Sun Devils face big test against surging USC

Barely 36 hours have passed since the Arizona State men's basketball team took one on the chin from UCLA.The "reward" comes today in the game of the season.

No time to rewind or review. No time to worry about what went awry Thursday night.

"They were a powerhouse," freshman James Harden said of UCLA. "We're trying to get there."

Beat surging USC, and ASU is back to .500 in the Pac-10, with a win against a quality opponent.

Lose, and the Sun Devils would likely need to sweep the Oregon schools next week, then make a dent in the Pac-10 tournament in order to advance to the NCAA tournament.

None of those scenarios is black and white. The only known, is that time is ticking.

Like every coach in the country, Herb Sendek isn't the type to place more stock in one game than another, which is why he publicly rebuffs all possible scenarios involving his team, the NCAA tournament and committee decisions.

Being teenagers and all, players aren't as immune. Nobody on this team has played that deep into March, so sporting one of the biggest one-year conference turnarounds isn't good enough.

"This is a really big game for the tournament, period," said Antwi Atuahene, the lone Sun Devil senior.

Tall order for sure. The Sun Devils (17-10, 7-8 Pac-10) were smothered by USC's defense during a 67-53 loss in Los Angeles a month ago. The Trojans (17-9, 8-6) have won three consecutive games to improve to 7-3 in their past 10, and move up to No. 34 in the RPI.

Only a thorough collapse in the final three games would keep the Trojans out of the tournament.

A spot of good news for ASU is it has had success with these express-lane turnarounds. Last week, the Sun Devils lost narrowly at Washington State, then needed a two-hour bus ride and another plane ride to Seattle.

They came out and rolled against Washington.

Conversely, there were problems when the Bay Area schools visited two weeks ago. An emotional, come-from-behind victory at home against then-No. 7 Stanford went deep into Thursday night.

Less than 30 hours later, the Sun Devils fell flat and lost to California.

Nobody truly knows which scenario will unfold before ASU today, only that the result could have far-reaching effects on which tournament invitation the Sun Devils receive.

"We have no alternative," Sendek said. "It is what it is. We have to rise to the expectation."

USC at Arizona State

When: 4 p.m. today
Where: Wells Fargo Arena
TV/Radio: FSN Arizona/KTAR (92.3 FM)
Records: USC 18-9, 9-6 Pac-10; ASU 17-10, 7-8

Outlook:

USC
Yes, the Trojans have O.J. Mayo, Davon Jefferson and Taj Gibson, but they also play defense. The Trojans held Jerryd Bayless to a season-low eight points and Chase Budinger to seven in beating Arizona in Tucson on Thursday night, further cementing an NCAA tournament bid and fourth spot in the Pac-10. Even more good news, point guard Daniel Hackett, who was thought out the rest of the regular season with a stress fracture in his back, returned to action for 24 minutes Thursday after missing three games.

Arizona State
Sorry, coach Sendek, but this game is enormous. A win today and a split next week at the Oregon schools means a .500 record heading into the conference tournament. A loss today and the Sun Devils would have to sweep the final two games next week and likely win at least one tournament game to get back on the bubble. Forward Jeff Pendergraph has been held to single digits in scoring for four consecutive games.