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10 THE GAMECOCK ♦ Wednesday, February 5, 2003 GAME SCHEDULE rrWFAPT TTQ WOMEN’S TENNIS at Furman, 5 p.m. Wednesday VjU\kJ 1 U O MEN’S BASKETBALL at Louisiana State, 8 p.m. Wednesday Story ideas? Questions? Comments? WOMEN S BASKETBALL vs. Louisiana State, 7 p.m. Thursday E-mail us at gamecocksports@hotmail.com BASEBALL vs. Charleston Southern, 3 p.m. Friday USC to meet LSU in big game Carolina needs to upset the Tigers to extend its SEC winning streak d i mvn luunu THIS (lAMBCOCK In the midst of midseason struggles, one of the worst possi ble things that could happen to a team is facing one of the hottest teams in the nation. Unfortunately for the 16th ranked USC women’s basketball team (16-4, 4-3 SEC), the Gamecocks will face that task Thursday against the fourth ranked LSU Tigers (18-1, 6-1) at the Carolina Center. LSU’s only defeat was a 10 point loss against Arkansas in Fayetteville, Ark. Just two-and a-half weeks ago, the Tigers de molished Kentucky 82-39. Sunday, the Gamecocks squeaked by the Wildcats by a mere three points. A talented trio of Aiysha Smith, DeTrina White and SEC player of the week Seimone Augustus leads the Tigers. Augustus is a 6-foot-l-inch freshman shooting guard who will present matchup problems all over the court for the Gamecocks. Augustus can go in side or outside and is a slashing player in the Tracy McGrady mold. She will likely be matched up against 5-foot-ll-inch guard Cristina Ciocan or 6-foot forward Jocelyn Penn. Smith, a 6-foot-2-inch center, is a bruiser and will try to bury neiaeii uccp in me pcum uu ui fense and get easy points. Her only flaw is her lack of rebound ing ability. Smith averages only 5.5 rebounds per game, which is less than most players her size. She should match up well against Petra Ujhelyi, USC’s cen ter. White can fend for herself against the biggest of competi tors. She’s a 5-foot-l 1-inch pow er forward and averages near ly three more rebounds per game than Smith does. She is a double-double threat in every game. Her offense isn’t flashy, but she will pound away and work hard to get layups whenever she can. White will more than likely be matched up against Penn. Penn will look to rebound from her worst performance of the year. She scored a meager six points and recorded only two re bounds, both season lows. She ended the game with a 1 for-8 shooting performance in 37 minutes of playing time, and her points-per-game average fell from 26.6 to 25.6. Going into the Kentucky game, Penn was second in the nation in scoring and lead ing the SEC. Penn is currently in fifth place on Carolina’s all-time scor ing list with 1,734 points. At her current rate, she will break the USC single-season record for points per game and most points in a season. She will look to get back on her scoring track Thursday. Another key to Carolina’s suc cess will be the play of Ujhelyi. She leads the SEC in rebounding with an outstanding average of 9.1 rebounds per game. She also averages 1.5 blocks per game, and her inside defensive presence will be needed to defend LSU’s inside threats. One of Carolina’s biggest ques tion marks this season has been its depth on the bench. Because LSU runs a 10-woman rotation, bench play will be vital in this matchup. In the past four games, the USC bench has scored only 29 points combined. LSU far surpasses that number; it averages 31.8 points per game. USC’s production from its re serves could be a key factor in the game. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. tomor row at the Carolina Center, and students are admitted free with their student ID. Comments on this story?E-mail gamecocksports@hotmail.com PHOTO BY JOHNNY HAYNES/THE GAMECOCK Cristina Clocan, front, makes an inbound pass to Kelly Morrone, far right, against Florida. The 16th-ranked Gamecocks will face fourth-ranked Louisiana State on Thursday night at the Carolina Center. USC hopes to go above .500 with a win against the Tigers. Carolina faces Tigers in the bayou Gamecocks and Louisiana State battle each other to climb out of the Southeastern Conference basement BY SHAWN ROURK THE GAMECOCK In the post-game news confer ence after his team’s loss to Kentucky, USC head men’s bas ketball coach Dave Odom vowed that there would come a day when USC would be able to stand up and play against any team. Now, Odom and company hope that to day, when the Gamecocks will face off against Louisiana State University, will be that day. The Gamecocks (7-10,1-6 SEC) and the LSU Tigers (12-7,1-6) are both at the bottom of the SEC standings in their respective divi sions. Both teams are looking to put an end to their recent losing streaks, with USC’s run at five games and LSU having dropped six in a row. A deciding factor could be USC’s inability to win on the road; Carolina is 0-7 playing in the other team’s house this