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Beasley, Mayo in spotlight as USC faces Kansas State

Mar 20, 2008 - 11:53 AM No. 11 Kansas St (20-11) at No. 6 USC (21-11) 7:10 pm EDT

OMAHA, Nebraska (Ticker) - Two of the nation's elite freshmen will square off Thursday. For one, it likely will be his final game at the collegiate level.

Kansas State, led by all-everything forward Michael Beasley, clashes with Southern California and O.J. Mayo in a Midwest Regional first-round game of the NCAA Tournament.

It probably will be the first and only clash between the two first-year phenoms, who both are expected to head to the NBA after this season.

Mayo has had superstar status bestowed upon him since the seventh grade, and he did not disappoint in his first season with the Trojans.

The 6-5 standout led USC (21-11) in scoring (20.9 ppg), steals (46), 3-pointers (82) and assists (94), helping the sixth-seeded Trojans overcome the loss of their three top guards from last season.

As good as Mayo has been, he still was left looking up literally and figuratively at Beasley, who has put together one of the finest seasons by a freshman in NCAA history for 11th seed K-State (21-11).

A scoring machine and powerful rebounder, the 6-11 Beasley averaged 26.5 points and 12.4 rebounds per game. He registered 26 double-doubles, breaking the all-time freshman record of Syracuse's Carmelo Anthony in 2003.

Sophomore center Taj Gibson, the only true inside presence for USC, may draw the defensive assignment against Beasley. But Gibson has fouled out seven times this season and the Trojans can ill-afford to be without him.

Beasley has a strong complementary player in redshirt freshman Bill Walker, who averages 15.8 points and was one of the most hyped first-year players entering college in 2006.