USC BASKETBALL NOTEBOOK: FRIDAY TIME FOR SOME REST.

Byline: MATTHEW KREDELL

Staff Writer

Taj Gibson was one of three USC players to miss practice with injuries Friday, though all are expected to be available today against California.

Gibson, USC's leading rebounder at 8.4 per game, bruised his right elbow battling down low with Stanford's Lopez twins Thursday.

Also sitting out were Abdoulaye N'diaye (bruised foot) and Dwight Lewis, who have combined to start 23 of USC's 28 games.

"The trainer said to leave them out so we left them out," coach Tim Floyd said. "They'll be ready to go tomorrow."

Floyd in on Carroll appearance: Though he acted surprised when football coach Pete Carroll banged on the locker-room door Thursday as the basketball players were getting ready to play Stanford, Floyd admitted Friday to asking Carroll to speak with the team.

"He was awesome," Floyd said of Carroll. "The kids loved it. ... Late in the season, it's great to have something different, something fresh.

Special teams coach Sam Anno came along with Carroll, and the two energetic coaches had the players bouncing off the walls coming out of the locker room. USC jumped ahead of the Cardinal 15-8.

Senior day: Lodrick Stewart will play his final game at Galen Center today, nearing the end of a roller-coaster career at USC.

He came to the Trojans with twin brother Rodrick as a highly recruited tandem out of Ranier Beach of Washington. Rodrick transferred to Kansas after one season. Then the team struggled under Henry Bibby and interim coach Jim Saia, finishing last in the Pacific-10 Conference his sophomore year.

Lodrick had signed transfer papers and was ready to bolt USC when Tim Floyd got the USC coaching job, which convinced him to stick it out. Now he's one of the leaders of a 20-win team likely on its way to the NCAA Tournament.

"I know it's going to be emotional just knowing I'll never play here in a college game again," Stewart said. "It's going to be sad. But everybody's time comes where you have to walk away from one program or whatever level you're playing at and move on."

With three regular-season games remaining, Stewart sits at 11th on the school's all-time scoring list with 1,356 points, sixth in steals at 143, and second in 3-point field goals made at 216. He could break Brandon Granville's 3-point record of 218 tomorrow.

It could also be the final home game for juniors Nick Young and Gabe Pruitt, who could make themselves eligible for the NBA draft. Pruitt said he didn't think it would be his final home game.

Young said: "I haven't really thought about it. It's been a long season, and I just want it to keep going. I want to keep winning."

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- Matthew Kredell