USC 70, Washington State 61 - After loosing to the Cougars twice in league play, the Trojans avenged the regular season by beating Washington State in the Pac 10 Tournament semifinals. USC led most of the way, thanks in part to 24 of 33 shooting from the charity stripe compared to just 6 of 8 for the Cougs. The Trojan's tenacious D also held their opponent to 36.1 percent shooting. Oregon 81, Cal 63 -... more ›

The Trojan win was probably the more impressive of the two, given that Colorado State might actually be a better team than Illinois. While USC's defense was unforgiving, Steve Smith gave the Cardinal and Gold some confidence about its Post-Mike Williams era receivers for the first time. The Trojans can now restart that Matt Leinert Heisman campaign. more ›

It was simply the first game of the season, and college football has no exhibitions. In the first half, USC looked like it needed one. But in the second half, the Trojans figured out how to defend the option and held the Hokies to merely a field goal. The Trojan offensive unit improved steadily throughout the game, although the offensive line still needs some work. more ›