ESPN Network: ESPN.com | NFL.com | NBA.com | NHL.com | NASCAR | WNBA.com | ABCSports | EXPN | FANTASY | INSIDER

Men's College Basketball  
Scores/Schedules Rankings
Standings
Statistics
Transactions
Injuries
Message board
Weekly lineup
Teams
Recruiting
NCAA StatSearch



  Wednesday, Dec. 27 8:00pm ET
Wildcats' offense works up upset win
 
  RECAP | BOX SCORE

EVANSTON, Ill. (AP) -- Bill Carmody said Princeton's offense could work at Northwestern. Now he's got the upset to prove it.

Ben Johnson hit a baseline jumper with 1:23 left, and then made two free throws with 8 seconds left Wednesday night as Northwestern stunned Southern California (No. 15 ESPN/USA Today, No. 16 AP) 63-61.

It was Northwestern's first victory over a ranked team in almost two years. The Wildcats (7-5) beat then-No. 14 Purdue on Jan. 27, 1999.

"It sets a tone for what we're trying to accomplish the rest of the year," said Johnson, who finished with 13 points, eight assists and two steals.

"It proves we're capable of playing a team like this and winning."

The Trojans (9-2) had a chance to at least send it to overtime when Brandon Granville made the front end of a one-and-one with 3.7 seconds left. He missed the second, giving the Trojans a chance at the rebound and the putback.

But Northwestern's Jason Burke grabbed the ball, and the Trojans had no choice but to foul him with 2.4 seconds left. He missed the free throw, but Brian Scalabrine's desperation heave at the buzzer wasn't even close.

As the buzzer sounded, the Northwestern players huddled at center court, jumping and bouncing around as fans gave them a standing ovation.

"Everbody's got that tingling feeling in our body because we're so excited we won," said Winston Blake, who scored 12 points.

Tavaras Hardy led the Wildcats with a season-high 20 points and four rebounds. Northwestern shot 52 percent and never trailed.

David Blumenthal, who was out of the starting lineup for the first time this year because he was late for practice earlier in the week, led the Trojans with 17 points in 35 minutes. Desmon Farmer also was benched for being late. Farmer finished with 12 points and five assists in 36 minutes.

The Trojans were held to just 42 percent shooting, and it didn't help that Scalabrine was playing with the stomach flu. The team's leading scorer played just 16 minutes and had six points.

"We didn't come out to play tonight," USC coach Henry Bibby said, refusing to use Scalabrine's illness as an excuse.

"We played a very patient team tonight. You don't get back on an opposing team when they're up 15-0 and on their home court."

The Princeton Tigers have been a terror in the NCAA tournament with their patient and fluid offense. They've scared many a team with their screens, backdoor cuts and layups, and in 1996, they knocked off then-defending champ UCLA in the first round of the tournament.

Carmody picked up the system as an assistant under Hall of Fame coach Pete Carril, and then used it when he took over the Tigers. When he came to Northwestern last summer, the offense came with him.

"It's a lot of patience, making passes and getting the ball to the right people," Johnson said. "There's no secret to it. It's just basketball."

But done right, it can be deadly. Working the offense to perfection, the Wildcats opened the game with a 15-0 run and never trailed again.

Southern California finally got within 59-58 with 2:53 left on Blumenthal's uncontested dunk and a 3-pointer, but Johnson hit his baseline jumper and USC made only one more field goal the rest of the way.

Northwestern, which had 23 assists on 28 field goals, has won two more games than it did last season.

"It's a system that works," Hardy said. "Guys are getting more comfortable, and every game we play we get better."

The Trojans have made a habit of starting slow -- they had to rally from a 20-point deficit their last game -- and this game was no different. They missed their first six shots and didn't score until Scalabrine's 12-foot jumper with 14:44 left in the first half.

Farmer hit a jumper at the top of the key with 3 seconds left to get USC within 38-29 at halftime.

"It was a very, very small step," Hardy said. "We've got to keep winning."
 


ALSO SEE
Men's College Basketball Scoreboard

USC Clubhouse

Northwestern Clubhouse