USC coach Jim Saia didn’t think his team could match up
playing man-to-man defense against UCLA. Yet he couldn’t have
anticipated the Bruins dissecting the Trojan zone the way they did.
One month ago, UCLA’s struggles against the zone defense gave
opponents an incentive to use it. On Thursday, the team showed how
a concentrated effort in practice should make opponents think twice
before playing zone against UCLA again. “We’re a lot
more patient,” said point guard Jordan Farmar, who finished
with six assists on the night. “We’re sharing the ball,
drawing defenders, and making the extra pass to get teammates
better shots.” The improvement the Bruins have made over the
past month in attacking the zone culminated in a flawless display
against a confused and deflated Trojan defense. Not having to rely
on perimeter shots, the Bruins penetrated USC’s porous
defense, getting easy lay-ups and dunks instead of long-range
jumpers. “It felt just like how we play in practice,”
senior Dijon Thompson said. “It was fun.” The Trojans
didn’t offer much resistance to the Bruins’ offense.
“They were sending cutters through and we weren’t
following,” Saia said. “We got lost. We don’t
have the kind of players that can think the zone through. We
don’t have great defenders.” Although USC was
completely inept in its zone defense, Saia feared his team would
have fared even worse if it played man-to-man. When the Trojans did
sparingly play a man-to-man defense, the Bruins were able to pick
it apart as well. “They’re a little lazy on
defense,” Thompson said. “They don’t want to
fight over picks and chase people around. The zone helps them sit
back and watch us pass the ball.” On Thursday, the Trojans
were watching a clinic. The Bruins were using them as a
demonstration. FIGHTING THROUGH: Josh Shipp hurt his ankle before
last night’s contest, but that wasn’t what caused him
to grimace the most on Thursday. Going up for a lay-up with five
minutes left in the first half, Shipp was hammered by USC’s
Gregg Guenther, landing loudly on his tailbone. After a brief
moment on the ground, he collected himself and sank both free
throws on the flagrant foul. He hit a 12-foot jumper in the lane
four seconds later and went strong to the basket two minutes later
during a 14-0 UCLA run toward the end of the half.
A SCOOP OF STUFFING: Ten minutes into the second half, Trojan
Gabe Pruitt soared to the basket for what appeared to be an easy
slam dunk. However, 6-foot-1 Brian Morrison stuffed Pruitt in his
dunk attempt, drawing a chant from the student section when the
replay was shown on the Jumbotron.