Scalabrine’s Effort Consistent

No player has done more--at least on the offensive end--than Brian Scalabrine to try to shake the Trojans, who have lost seven of nine, out of their doldrums.

The junior forward-center has been stellar, scoring in double figures in all 14 Pacific 10 Conference games. In nine of those games he has had 20 points or more, including a career-high 29 in the loss to Oregon on Saturday.

Scalabrine averages 21.7 points in conference play, second only to Arizona State’s Eddie House (24.5). He is shooting 53.7% from the field, and many of those are perimeter shots.

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USC Coach Henry Bibby respects Stanford and its No. 1 ranking. But that doesn’t mean the Trojans will will be intimidated in tonight’s game.

“I think we’re a confident team,” Bibby said. “I label this team as ‘warriors.’ Those guys haven’t given up. We’ve been in a lot of games that could have gone either way. And we’ve done it without a couple of our mainstays.”

TONIGHT

at No. 1 Stanford, 7:30

* Site--Maples Pavilion, Palo Alto.

* Radio--XTRA (690).

* Records--USC 14-12, 7-7; Stanford 24-1, 13-1.

* Update--Last season the Trojans pulled off an improbable 86-82 road upset of then-No. 6 Stanford. The Cardinal is riding a 12-game winning streak and is trying to sweep USC for the second time in three seasons. Stanford has balanced scoring, led by freshman Casey Jacobsen (13.9), but it’s the Cardinal defense that has everyone talking. “They play the kind of defense I want us to emulate,” Bibby said. “They are aggressive but don’t let you get by them. They make teams beat them from the outside. Go inside and they punish you. You can’t win the physical game with the Collins twins and Mark Madsen.” There is a slim chance USC might give Sam Clancy some minutes, but Bibby is expected to hold Clancy out until Saturday against California.