UCLA SHOULD SELF-IMPOSE SANCTIONS, TOO

Bruins’ bricks, unforced Turnovers, and slow Defense make sc regret their sanctions even more, in pitiful 67-46 loss

Usc now shares second place in the Pac-10, only a half-game out of first.  Too bad it won’t amount to anything.

After the trojans blew out UCLA on Saturday, dominating the game in every facet, they landed in a tie with California at 3-2, behind only Arizona State, who is 4-2.  But since the trojans are serving a self-imposed Post Season BAN, they won’t be able to parlay their Pac-10 success into any kind of memorable season.  No matter how they finish in the Conference, this year will always be just another season for troy where they miss the Dance completely.

And that’s the only positive you can pull from Saturday, which was simply A COLD DAY IN HELL.  The Bruins were as cold as ice — and NOT always because of the trojans’ good Defense;  They couldn’t hold onto the ball — and NOT always because of the D;  They got not just outplayed by better athletes, but they got outhustled too.  Apparently, the fact that this game was like sc’s Tourney game this year was enough to give them twice as much motivation as Ben Howland could instill in his team.  Howland has always downplayed the Rivalry in order to keep emotions in check, but this time, that strategy backfired.  Of course when Drago & Roll go 0-fer for the entire first half, no strategy is going to work.

Add to the hardwood nightmare Reggie Bush shredding the Cardinals’ non-exsistent Defense in a Playoff game, and then Baron Davis missing the potential game-winner at the buzzer against LeBron James and Cleveland, and you have the makings of one really miserable Saturday.

Even the rumors of a September Lane Kiffin DUI with 20-year old coeds, but not his wife, in the car, can’t make up for it.