 "Photo: Eric Wolfe | Daily Trojan")
Coach Tim Floyd knew he'd have to gradually improve the schedule if he wished to attain his goal of raising the national profile of USC basketball.
Coupled with tough nonconference games against Oklahoma and Kansas, Floyd once again gets the chance for a head-turning victory tonight at 6 o'clock at the world's most famous arena.
The No. 24 Trojans (6-2) face No. 2 Memphis (6-0) at Madison Square Garden in New York City in the Jimmy V Classic.
"This is what we're trying to do with this program," Floyd said. "We don't want to go play just a schedule to build wins."
Coming off of a 59-55 home loss to No. 3 Kansas on Sunday, USC faces a quick turnaround with tonight's game nearly 3,000 miles away. While not as distant, USC faced a similar situation last season when they traveled to Lawrence, Kan., to face the then-No. 12 Jayhawks.
The Trojans lost that game, but Floyd knows how these early season opportunities can help the team in the long run.
"We played a similar-type game and grew from it," Floyd said. "I think the challenge is watching the film, each guy to a man and working within himself."
As USC faced a big, athletic team in Kansas, Memphis might be even better.
The Tigers boast some of the most athletic players in the country, including 6-foot-7 guard Chris Douglas-Roberts. The junior is averaging a team-best 21.8 points per game while adding six rebounds.
The game also pits two of the nation's premier freshman point guards in 6-foot-5 Trojan guard O.J. Mayo against 6-foot-3 Memphis guard Derrick Rose. Rose is averaging 17 points, five rebounds and 4.3 assists in his first six games.
The matchup is not Mayo's first against the fellow blue-chip recruit. The two have faced off in numerous high school all-star games and AAU tournaments.
Mayo is averaging 21 points, 4.9 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game for the Trojans.
With Douglas-Roberts and Rose anchoring the Tigers' backcourt, USC will also have to face another strong front line that is led by 6-foot-9, 265-pound Joey Dorsey.
Taj Gibson will have the task of containing Dorsey and avoiding foul trouble, something he struggled with over the weekend against the Sooners and Jayhawks. Gibson played only nine minutes against Oklahoma and fouled out after 25 minutes against Kansas.
The game marks a homecoming for Gibson, who grew up in New York City watching the Knicks at Madison Square Garden. The game will be the first that Gibson has played at the venue.
"It's a dream come true for me," Gibson said. "At the same time, it's a business trip for me because we know what we have to do. It's a big-time arena."
By scheduling teams like Memphis early in the season during its nonconference schedule, Floyd hopes to build the team's resume come tourney time in March.
"My hope is that the NCAA Selection Committee will remember who you're playing, that you're challenging to go play good teams," Floyd said. "I think it's important for our program to do this right now."
