Associated Press USC's Sam Clancy looks for an open teammate as UCLA's Billy Knight blocks him during the first half of their game Jan. 10. The Trojans upset the Bruins to claim first place in the Pac-10.

Conference-leading Trojans visit McKale

Before the season started, most UA fans would have thought that this Saturday's game against UCLA would be the first big matchup in the conference season.

That was, until, USC (13-2, 5-0) beat the Bruins at the Forum to earn temporary Los Angeles bragging rights and the top spot in the Pacific 10 Conference.

The No. 15 Wildcats (11-4, 4-2) kick off their toughest conference week to date against No. 18 USC tonight at 8:30 in McKale Center. They can worry about the other Los Angeles team later.

While history may side with Arizona - the Wildcats have not lost at home to USC since the 1985 season - the Men of Troy may be the hottest team in the nation right now. USC has won its last nine games heading into tomorrow.

During the 16-game streak, Arizona has not only won, but won big. The Wildcats have defeated USC head coach Henry Bibby's team by an average of 21 points. Last season, UA held the Trojans to 58 points en route to a lopsided 14-point victory.

But UA head coach Lute Olson said his team knows the importance of the matchup with the Pac-10's top dogs and knows the Trojans have a good chance of bucking the trend if the get to play their type of game.

"(USC) is playing really well on both ends of the court," Olson said. "They don't make a lot of mistakes, and they play hard."

UA junior forward Rick Anderson said that matching USC's energy from the start will be vital.

"We need to bear down for these games because it is our biggest weekend," Anderson said. "(USC's) confidence is high. We have to come in and give them hell."

Possessing one of the best inside-outside combinations in the conference, the Trojans have been able to spread out teams and exploit weaknesses.

The toughest matchup will be senior forward Sam Clancy, who passed up the chance to be a first-round pick in the NBA draft after last season to return to a Trojan team that surprised many last season, advancing to the Elite Eight before falling short against eventual National Champions Duke. Clancy scored 23 points in a losing effort last year in McKale Center.

Clancy is currently one of the top-30 midseason candidates for the John R. Wooden Award, the annual award given to the nation's top player.

Clancy's partner in crime in the post is senior forward David Bluthenthal, with whom he combined for 35 points and 30 rebounds in their win over the Bruins.

Olson said he is aware of the difficulty of containing the two athletic forwards.

"USC does a great job on the offensive boards," Olson said. "They are a very athletic team."

On the perimeter, senior guard Brandon Granville mans the point and does so with few mistakes. Coming into conference play, Granville had posted an already impressive 2:1 assist-to-turnover ratio, but he's stepped it up even further in Pac-10 play, raising the ratio to 4:1. For his career, Granville has 674 helpers, good for fifth place all-time in the Pac-10.

Furthermore, Granville, who has accumulated 203 steals so far in his career, is only six swipes away from setting a new school record.

UA junior guard Jason Gardner, who will likely have to guard Granville for most of the game, said Granville could give nightmares to a Wildcat defense that has allowed 79.3 points per game, most in the Pac-10.

"We need to get our heads back into it," Gardner said. "Defense wins championships. We have to cause more problems on the defensive end and keep our hands in the passing lanes. We are outscoring teams on the offensive end - that's not going to get it done against a good team."