Basketball Today

       Before I talk about the UCLA whipping of the trojans I watched some other games. Murray State still looks good. Wichita State still looks very good. Villanova looks good. North Carolina looks like they are experiencing some issues, nothing that Roy can't handle despite a loss in Winston-Salem tonight. I don't trust Minnesota. Wisconsin always looks good being ugly and their ugly wins. In fact I really like Wisconsin. But I'd love to watch a San Diego State Wisconsin matchup. You can throw Cincinatti in that troika. The Bearcats along with said Aztecs and Badgers are tough. I despise everything "fighting ducks" and was pleased to see Tad's kids protect home in Boulder. Look Oregon has insane ability but was happy with the play by the Buffs. Also threw on Wazzou to see if they could eclipse their 26 point performance in Tucson the other night. They did and threw up a balmy 47 in a 19 point loss to the Sun Devils.
       So I flipped on the Trojans at Pauley and aside from the block by Jacobs that led to an Oraby dunk giving the Trojans a 2-0 lead, UCLA never looked back. That was the only time the Bruins fell behind and took USC to the proverbial woodshed. As a Trojans fan it wasn't much fun watching the 107-73 blowout. As a basketball fan it was fun to watch the Bruins because of their unlimited talent and proficient smarts. I won't get into the numbers but SC got outnumbered. According to Sean Elliott, color man on the telecast, it was "a statement game to the trojans." Ok, I get that and I also get that the Bruins' brothers' Wear vowed "to not lose another home game to USC" but this idea that UCLA head coach Steve Alford had made this a "statement" game I could not disagree with more. The rivalry speaks for itself and in the basketball chapter of this lipstick city rivalry clearly UCLA has the edge. In fact UCLA leads the series 136-105. New USC Coach Andy Enfield made comments that were supposed to be off the record at a booster club dinner but were printed in the November issue of Men's Journal.
"I don't worry about UCLA," the magazine quoted Enfield as saying. "I've made it to one Sweet Sixteen in two years and he's made it to one Sweet Sixteen in 18 years." USC sports information officer Tim Tessalone said the writer, Stephen Rodrick, was not supposed to use any quotes from a booster meeting a common practice. Another off-the-record Enfield quote overheard at practice by a San Jose reporter suggested that if you wanted to walk the ball up the court, you'd go to UCLA.

http://www.mensjournal.com/magazine/andy-enfields-california-dream-20131122

This is a great article and all the more reason for USC basketball fans not look too much into the lopsided loss.
       Point being that if Coach Alford really did go out of his way to make this a "statement" game, I find it rather pathetic.

In closing, I went to the Y this morning. I played full court basketball for the first time in 4 years. One game and I was a complete dog. I choose not to go on and on about my performance but afterwards I realized that I was THAT GUY. That guy who told the younger kids to keep working hard, never get old(and I'm not that old) and not to smoke cigarettes. Holy shit.