Glimmer of Hope for Trojans

The UCLA game, although an agonizing defeat for USC, highlighted several areas that the Trojans can build on in the future, not the least being their inside game.

USC outrebounded UCLA, 37-33, and blocked four shots to the Bruins’ two in UCLA’s 82-75 overtime victory. Next season, freshman Greg Lakey and sophomore Jarvis Turner will return, and both showed moves in the low post, scoring 12 and 17 points, respectively.

In the backcourt, freshman guard Kevin Augustine took another baby step toward becoming USC’s floor leader. Augustine, who had 13 points and five assists against Stanford on Saturday, followed that with 12 points and four assists against UCLA.

But consistency continues to elude the Trojans. Senior Gary Williams, who scored 18 points in an 83-59 loss to Stanford, went scoreless against the Bruins.

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USC’s eight consecutive losses to UCLA is not even close to the longest streak in the series.

The Bruins defeated the Trojans 19 times in a row from 1970 to 1979 and 17 consecutive times between 1963 and 1969, when the two teams played three or four times a season.

But the longest winning streak between the two teams is held by USC. From 1932 to 1943, USC defeated UCLA 42 times.