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Upstart USC faces Arizona State for Pac-10 crown

Mar 14, 2009 - 11:36 AM By Jeff Mezydlo Stats Senior Writer

USC (20-12) vs. (23) Arizona State (24-8), 6:00 p.m. EDT

TEMPE, Arizona (Ticker) -- Arizona State knows it has a spot in the NCAA Tournament. Southern California is not nearly as confident.

The surging Trojans need one last upset to join the No. 23 Sun Devils in the NCAA field as both try for their first Pac-10 tournament title Saturday at Staples Center in Los Angeles.

Paced by 24 points and nine rebounds from Pac-10 Player of the Year James Harden, fourth-seeded Arizona State (24-8) blew a 21-point lead, but still beat 13th-ranked and No. 1 seed Washington 75-65 in Friday's first semifinal.

The Sun Devils, who were 3-10 in tournament play entering this season's event, are in the title game for the first time.

"I think it's important for us to stay in the moment, enjoy the moment and be ready for (Saturday)," said Arizona State coach Herb Sendek, whose team went 21-13 last season and missed the NCAA tournament.

USC (20-12), meanwhile, is exactly where it needs to be to have a chance at returning to the NCAA field. The Trojans, who went 9-9 in the league and beat Georgia Tech -- the last place team in the ACC -- for their only significant non-conference victory, need to win this tournament to earn the automatic bid.

"We're standing real high right now," said freshman DeMar DeRozan, who had 21 points and 13 rebounds in USC's 65-55 semifinal upset of 15th-ranked and second-seeded UCLA on Friday to reach the title game for the second time in three years. "We've got to come out (Saturday) focused and prepared."

The teams split their regular-season games. The 6-foot-7 DeRozan had 22 points and eight rebounds in a 61-49 home win over the then-No. 16 Sun Devils on January 15 as Harden went 0-for-8 from the field and finished with four points.

Arizona State won 65-53 over the Trojans at home on February 15 in a game where USC coach Tim Floyd was given two technical fouls and ejected with 47.9 seconds remaining for arguing an offensive foul. Floyd needed to be escorted off the floor by security guards and drew attention with his post-game comments.

"We cannot discuss those things," Floyd said after the game. "We don't have freedom of speech as coaches. Maybe (President Barack) Obama will change that rule, and we can talk."

That incident should spark some emotion for the Trojans in the rematch, but that might not be enough to overtake the Sun Devils. Arizona State is shooting 51.7 percent and averaging 75.3 points in winning three straight over California, Arizona and Washington.

Though Harden was held to 13 points last month versus the Trojans, he has scored 51 on 53.3 percent shooting with 17 rebounds through two tournament games.

Jeff Pendergraph had 18 points and Derek Glasser added 16 on Friday for the Sun Devils, who outscored Washington 17-5 in the final six minutes.

"We knew they were going to go on a run," Harden said. "All we had to do was keep our composure. We're conditioned to play 40 minutes."

Glasser is averaging 8.3 points, but 15.5 against the Trojans this season.

As USC again tries to keep Harden in check, it should have some confidence after holding UCLA to a season-low 27.1 percent shooting.

The Trojans, who have won four in a row after losing six of seven, have three runner-up finishes in the Pac-10 tournament.