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Gamecock Sports Schedule ■ Men’s basketball at LSU, 8 p.m. Wednesday ■ Women’s basketball at Auburn, 8 p.m. Thursday ■ Men’s basketball vs. Kentucky, 1 p.m. Saturday ■ Baseball vs. Wofford, 1:30 p.m. Saturday |Page 10 "*“* Wtlt (BameCOCkWednesday, January 31,2001 Last-place USC tries to salvage its postseason hopes at LSU by Kyle' Almond The Gamecock USC’s men’s basketball team has suffered its share of injuries this season, but it’s bad luck doesn’t compare to LSU’s. The Tigers have only five healthy scholarship players remaining on its ros ter going into tonight's match-up with the Gamecocks in Baton Rouge. LSU starting guard Lamont Roland tore his ACL against Alabama on Jan. 6, leaving the Tigers with virtually no depth. Starting center Brad Bridgewater suffered the same season-ending injury on Hal loween. With a decimated roster, the Tigers (11-6, 1-5 SEC) have lost five of their last seven games. The Gamecocks (10-7,2-4) are in the same boat. USC has also lest five of its last seven and is missing its fallen play ers, especially swingman Chuck Eidson. “He not only steals it, but he s an ex cellent passer,” head coach Eddie Fogler said of Eidson. “He has instinct, he has the ability to rebound, and he’s probably our second-best defender. He can guard a little guy, and he can guard a small forward. Just all the versatile things that Chuck brings, we lose. That’s a very tough thing to overcome.” Carolina has also likely lost for ward Travis Kraft for the season. Kraft, who hit the game-winning 3-pointer against Florida this year, is expected to be redshirted with a sprained foot. The injuries on both teams make tonight’s game a clash of the crippled. A loss to LSU tonight would seriously hurt the Gamecocks’ hopes of making the NCAA Tournament. USC lost at Flori da 69-57 over the weekend, dropping them to the bottom of the SEC East. “Our team is disappointed again with a loss, although as a coach, I’m pleased with our effort,” Fogler said. “In our last two losses (Florida, Auburn), we have played very hard, and we seem to have good focus.” “Wfe play good basketball for the most part, just not good enough to win. We’ll just keep plugging away.” Despite their depleted roster, LSU still has Toms Bright and Brian Beshara, two returning starters from this past sea son’s team that went to the Sweet 16. The Tigers also have a pair of 6-foot-6 inch guards, Ronald Dupree and Collis Temple, who average 18.1 and 15.4 points per game, respectively. The problem with LSU, according Sean Rayford/The Gamecock LSU see page yi Point guard Aaron Lucas leans in for a shot against Clemson. ■ LOCATION: Pete Maravich Assembly Center, Baton Rouge, La. ■ TIME: 8 p.m. Wednesday ■ RADIO: WVOC (560 AM) ■ RECORDS: USC (10-7, 2-4 SEC), LSU (12-4, 2-3 SEC) Around The SEC SEC men’s basketball coaches speak about Oklahoma State crash by Kyle Almond Thb Gamecock When two Oklahoma State basketball players and eight other pas sengers died in a plane crash Jan. 27, its effects were felt all around the country, including the SEC. In their weekly teleconference Monday, SEC men’s basketball coaches took time to address the subject. “It’s a very difficult thing to accept because we do [fly] so much,” Geoigia head coach Jim Harrick said. “This thing will probably be the hallmark of this season because it’s such a tragedy. Games pale in comparison to what happened in Oklahoma State.” The 11-passenger plane went down in a snowstorm after a game at Colorado. Oklahoma State split their team for the ride home to Stillwater, Okla., using three smaller planes rather than one large commercial jet. “With three, there’s more danger, and that certainly is a concern,” Tennessee coach Jerry Green said. “It’s not as good, in my opinion, as taking one.” Like Green, USC’s Eddie Fogler favors the larger, commercial jets. “I think it needs to be commercial aircraft with commercial pilots that have strict regulations from the FAA,” he said. Arkansas head coach Nolan Richardson, who said the crash “tears his heart out,” hopes the tragedy will bring some positive change to college teams around the country. “Something needs to be done,” he said. “Basketball is just a game. Your life — that’s not a game.” Redshirt junior guard Dan Lawson and redshirt freshman guard Dan Fleming died in the crash, as did sports information employee Will Hancock, director of basketbdl operations Pat Noyes, trainer Brian Luinstra, student manager Jared We.berg, broadcast engineer Kendall Durey, broadcaster Bill Teegins, pilot Denvei Mills and co-pilot Bjorn Falistrom. “That was an twful tragedy,” Kentucky head coacl Tubby Smith said. “My heart goes out ti their families and certainly the players,coaching staffs and everyone involved.” Elsewhere arouni the SEC: Georgia: Georgia's men’s basketball team, fresh off a douile-overtime upset of No. 6 Tennessee on Saturday, prepares to host the only SECteam that’s beaten them this season, the Kentucky Wildcats. The Bulldogs are 6-1 in the conference and tops in the SEC East, with their one blemish coning at the hands of Smith’s Wildcats at Fupp Arena on Jan. 6. 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