This One's For Ryan
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by user The Beast
This one is for you Ryan Francis. You are no longer with us, but the Trojans are carrying you all the way to the Pac 10 Championship Game.
The USC Trojans appear to be a team on a mission. They out battled a tough, physical Stanford team on Thursday night in overtime. Then last night, the Trojans defeated 11th ranked Washington State for the first time this season in order to advance to the Pac 10 Championship Game.
Gabe Pruitt led the way for the Trojans with 26 points, nailing six three pointers to give USC a chance for the Conference's automatic bid. .
The third-seeded Trojans will face fourth-seeded Oregon in today’s championship game at Staples Center. The 16th-ranked Ducks beat eighth-seeded California 81-63 earlier Friday night.
The Trojans swept the season series with the Ducks, winning 84-82 at Oregon and 71-68 at home. In order for the Trojans to defeat the Ducks they must do three simple things.
1.) Control the Ball: The Trojans played a very efficient game against Washington State. They didn't turn the ball over and had many opportunities for points. If they are to win the game against the Ducks they must be able to play another efficient game.
2.) Go Inside: In the second half against Wazu, the Trojans pounded the ball in Taj Gibson. Forget Gabe Pruitt, if USC didn't have Gibson's production inside than they would've one the game. Gibson's effort on the glass kept the Trojans in control the whole way. The Ducks are overwhelmingly bigger inside like Stanford so USC should be okay going inside to Gibson or RouSean Cromwell.
3.) Don't Be Complacent: It’s hard not to when you already beat a team twice in one season. Each of the two previous games could have gone the other way. However, the Trojans were able to pull out the victories. It’s very difficult to beat a team three times in one year, and as a result, the Ducks will surely come out psyched to defeat the Trojans. USC has played spiritedly in both tournament games and can not afford to lose that same intensity.
Prediction: USC in a close one. The Trojans appear to be a team on a mission and I just can't see any reason for me to pick against my Trojans.
Also posted at http://socalsportsblog.blogspot.com/2007/03/this-ones-for-ryan.html
