It would be a shame if the Sun Devils’ Tourney hopes are dashed because of what appeared to be a terrible call late in the game. With under 30 seconds left, forward Jeff Pendergraph jumped over Davon Jeferson for an emphatic putback dunk to tie the game at 55, but the official under the basket called a loose-ball foul on Pendergraph.

Jefferson hit two free throws and USC took a 59-55 win after ASU missed two three-point attempts at the other end.

The officials should not be the ones deciding games, especially when there was so little contact. It was eerily reminiscent of UCLA’s win over Stanford, when Darren Collison was sent to the line with under 10 seconds left in regulation even though it seemed like he was swatted cleanly. (Click here to read more…)

Staples Center is visibly buzzing now, with the UCLA and USC cohorts finally filling this place up. The first game on tap for the day is a dandy. Arizona State likely needs a win to reach the NCAA Tournament, and must do it against a streaking Trojans team.

The James Harden-O.J. Mayo matchup pits two of the top freshman guards in the country against each other. Even though they are not guarding each other much–the Sun Devils are in a zone to try and contain Mayo and Daniel Hackett’s dribble-penetration, both stars are shining.

As I’m writing this, Mayo just brushed his defender off of him with a crossover from the left corner and stepped back to swish a deep two. He is playing a much more controlled game than earlier in the season. He drove into the lane, drew two defenders, and smartly dished it out to Hackett for an easy three to make it 32-28 USC. (Click here to read more…)