USC Faces Oregon St.; Munk Returns

Just when USC basketball Coach George Raveling began thinking that his team was improving, it betrayed him.

Raveling was optimistic after restyling his team’s offense to a more deliberate pace that produced victories over California and Western Kentucky.

But the Trojans (3-9 overall and 1-2 in the Pacific 10) are back to Square One after losing to Colorado State, 46-41, Monday night and to Oregon, 52-40, Thursday night.

USC, which will play Oregon State (7-3, 1-0) in a 2 p.m. game today at Loyola Marymount’s Gersten Pavilion, is in a 40-point rut.

That will happen to a team when it goes scoreless for 11 minutes 13 seconds, as the Trojans did against the Ducks. USC scored only 29 points in the last 36:15 after opening an 11-0 lead at the start of the game.

There is some hope, though, for Raveling’s faltering team. Center Chris Munk is eligible again and will play today. The National Collegiate Athletic Assn. had suspended him for six games because of academic problems that have since been resolved.

While USC is groping, Oregon State is on a roll. Ralph Miller’s team has won seven of its last eight games and is coming off a 65-64 upset of UCLA Thursday night at Pauley Pavilion.

The USC-Oregon State series has been a strange one in recent years, with the visiting team having won each of the last seven games.

The Sports Arena is unavailable to USC today because an ice show was previously scheduled. The Trojans, who are shooting only 41% for the season, have an ice show of their own.