Wildcats look to win on the road

The Arizona Wildcats and surging USC Trojans are set to open Pac-10 Conference play today in Los Angeles.

Arizona has been a mediocre team under the guidance of first-year head coach Sean Miller, as his young and inexperienced players search for consistency. On Monday, the Wildcats were demolished by BYU, 99-69, in a game that was never close. They have played five games away from home this season, and four of those have resulted in defeat.

As for USC, it enters this game on a major roll, as the last six outings have resulted in victories. On Christmas Day, the Trojans knocked off UNLV by a 67-56 final, and six of the eight wins this season have come by double figures. USC is 5-2 at home and, like Arizona, has a lineup featuring plenty of fresh faces.

Arizona owns a 55-38 series advantage over USC, which includes an 83-76 triumph over the Trojans in the most recent meeting last season.

Nic Wise is considered by many to be the best player on the Arizona roster. Recently, the standout guard hit game-winning shots in back-to-back victories over Lipscomb and North Carolina State. He is averaging 16.3 ppg to go along with 48 assists and 20 steals. Derrick Williams nets 15.0 ppg for the Wildcats, and he is a 56.1 percent shooter from the floor. Jamelle Horne is the final double-digit scorer for UA, checking in with 10.6 ppg, and he is pulling down 7.9 rpg as well. In the ugly loss to BYU earlier in the week, Arizona turned the ball over 19 times and allowed the Cougars to shoot 56.9 percent from the field. Williams scored 17 points to lead the way in defeat, while Kyle Fogg posted 16 points. Wise was a non-factor, as he finished with eight points.

USC's victory over UNLV came in the championship game of the Diamond Head Classic in Hawaii. The Trojans committed just eight turnovers in that tilt and limited the Runnin' Rebels to 34 percent shooting from the field. Marcus Johnson led the way in the triumph with 19 points and nine rebounds, while Dwight Lewis scored 14 points. As for Mike Gerrity, he contributed 13 points in 40 minutes of action. Gerrity has only played four games this season, but he is the leading scorer for USC with 14.8 ppg. Nikola Vucevic adds 13.0 ppg, and Lewis contributes 12.4 ppg. The Trojans are far from explosive at the offensive end of the floor, as they are netting only 60.8 ppg. Fortunately, they have been able to limit opponents to 56.3 ppg on 37.2 percent field goal efficiency.

In what figures to be a close game from start to finish, give a narrow edge to the home team. The Trojans will get balanced scoring and play strong defense.