LOS ANGELES -- On what's got the Staples Center in a tizzy, Jeff Pendergraph just picked up his fifth foul on a follow-up dunk off a James Harden miss, and Herb Sendek is going ballistic right now.
The junior forward had a solid game for the Sun Devils, scoring 13 points and grabbing six rebounds.
After two free throws by Davon Jefferson, it's 59-55 in favor of USC with 16.9 seconds left.
LOS ANGELES -- James Harden and Jeff Pendergraph have both just picked up their fourth personal fouls and USC has gained a 57-53 advantage by getting Arizona State's two best players in foul trouble.
With USC slowly gaining control of this game, It's going to be a tough road for the Sun Devils to come back with both Harden and Pendergraph slowed by fouls.
LOS ANGELES -- With 7:53 left in the second half, USC is starting to make its push to make a comeback on Arizona State, which has made a concerted effort on the defensive end to take over the lead coming out of halftime.
While Jeff Pendergraph is playing with three fouls, the Sun Devils have been able to avoid getting in further foul trouble. USC, though, has had trouble taking care of the ball at times today, and you have to give credit to the Sun Devils, who are up in the chests of every USC player when they touch the ball.
LOS ANGELES -- At the under 12-minute timeout, it's Arizona State still out in front of USC by a 43-40 margin.
James Harden has dropped in four points since his 10-point effort in the first half, and Rihard Kuksiks has gone over the double-digit mark with 10 points.
O.J. Mayo, meanwhile, has one field goal after halftime to tally 16 points, but the rest of USC team has been rather quiet. And if Tim Floyd is looking to advance to tomorrow's semifinals, which could mean a rematch against cross-town rival and top-seeded UCLA, the rest of the Trojans are going to need to pick things up.
LOS ANGELES -- With four minutes gone in the second half, Arizona State has taken a one-point lead on USC.
The Trojans are looking a little bit frustrated on the offensive end, and it's been largely due to a strong defensive effort by Herb Sendek's group.
USC coach Tim Floyd, meanwhile, is starting to lose his temper with the officials and the third-year coach seems to be constantly pacing the sidelines nervously.
LOS ANGELES -- We're at halftime here at Staples Center, and it's No. 4 seed USC leading No. 5 seed Arizona State by a two-point margin, 34-32.
The Trojans held a four-point lead with 30 seconds left before the break, but O.J. Mayo got his pocket picked on a drive to the goal, and ASU got an early breakaway layup to end the half.
Surprisingly, the Sun Devils are right in this game despite getting dominated on the glass, 18-5, and shooting much worse than the Trojans at just 40 percent from the field and 30.8 percent from three. USC, on the other hand, has hit 54.5 percent of its shots, including 41.7 from behind the three-point line.
Mayo does lead all scorers with 14 points on an impressive 5-of-8 shooting, but the rest of the USC team has been rather quiet with Daniel Hackett dropping in six and Taj Gibson and Dwight Lewis each adding four to the Trojans' scoring line.
For Arizona State, James Harden leads the way with 10 points on 4-of-6 shooting in addition to 2-of-3 from three. Freshman forward Rihards Kuksiks has contributed a solid nine points and Jeff Pendergraph, despite earning his third foul late in the first half, started to pick things up before intermission, knocking down back-to-back free throws for six points.
LOS ANGELES -- With 3:59 before halftime, USC has retaken the lead with a 25-23 advantage, thanks to a three-pointer by Daniel Hackett off a baseline drive and pass by backcourt mate O.J. Mayo.
Both teams have been jacking up a lot of threes and hit about the same rate, as ASU is 4-for-12 from beyond the arc and USC is 4-for-11.
The Trojans, meanwhile, are killing the Sun Devils on the boards, 16-5, and while Tim Floyd's team doesn't have a ton of size, Taj Gibson and Davon Jefferson have got the job done in this first half of play.
LOS ANGELES -- With 12 minutes to go in the first half of our first game at Staples Center, it's No. 5 seed Arizona State taking an early 17-9 lead on No. 4 seed USC.
The Sun Devils have been efficient at the offensive end, getting some sweet shooting from First Team All-Pac-10 selection James Harden.
O.J. Mayo and Dwight Lewis are doing their best to keep USC close right now , and with a lot of time left before halftime, we're expecting plenty of momentum swings in this one.
LOS ANGELES -- With about four minutes gone in the first half at Staples Center, No. 5 seed Arizona State leads No. 4 seed USC by a one-point margin, 6-5.
O.J. Mayo stroked a three from the right corner to get the Trojans on the board but ASU has responded with its own offensive attack and if you're Coach Herb Sendek, you have to like the way things have started for the Sun Devils.
LOS ANGELES -- Welcome back to Staples Center for our second day of action, as we witness the first of four quarterfinal games today, starting with No. 4 seed USC against No. 5 seed Arizona State.
The Sun Devils, standing at 19-11 overall and 9-9 in the Pac-10, are in need of a quality win against an NCAA Tournament-caliber team like USC in order to secure their chances of reaching the Big Dance. And it will certainly be a battle between two stellar freshmen, as First Team All-Pac-10 selections James Harden (ASU) and O.J. Mayo (USC) square off in downtown L.A.
Harden, who comes in averaging a team-high 17.7 points in addition to 5.1 rebounds per game, is the first McDonald's All-American to sign with Arizona State out of high school since 1984. Jeff Pendergraph is the other offensive threat for Herb Sendek's squad, which earned nine conference wins for just the third time in the past 13 seasons. The Sun Devils also scored a big win over No. 10 Xavier back in December in Tempe.
USC, meanwhile, has won five of six, including a big-time win over Stanford last weekend across the street at the Galen Center and is looking to boast its resume with a good win over ASU today. Mayo, of course, leads the way for the Trojans at 20. points and 4.7 rebounds per game. But the key for Tim Floyd's squad has been the frontcourt play of Taj Gibson and Davon Jefferson, who will be going up against Pendergraph and Rihards Kuksiks down low.
Both teams are about to take the floor, so we'll swing our attention there, as the tip is just about to come.
