I am a huge fan of USC coach Tim Floyd. He is a whip-smart basketball mind, a remarkable recruiter and, given the resources he has available to him, Floyd is the best possible man for this job.
Let’s face it. Floyd operates in Peter Carroll’s shadow. USC is a football school, and, despite the fact that the Trojans now have the state-of-the-art Galen Center, the Southern Cal basketball program will always be in the shadow of UCLA’s basketball legacy as well.
Tuesday, Floyd joined us on the Mason & Ireland Show on 710 ESPN, and he refuses to speculate about whether or not super freshman DeMar DeRozan will return for his sophomore season. He did talk to us about how important guard Marcus Simmons was in the Pac 10 Tournament, especially at the defensive end of the floor.
Simmons shut down Cal's Jerome Randle, UCLA's Darren Collision andArizona State's Derek Glasser in back-to-back-to-back games, and now he will be called upon to neutralize Boston College’s best player, Tyrese Rice, tomorrow in their first round matchup in Minneapolis. Rice is averaging 17ppg, and Floyd is famous for his ability to defensively take out his opponent’s #1 offensive option.
I like the Trojans to win here, but I think they lose to Michigan St. in the second round….although, I’ll be rooting for them.
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