USC, BYU-Hawai'i Preview
December 21, 2000 | Men's Basketball
Dec. 21, 2000
LAIE, Hawaii (AP) - Southern California forward David Bluthenthal looks to keep up his recent low-post dominance when the 13th-ranked Trojans face BYU-Hawaii in the Yahoo! Sports Invitational at the Cannon Activities Center on Thursday.
Bluthenthal, a 6-foot-7 junior, has been USC's hottest player, producing four straight double-doubles. The forward enters the game leading the Trojans (7-0) in scoring at 18.4 points per game and in rebounding at 9.1 per game.
With Bluthenthal carrying the offense, the Trojans are off to their best start since 1975, when they opened with eight straight victories. Southern California has a nine-game winning streak overall, dating to last season.
Though their record is perfect, the Trojans' games have not lacked drama this year. USC's 76-73 win over Pepperdine last Thursday was their fourth straight close game. The Trojans' wins over UC Santa Barbara, Cal State Northridge and Utah came by a combined 16 points.
"We don't ever expect games to be close, but that's just how it's worked out. Fortunately, we've been winning," said Bluthenthal, who had 19 points and 10 rebounds in last Thursday's win.
The Trojans have also enjoyed a strong season from senior Brian Scalabrine, whose 22 points against Pepperdine gave him 20 career 20-point games. Scalabrine, a 6-9 forward, is averaging 14.4 points and 6.0 rebounds per game.
BYU-Hawaii, meanwhile, is also off to a fast start with wins in its first four games. The Seasiders, the tournament's host team, are coming off an 84-64 win against Seattle on Saturday.
The key to BYU-Hawaii's success is a balanced offense, led by senior Kerry Hendrickson's 20.3 points per game. The Seasiders are also getting 13.3 points per game from junior Brian Skinner, while sophomore center Scott Salisbury is the team's top rebounder, pulling down 10.0 per game.
The Seasiders, who play in Division II, have never faced the Trojans before.
