The definition of a good day: USC 65, UCLA 55

Miracle of miracles, wonder of wonders, USC beat UCLA in basketball, 65-55 in the semifinals of the Pac 10 tournament. USC is now in the finals of the Pac 10 tournament! We are playing Arizona State today.

Can I get an Amen! USC traditionally dominates football in LA, while UCLA dominates basketball. UCLA was ranked 15, USC was unranked. UCLA is already in March Madness, while USC will get in if they beat Arizona today and clinch the regional championship, and might get in if they come close. The best part of the game was that USC was in the lead for the entire game. It was never even tied. Never even tied. USC must have wanted it real bad. Good for them.

We also beat Cal in this tournament, which is icing on the cake.

I watched the game at a bar in the Valley. I was there with a friend who is a West Virginia fan. We had some hopes that they might beat Syracuse, particularly since the Orangemen were coming off of the second-longest game in NCAA Div. I history, but the Mountaineers went cold in OT, and couldn't defend in the paint. Still, it was a good game.

I only watched the first half of the USC-UCLA game, because we were up at halftime, and I wanted to savor the feeling (I also had to get home). But we won! Now I'm sorry I missed it.

Of course, the true story of basketball in LA is the Lakers, who are steamrolling the West and most of the rest of the league. But last night, it was all about the Trojans.

I'm rooting for Memphis

It's down to the Final Four in the NCAA Men's Basketball tournament, and it's all the No. 1 seeds! Personally, I'm rooting for Memphis, because they beat Texas, and I am still bitter about Texas beating USC in the Rose Bowl in the last 19 seconds. I still have to pay off the bet that I lost to brother-in-law on that one. The bet is that I have to wear a Texas t-shirt when I visit he and my sister. Which I still have to do. I actually have the t-shirt, fortunately. When I ordered it, I got the wrong size - they sent me a small. I didn't think they sold t-shirts in size "small" in Texas, but I guess they do.

I'm also rooting for Memphis because they are playing UCLA in the Final Four, and I root for whoever plays UCLA. In my last post about Kareem, I said that I would root for UCLA for one game. Which I did. I have to admit that I did it rather quietly, and didn't tell my co-worker, Sherri, who went to UCLA. But I rooted for them in my heart. But now they are close to another national championship, and that is the last thing that UCLA needs. UCLA has 100 national sports championships, and they were the first to 100. That's enough! Fortunately, the Olympics are coming up, and USC dominates American colleges in Olympics glory - we've won at least one gold medal in every summer Olympics since 1912.

But for now, go Memphis!