FAIRWAY JAY
UCLA AT USC (1/11)
Recommendation: USC
Crosstown rivals clash Sunday night between two Pac-10 favorites playing
in their only game of the week. The USC Trojans are a perfect 8-0 at home and are actually the better rebounding and defensive team entering
this contest. Like his coaching counterpart Ben Howland, USC’s Tim Floyd is outstanding at devising special defenses to stymie opponents. Last season his Trojans held UCLA team to 33% shooting in two contests and under 40% FG in all three meetings. The Trojans will be the aggressor
on the interior where one of the league’s top big men Taj Gibson patrols
the paint. Along with freshman forward DeMar DeRozan, USC features a top-tandem inside to bang on the Bruins. And despite suspect numbers from the outside, USC doesn’t take a lot of threes (12 per game), focusing
more on attacking the basket where they shoot a solid 52% from two-point range. USC lost the last two meetings to their rival 57-54 in the Pac-10 conference tournament and 56-46 on this same court last season.
Look for them to turn the tables in another likely low-scoring battle.