ANOTHER 'DOG DAY AFTERNOON? DUKE KNOWS IT HAS TO KEEP USC UNDER CONTROL.

Byline: Billy Witz Staff Writer

PHILADELPHIA - Jarvis Turner walked around the First Union Center after USC's win over Kentucky on Thursday night with a black T-shirt with white lettering. Its message was just as black-and-white: ``Underdog.''

USC has thrived in the underdog role in the NCAA Tournament. Oklahoma State, after its tragic midseason plane crash, was clearly a sentimental favorite in the first round. Then the Trojans have taken care of two conference champions: No. 3-seeded Boston College and No. 2-seeded Kentucky.

USC gets its toughest test yet when it plays No. 1-ranked Duke at 4 today in the East Regional final, a place the Trojans haven't been since 1954.

``I'm happy with the way we've been playing and I have confidence we will go out and be competitive,'' USC coach Henry Bibby said. ``I've always said that's something I look for in my basketball team is that we go out and be competitive every night. Tomorrow we will be competitive and who knows the outcome?''

If nothing else, the Trojans don't figure to be spooked by Duke.

They played last year at the Pond in the Wooden Classic and Duke pulled away in the final eight minutes to win 81-68. Most of the players on both teams will be on the court today, but neither group seemed to attach much significance to the previous meeting.

What Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski was more concerned with was preventing another torrid start by the Trojans. In all three tournament games, USC has jumped to big early leads.

The Trojans led 24-9 against Oklahoma State. They built a 27-13 early advantage against Boston College. And they jumped ahead of Kentucky 31-10.

``We have to get off to a start that matches theirs,'' Krzyzewski said. ``It has to be one of our goals.''

Duke has created matchup problems this season because it's quicker at virtually every position and its perimeter-oriented offense can draw slower defenders away from the basket. Duke averages 30 3-pointers per game.

USC will try to counter with a matchup zone that befuddled Kentucky for most of Thursday night, though it will also show some man-to-man. Against Kentucky, the Trojans tried to take away 3-pointers by Keith Bogans and Tayshaun Prince and were willing to let others beat them - Saul Smith, with 5 of 7 3-pointers, nearly did.

As for Jason Williams, who has scored at least 30 points in all three tournament victories, well, there's not a lot the Trojans can do if he plays as he did against UCLA in the second half. At one point, he scored 19 consecutive points for the Blue Devils.

Williams and Shane Battier combined for 58 of Duke's 76 points against UCLA.

``I think you've got to be able to make adjustments,'' said USC assistant Silvey Dominguez, who coordinates the defense. ``I don't think you can go into too many meetings and say there's only one way we can play a guy.

``The key is to not let (Williams) get shots he's comfortable getting. As long as he's got the ball he's happy. I've compared him to Baron Davis. With Battier, you've got to take away his perimeter and keep him out of the game emotionally. If you can do that, you can take away his ability to play at a higher level.''

There will also be plenty of responsibility on USC's point guards, Brandon Granville and Robert Hutchinson, to handle the ball against Duke's pressure, man-to-man defense and get the ball into the Trojans' front line - Brian Scalabrine, Sam Clancy and David Bluthenthal.

It's something the guards have struggled with at times.

``That was the main focus of practice,'' said Hutchinson, who has had to spell the foul-prone Granville in the last two games. ``We like to get into our halfcourt offense and set up the big guys. There's a lot of pressure on me and Brandon to do that.''

A lot of pressure, perhaps, but not many expectations. And that suits the Trojans just fine.

``We knew coming into the tournament that nobody was going to be pulling for us,'' said forward Sam Clancy. ``We've been hearing that since day one. We got this far - look where we are right now. We know no one's going to be cheering for us against Duke or thinking we're going to win.

``We just have to put that out of our minds and play the same basketball we've been playing the past few weeks.''