Big win: 84-76 over UCLA on Jan. 25
Tough loss: 74-73 at home to Cal on Jan. 8
Storyline: The Trojans missed well-regarded stretch four Bennie Boatwright for the first half of conference play with a sprained knee — he’s expected back this week — and they’ve still been slightly better than expected.
He said it: “It’s just a building block. We took a step forward and have to build off it.” — USC forward Chimezie Metu, in the Orange County Register, after USC beat UCLA.
