Bad blood absent as Bruins meet Trojans
Tyus Edney questionable as another
Murray debuts against No. 6 UCLA
By Christian Schreiber
Daily Bruin Staff
It seems easy enough: UCLA hates USC, USC hates UCLA.
The Pope is Catholic, bears have business in the woods and
rivalries dictate hatred.
But, wait. Hold on. UCLA’s No. 6 men’s basketball team heads
across town to tangle with a less-talented Trojan squad tonight at
7:30 at the Sports Arena. The animosity should be flowing freely at
this point, right?
Well, it isn’t.
"A lot of different people can score for them," UCLA assistant
coach Mark Gottfried said. "Their guards are all very capable and
that makes them dangerous."
Dangerous? A compliment? Where are the no-love-lost comments of
schools that despise each other? They’re absent, but why?
For UCLA, 11-2, 6-2 in the Pac-10, much of its energy in
despising conference opponents may have been spent in a road win at
Arizona two weeks ago and in a home loss to California last
Saturday.
As for USC (7-11, 2-6), it may be grasping for reasons to get
fired up for tonight’s game. Rumors have it that USC interim coach
Charlie Parker, filling in after the retirement of George Raveling
is being inventive in finding ways to inspire his team.
After losing to a Cal team inspired by a fabricated incident by
Cal Coach Todd Bozeman, UCLA will be careful not to underestimate
USC despite its record.
Still, what gives with all the niceness between the two
teams?
Answers can be found in the teams common connections, for one.
Trojan freshman point guard Cameron Murray typifies the situation.
Murray chose USC in a recruiting battle that included UCLA, where
brother Tracy starred for three seasons under UCLA head coach Jim
Harrick.
Tracy, now with the NBA’s Portland Trailblazers, was rumored to
have left UCLA after his junior year, in part because of his
relationship with Harrick. Cameron’s decision to attend USC was
originally thought to have been because of that rift, though such
talk has been completely disputed.
"That’s not true at all," Harrick said. "Cameron is a terrific,
terrific player. I have a very good relationship with their
family."
So says Murray as well.
"Tracy’s decision (to leave) didn’t have anything to do with
Coach Harrick," Murray said. "And as for me, I’ve always been real
close with the coaching staff at UCLA."
Need more compliments?
"I’m happy for him," Gottfried said. "He’s a great, great kid
and I’m glad he’s doing well."
So is USC. Murray has been a bright spot in the backcourt for a
team that has struggled with a lack of presence in the middle.
Forward Lorenzo Orr dunks often and scores 18.8 point a game and
Jaha Wilson leads the Pac-10 in rebounding with 10.1 per game, but
the Trojans dearly miss Tremaine Anchrum, out for the season with
an injury.
UCLA, meanwhile, will counter Murray’s 9.8 points per game with
someone other than senior Tyus Edney. Edney missed practice
yesterday with the flu and is doubtful for the game tonight,
Harrick said.
Edney’s absence will give Murray a chance to adjust to another
new situation. The first was Raveling’s decision to retire after a
serious car accident that almost took his life.
Tonight’s game will give Murray a chance to relax on the court
against players he knows through Tracy or from his days playing at
Glendora High  players like Charles O’Bannon.
"It’s like I already attended UCLA when Tracy went there," he
said. "The rivalry is there between us, but I’m the type of player
that if Charles gets knocked down, I won’t stand over him and
stare, I’ll pick him up. I think he would do the same."