SC INSIDE LOOK: USC LOSS POINTLESS DUKE MAKES SURE GRANVILLE IS NOT A FACTOR.

Byline: Scott Wolf Staff Writer

PHILADELPHIA - In USC basketball parlance, point guard Brandon Granville didn't come to play Saturday night.

That's usually the description when a player scores one point in 34 minutes and only takes three shots. Those were Granville's stats in the Trojans' 79-69 loss to Duke in the East Regional championship at First Union Center.

But it wouldn't be fair to place all the blame on Granville.

It was Duke's No. 1 strategy to eliminate the point guard from the Trojans' offense. And who could blame them? He's USC's designated leader, the person who makes the offense go regardless of whether he's scoring or not.

So Duke (33-4) harried Granville constantly with freshman guard Chris Duhon, and also double-teamed him with post players. The Blue Devils did anything they could to take Granville out of the offense.

``If you want to kill the snake, you cut off the head,'' USC guard Jeff Trepagnier said. ``That's our point guard, and when he doesn't play good, we're not that good.

``It wasn't his fault. The whole game they were denying him the ball and using double pressure. They had two guys on Brandon the whole game.''

Granville didn't expect the double team, and wasn't used to facing the combination of quickness and size that Duke possessed.

``They're big. They're long tall players,'' Granville said. ``They just got up and denied everything. They made it tough to make passes.''

He also had to worry, once he got the ball to the frontcourt, about getting USC (24-10) into its offense.

``Or worrying about getting everyone into the play,'' Granville said.

At one point in the second half, it was clear Granville wasn't doing what USC coach Henry Bibby wanted, and he was replaced briefly by backup Robert Hutchinson following a discussion on the sideline.

``It was just a misunderstanding about what he wanted to do,'' Granville said. ``I was just trying to get the situation right.''

Bibby was frustrated that Granville took only three shots, with one of those a 25-foot 3-pointer that was little more than a desperation attempt.

``I've talked to Brandon. He really hasn't shot well the last few games. I wanted Brandon to shoot more and he took three shots,'' Bibby said. ``He didn't feel like he was in a position to shoot and the kid didn't shoot it. But Brandon's had a great season.''

Granville did manage seven assists but also had five turnovers. Duke made sure it took one player out of the game, and it was him.

``We had a great game plan to keep the ball out of his hands,'' Duhon said. ``And when the ball got to him, I turned his back to the basket.''

If that wasn't enough, Granville had to go head-to-head with Duke's Jason Williams, probably the premier point guard in the country. Williams established himself early, scoring 12 of the Blue Devils' first 18 points with an array of shots, and finished with a game-high 28 points.

``He gets so much freedom in their offense,'' Granville said. ``He's the best player I've played all year.''

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Photo: Brandon Granville (5) found himself in this situation a lot Saturday - with a Duke player (this time, Jason Williams) in his path.

Rusty Kennedy/Associated Press