season. “Our situation right now is cer tainly not good,” Odom said. “We’re going down to Baton Rouge, and you’ve got two teams who are similar in that we are both desperate for a win. LSU has an advantage because they are at home, but that is something that we have to overcome.” USC will turn to its 6-foot-7-inch senior Chuck Eidson to have an other big scoring game. During the past three games, he has scored in double digits and is lead ing the team in points and steals. “He’s really come along as a leader and as a player. I’m very, very proud of him,” Odom said. USC might also decide to work with more of its younger players, including Tarence Kinsey and John Chappell, who is coming off what Odom calls one of his best games against Kentucky. Chappell has had “some really good practices,” Odom said. “So we’re going to push him along and see where that leads us.” LSU is going into the game after a 75-66 bashing by Alabama on the road. A major boost for the team will be the return of center/for ward Jaime Lloreda from a one game suspension. Lloreda might be the boost LSU needs to get its of fense going again. The 6-foot-9-inch junior is shooting 58.5 percent from the field this season and is averag ing 8.3 rebounds a game. LSU’s defense, however, has had a few sloppy games against Florida and, most recently, Alabama. LSU head coach John Brady said: “The next couple of days, we’re going to work on our defen sive transition and rebounding, and that’s all we’re going to work on. We need to do everything we can do to make sure our team is in the right state to play Wednesday.” LSU’s recent defensive effort might open the door for Carolina’s blossoming offense to have a big game. USC shot xmore than 50 per cent as a team for the first time in a few games, and it seems like players are getting on the same page. But Odom still knows LSU can put up a fight in the bayou. “They’ve lost a couple tough games,” Odom said. “They’ve re ally got a good nucleus. LSU is go ing to be one of those teams that, as we get into the second half and get closer to the SEC Tournament, that are going to be dangerous.” Tonight’s game will be on Jefferson-Pilot Sports, and tip-off is at 8 p.m. Comments on this story? E-mail gamecocksports@hotmail.com PHOTO BY JOHNNY HAYNES/THE GAMECOCK Marcus Morrison and his Carolina teammates hope to record their first road win of the season tonight In Baton Rouge. CLUB CORNER Cycling Club The Cycling Club will meet Sunday, Feb. 9 at 7 p.m. in the Horseshoe Reading Room locat ed in Pinckney-Legare adjacent to the North Area Campus Housing Office. For more information about weekly rides and races please visit www.geocities.com/car olinamultisport. You may e-mail the club at carolinamulti sport@yahoo.com. Bodybuilding and Fitness Club The Bodybuilding and Fitness Club will play host to the 24th annual Mr. and Ms. USC contest April 12. Entry forms and information are available from Bodybuilding and Fitness Club members. There are also criteria and en try forms in the brochure rack in the front lobby of the Blatt P.E. Center. For students considering en tering or needing guidance with preparing to enter in fitness, physique or bodybuilding, the Bodybuilding and Fitness Club will offer help sessions Feb. 10 and 17, at 7:30 p.m. in room 137 (basement weight gym) of the Blatt P.E. Center. Men’s Lacrosse The Carolina Men’s Lacrosse team took a trip to Alabama on Saturday and managed to win 15-7, despite the fact that they only had one substitute player most of the game. Prior obligations left several key players in Columbia, forc ing several others to step up. Junior John Cosgrove led the Gamecocks in scoring with five goals, and sophomore Ryan Bruce led an undermanned de fense. Freshman Pierre Bigby had a fine game in goal as a rookie in his first official start. The team will have three practices per week, . on Mondays and Wednesdays from 5 to 7 p.m. and on Tuesdays from 9 p.m. to 11 p.m. Anyone who is interested is encouraged to come to a prac tice. Cocks Lacrosse will travel to Georgia on Saturday at 7 p.m. to play in a game that could have championship implica tions. Ice Hockey Club The USC Ice Hockey Club suf fered two losses this weekend against Kennesaw State University. USC lost Saturday’s game 106 and Sunday’s game 5-2. The next Ice Hockey Club game will be against Clemson on Saturday at the Bi-Lo Center in Greenville after the Greenville Grrrowl game. To attend the game, tickets must be purchased for the Grrrowl game that will take place right before the USC and Clemson game. For tickets or information on the Ice Hockey Club, e-mail uschockeyclub@yahoo.com. College baseball rising in popularity BY DENNIS WASZAK JR. