From ESPN.com:
Taj Gibson added 20 points, 11 rebounds and five blocked shots for the Trojans, who outrebounded the taller Cardinal 47-31.
"We were able to get them on the boards. I couldn't envision that going in," Floyd said. "Taj was terrific on the boards and we got a lot of rebounds from our guards."
Stanford came in averaging 7.2 rebounds more than its opponents to rank second in the conference. The Cardinal outrebounded the Trojans 48-31 in a 52-46 victory over USC two months ago, with 23 of their rebounds at the offensive end. USC had 18 offensive rebounds and Stanford 12 in this game.
That was one FUN game to watch. I loved the intensity we came out with and Floyd's decision to use full-court pressure against a lackadaisical Stanford team. It was a great move because it gave the Cardinals less time to get into their sets and forced Stanford's bigs to play out of position. The result was SC outrebounding Stanford by 13.
Watching the UNC vs. Duke game later in the evening, the Gameday crew and CB analysts all echoed the same opinion: SC is going to be a dangerous team in the tournament. If we can play with the same intensity we showed yesterday, this team can easily get to the Sweet 16 and beyond. Unfortunately, I can also see this team getting a 2nd round (maybe even 1st round depending on the team) bounce because of our lack of bigs and tendency to be streaky.
Right now I see us as a 5th or 6th seed, but if we have a good showing in the Pac-10 tournament, I can see us moving up to a 4th seed. If we win the whole thing impressively, a case for a 3 seed can be made. Optimistic? Maybe a little bit. Last year we finished in a three-way tie for 3rd in the Pac-10 with a 11-7 conference record and a 23-11 overall record plus got to the Pac-10 finals and ended up a 5th seed. This year we finished 4th in the Pac-10 in a strong year and have a better SOS/RPI, so everything considered, I think a 5th seed is the safest prediction. The game against ASU on Thursday is going to be a tough one because they are still a bubble team and need to have a good showing, so like the proverbial saying, "We just need to take it one game at a time."
