from its alumni network. Sorry, but sub-500 seasons and double-digit losses to ‘SC aren't going to resonate much support. That's why tonight's game is critical. The pressure is squarely on Ben's Brats to come out and perform.

While I'd argue to no end, that this game is far more important for the Bruins, a win would still go a long way for USC and there is still much pressure on them to come out and perform. For one, the Trojans need a win to stay in the hunt for the Pac-10 regular season. A loss would essentially kill their hopes for the conference crown. Additionally, a win would mark the first Trojan victory over the Bruins in Galen Center since the arena opened in 2006. It should be an exciting matchup, and if all goes to plan, USC should be able to walk away from this one with a victory in hand.

In the meanwhile, feel free to stop by and participate in our open thread here at Conquest Chronicles, as the Trojans look to get out the brooms against the Bruins.

Fight On! 

George Nikitin - AP

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The Trojans, who are just one game removed from first in the Pac-10, face Stanford today at Galen Center. For those not in attendance, the game will be televised on Fox Sports Prime Ticket here in Los Angeles. In the meanwhile, you guys know the drill so fire away.

Fight On! Beat the Farm!

Rick Bowmer - AP

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USC, which still remains two games out of first place, takes on Cal tonight at Galen Center. Unfortunately, it's not going to be televised so unless you plan on attending, have Trojans all-access, or know of an online link to the game, then you're going to be out of luck. But still, if you're doing the the latter two, feel free to stop by and participate in the thread.

Fight On! Beat the Bears!

George Nikitin - AP

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Sorry I am late...

Lets see how the guys do at Pauley.

Leave you comments here

FIGHT ON!