Friday, Oct. 12 It will be difficult to replace Brian Scalabrine, who played his best on USC's Elite Eight run, but Henry Bibby has one of the most explosive forwards in the country in Sam Clancy. Clancy is an inside power player who can also face up and shoot. He blocks shots, rebounds and would be an NBA All-Star if he were three inches taller, but he still led the NBA Pre-Draft Camp in scoring and rebounding before deciding to return to college. David Bluthenthal and Brandon Granville are solid veterans, and Bluthenthal is a good rebounder who has inside-outside ability and 3-point range. Granville is already USC's all-time assist leader, and will be backed up by Errick Craven, a solid defender who can get to the hole. If Desmon Farmer can develop a more diversified game, and Rory O'Neil can play the pivot, the Trojans can challenge for the Pac-10 crown.

21
USC
LAST SEASON: 24-10
2001 FINAL RANKING
ESPN/USA Today: No. 14

Why No. 21?
The Trojans still lost two of their best players in Brian Scalabrine and Jeff Trepagnier. Scalabrine was one of the toughest matchups in the nation. But now teams will have to contend with an even better Sam Clancy and David Bluthenthal. Both are extremely difficult to stop. USC still needs to tighten its defense but the Trojans have the experience and passion to get back to the tournament and match last season's Elite Eight appearance. That might be asking too much, but the Trojans have the personnel to make the run.

Will Rise If ...
Brandon Granville takes care of the ball and Errick Craven take better care of the basketball. Granville was a turnover waiting to happen in the NCAA Tournament. He needs to settle down and get help from Craven. The Trojans can be a Pac-10 title team largely because of Sam Clancy, a potential player of the year in the league, and David Bluthenthal, one of the best-kept secrets.

Will Fall If ...
Desmon Farmer isn't the third threat that Bluthenthal was last season.The Trojans were extremely effective with the first two options being Clancy and Brian Scalabrine with Bluthenthal or Jeff Trepagnier being third. Farmer has to be that third option to make them even harder to guard. They also can't afford to give up too many easy baskets, especially in transition.

-- Andy Katz, ESPN.com  
 
 
 
SCOUTING REPORT: One Pac-10 coach's take on the Trojans

“

Everything starts with Clancy for them. You've got to contain him. He's going to score. You've got to make him work and don't give him any angles when he catches it. Lot of teams will double him. If you can do a good job on him then that limits what they're able to do. With Granville, got to keep him in front of you and try to pressure him. He's their quarterback and knows how to get the ball to the right people. They've got three pretty good weapons with Bluthenthal and got to be on the touch with him. You've got to make him put the ball on the floor and keep him off the backboard. They change their defense so much. You're not sure if they're zone or man. But you can score against them. You just have to attack them and get points in transition. They don't want to guard for an extended amount of time. ”

2001-02 USC ROSTER
Player	Yr.	Pos.	Ht./Wt.	Key 2000-01 Stats
(34) David Bluthenthal	Sr.	F	6-7/220	PTS: 13.5 | REB: 6.8 | 3PT%: 40.9
(14) Gennaro Busterna	Sr.	G	6-3/205
(15) Kostas Charissis	Jr.	C	6-11/250	PTS: 1.2 | REB: 1.2 | FG%: 44.4
(50) Sam Clancy	Sr.	F	6-7/240	PTS: 17.3 | REB: 7.5 | FG%: 50.1
(24) Derrick Craven	Fr.	G	6-2/170	Arrives on campus along with twin All-American brother
(22) Errick Craven	Fr.	G	6-2/170	Errick's the flashier of the twins on the court
(2) Nick Curtis	Fr.	F	6-8/220	Still growing, so his best days are down the road; but will play some in frontcourt
(33) Desmon Farmer	So.	G	6-4/225	PTS: 6.4 | REB: 2.8 | 3PT%: 33.8
(5) Brandon Granville	Sr.	G	5-9/175	PTS: 12.4 | AST: 6.1 | FG%: 42.8
(4) Robert Hutchinson	Jr.	G	6-1/195	PTS: 1.2 | REB: 0.6 | FG%: 32.4
(21) Rory O'Neil	Fr.	C	6-11/220	Will compete for minutes in the middle right away
Head Coach: Henry Bibby (81-67, 5 years) Assistant Coaches: David Miller, Damon Archibald Home Court: Los Angeles Memorial Sorts Arena (15,509); Los Angeles

2001-02 USC SCHEDULE

November 13: Wyoming (a) 14: TBD (a) 21: TBD (b) 23: TBD (b) 26: UC Santa Barbara

December 1: at Bradley 4: Rhode Island 6: Pepperdine 12: at Long Beach St. 16: Miami, Ohio 20: at San Diego 22: Loyola-Marymount 27: at Washington 29: at Washington St.

January 4: Washington St. 6: Washington 10: UCLA 17: at Arizona 19: at Arizona St. 24: California 26: Stanford 31: at Oregon St.

February 2: at Oregon 6: at UCLA 14: Arizona St. 16: Arizona 21: at Stanford 23: at California 28: Oregon

March 2: Oregon State 7: Pac-10 Tournament