ANALYSIS: USC HURT BY SOFT SCHEDULE, NOT ENOUGH USE OF TURNER.

Byline: Scott Wolf Daily News Staff Writer

Even after USC offered a teasing glimpse of its potential by upsetting sixth-ranked Stanford at Maples Pavilion, coach Henry Bibby refused to concede that the Trojans should have been playing this way all season.

``The expectations of everyone else have been unbelievable,'' Bibby said. ``And that's not a concern of mine. I haven't really been disappointed in this group. But I've been realistic.''

Bibby tried to take a young team (two seniors, two juniors, four sophomores, four freshmen) and build its confidence with a relatively easy nonconference schedule before the rigors of the Pacific-10 Conference.

It sounded like a good plan, but it hasn't worked out. After starting 8-1, USC has managed just a 4-9 Pac-10 record.

``We just haven't pieced everybody together at the same time,'' Bibby said.

That means while center Brian Scalabrine has often been brilliant, many of the other players have only intermittently made contributions. If you listen to Bibby, he isn't surprised. He's more shocked that some USC fans have been underwhelmed after the promising start to the season.

``Who would not like to finish in the top one or two in the Pac-10?,'' Bibby said. ``But I knew what I was getting into when I took this job. I've talked about it with (athletic director) Mike Garrett and how it's not going to happen overnight and he's giving me time to build the program.''

Expectations become a problem when people watch USC upset Stanford, or remember that the Trojans defeated No. 2-ranked Arizona last season.

While defeating Stanford was memorable, something considered barely noteworthy turned into the single-most important event of the season. When sophomore point guard Kevin Augustine quit the team in December, USC's Pac-10 hopes basically evaporated. Augustine might not be better than starter Brandon Granville, but he provided solid play last season and would have seen an increased role when Granville slumped in January.

Augustine might have even surpassed Granville in the lineup and possibly prevented USC's January swoon.

Instead, the Trojans had no other point guards to spell Granville, and the offense became stagnant when either shooting guard Quincy Wilder or power forward Jarvis Turner were forced to play out of position.

If that weren't enough, USC's outside shooters (Elias Ayuso, Adam Spanich) have been wildly inconsistent. And the Trojans' defense has been shoddy at times. Those are the primary reasons USC has struggled during Pac-10 play.

But some of Bibby's decisions could also be questioned. The idea to shelve Turner, a team leader and expected to be one of the Trojans' go-to guys at the beginning of the season, has been a mistake.

Turner has been robbed of his confidence after having back-to-back games in which he might play 15 minutes one night, then fail to come off the bench during the next game.

The emergence of freshman Sam Clancy has been a promising aspect of this season, but there should be enough minutes for Turner to get into games. Turner is considered a leader by his teammates and his disappearance might have hurt USC more than its soft nonconference schedule.

Notes: Forward Adam Spanich returned from his one-game suspension against Stanford and will play tonight against UCLA. Spanich was suspended after having an argument with some academic officials at USC.

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Guard: Brandon Granville has been a pleasant surprise, but Kevin Augustine's departure has haunted Trojans. Elias Ayuso finally recovered from a slow start. C

Forward: Jeff Trepagnier blossomed into the team's most athletic player, and after a typical freshman start, Sam Clancy has shown glimpses of becoming a dominating player. B-

Center: Where would the Trojans be without Brian Scalabrine? He could lead USC in scoring for three years. B+

Bench: Adam Spanich has occasionally provided spark, and David Bluthenthal might start next year. However, two players with experience - Jarvis Turner and Shannon Swillis - are nearly invisible. C

Coach: Henry Bibby has tried to mold a team with three freshmen and two JC transfers playing major roles. But keeping Turner on the bench hasn't helped. C+

- By Scott Wolf

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