 "Photo: Gary Fung | Daily Trojan")
Before the season started, USC men's basketball coach Tim Floyd said that a national-level schedule and consistent wins were two critical steps a burgeoning program must take to reach the public consciousness.
It doesn't take a scientist to understand the two steps aren't typically taken at the same time.
Tonight's 8 o'clock game against Oklahoma at the Galen Center is the second in a highly competitive four-game stretch that matches USC against four teams likely to make the NCAA Tournament in March.
After passing its first test (a 70-45 win over then-No. 18 Southern Illinois in the Anaheim Classic final), Floyd's squad will now go toe-to-toe with the 16-1 trio of Oklahoma,
No. 4 Kansas and No. 3 Memphis.
Confidence is riding high for this young, 5-1 USC squad, which successfully placed its opening loss to Mercer in the rearview mirror. But Floyd said tonight's game is the start of an increased level of competition.
"I don't know if we'll be the favorite in any of these [next three] games," he said.
Regardless, Floyd said the Anaheim Classic title, which USC won by defeating three slower-paced, half-court teams, has substantially bolstered team confidence.
"It's your worst nightmare when you have a younger team playing teams like Miami [Ohio] or Southern Illinois because of their poise on the offensive end," he said. "That's why we're so pleased with what happened this weekend."
Much of USC's recent success can be attributed to stout defensive play. The team has been credited with being athletic and fast, but the 36.8 shooting percentage USC has held its last five opponents to has been a pleasant surprise.
Sophomore guard Dwight Lewis, who has started the Trojans' first six games, credits the success to increased effort.
"We have a lot of young players, but we play hard on defense," he said.
The Sooners (5-1) will present USC with a defensive challenge the Trojans haven't experienced this year in the form of 6-foot-11 center Longar Longar and 6-foot-10 forward Blake Griffin - the team's top two scorers.
Longar, a senior, was counted on to be an inside force this season, while Griffin, a true freshman, has provided a 15-point, 9.2-rebound spark.
"They present a tremendous matchup problem for us because of size," Floyd said. "They're two inches bigger than Taj [Gibson], five inches taller than Kasey Cunningham, four [inches] with Davon [Jefferson]."
Floyd said he had a discussion with former Oklahoma coach Kelvin Sampson concerning the team's lineup, and Sampson said he thought the Sooners had the best front line in the country.
A healthy USC might not be too concerned over Oklahoma's size, but the Trojans are still recovering from a slew of offseason injuries.
Gibson is still battling an ankle sprain, 7-foot Mamadou Diarra and defensive-minded Marcus Simmons have been sidelined all season and O.J. Mayo has been dealing with a toe injury.
Mayo said he's been bothered by an injury Floyd relates to turf toe, but said it hasn't impacted his game.
Tonight's game is part of the inaugural Pac-10/Big XII Hardwood Series in which teams from both conferences play a combined 12 games against each other (Arizona and Stanford will play two to account for the Big XII's two extra teams).