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Tony Gwynn used to dream about playing in the College World Series as a San Diego State outfielder. Now, he’s got his sights set on leading the Aztecs to college baseball’s promised land as their coach. “Going to the College World Series gives you and your pro gram credibility,” said the for mer eight-time National League batting champion and probable future Hall of Famer. “As college coaches, it’s what we all want to achieve for our programs — getting to Omaha.” With a Division I-record 285 schools fielding baseball teams this season, getting there might be as daunting a task as ever before. “The College WorlijSeries is the ultimate,” Georgia Tech coach Danny Hall said. “It’s the Super Bowl, the Final Four, a college bowl game. It’s what you work hard daily for, to try to get to that level where you’re putting your team and your game against the very best in college baseball.” And that’s what Gwynn is determined to accomplish at a school that has never made it to Omaha. Gwynn, who’s coaching at the stadium that bears his name, returned to San Diego State last season as a volunteer assistant after end ing a 20-year major league ca reer. He took over this year for the retired Jim Dietz, who coached him and his brother Chris — as well as Tony’s son, Anthony, the Aztecs’ star out fielder. Gwynn certainly picked an exciting time to get reac 4 ♦ GWYNN, SEE PAGE 11 Tar Heels, Duke to resume old rivalry DURHAM, N.C. (AP) - The build up to college basketball’s biggest rivalry has taken a beat ing the last two weeks. North Carolina-Duke was a Top Ten matchup seven times over a four-year period between 1997 and 2001. Both clubs head into Wednesday night’s game scuffling. The Tar Heels have lost four straight, while No. 9 Duke has dropped three of five. It’s the first time since March 1995 both teams are coming into the rivalry game off losses. A win by either team is urgent — rivalry or no rivalry. “This is a huge game for us,” Blue Devils coach Mike Krzyzewski said Tuesday. “I re spect the fact that we’ve had amaz ing games in the history of the two programs, and it’s a storied game, I am not diminishing that, but no matter who we play we would want to play really well in this game. I can’t get caught up in do ing it once, otherwise you don’t tirin nhomninnchinc ” The Blue Devils (14-3,4-3) have won a record four straight ACC tournament titles, but trail Maryland, North Carolina State and Wake Forest in the regular season standings nearing the halfway point of league play. Meanwhile, the Tar Heels (11-9, 2-5) are riding a season-high los ing streak and have beaten Duke just once in the last 11 meetings. “A win is the most important thing right now to get us in posi tion for the (NCAA) tournament,” said Rashad McCants, North Carolina’s leading scorer. North Carolina is 4-6 since los ing starting center Sean May with a broken foot on Dec. 27. “Our margin of error has dropped since we lost Sean,” Tar Heels coach Matt Doherty said. “We don’t have as much rebound ing inside and we don’t have much scoring inside. So we can’t make many mistakes. We’ve all got to be on the same page to give us a chance.” This is a key game for Duke point guard Chris Duhon. The ACC preseason player of the year and a starter on Duke’s 2001 na tional title team has played poorly over the last month, scoring in double figures in one of his last 12 games. iitta l.__a_ii i.1_ iiv iiuon i piujcu ncu, uiwg 10 no question about that,” Krzyzewski said. “Just look at his stats. We have to help him to play well. I just think we can take a big jump as a team if we could get him to play better. “Our defense starts with the ability to pressure the basketball and the periods where Chris has done that well we’ve played out standing. When he’s not control ling the other guard with bail pres sure it breaks you down.” Despite recent defensive break downs, Krzyzewski has refused to go with a zone or other defenses. “Those are compensating things. That’s not what we do,” he said. “If you don’t have the abili ty to do it then you go to some thing different. But let’s teach, let’s work and let’s make this happen. That’s what we’re going to do.” Duhon and the Duke defense will get a test from Raymond Felton, North Carolina’s quick nnint miatvl “He’s terrific,” Krzyzewski said of Felton. “He makes everybody on their team better and he does it two ways on offense. I’m very im pressed with him and his ability to do things right away as a fresh man.” . Felton will be one of eight freshmen that will likely see sig nificant time for both teams, an other change from previous games that provided a glimpse of such stars as Shane Battier, Jason Williams, Vince Carter and Antawn Jamison. “There is still a lot of talent on the court,” Krzyzewski said. “The talent level and the intensity will be high, but we’re both very much developing teams. “All I know is Carolina’s kids are playing really hard. They’re playing their butts off. We’ve got to make sure we match that ef fort.”