LOS ANGELES — Off to their worst start in seven seasons, the BYU Cougars face another tough task tonight when they visit Southern California.
BYU (1-4) has already faced — and lost to — a pair of Pac-10 opponents in Stanford and Cal. The Cougars opened the season with a 36-point loss to North Carolina at the Maui Invitational and are coming off of a 14-point loss at Utah State.
Their lone victory came in Hawaii against Chaminade, a Division II foe, which means BYU is still looking for its first win against a Division I team.
The losses are starting to wear on the Cougars.
"A lot of the guys have been a little down," said guard Mike Hall. "Most of the players on our team have never been in a losing program before. This is the first time we've experienced losing. It's hard for us, but I think we'll bounce back."
The last time BYU opened the season 1-4, it was 1997 — coach Steve Cleveland's first year at the helm. The Cougars started 1-6 before earning its second win.
This year's Cougars want to get back to winning, beginning tonight (8:30) against the Trojans (1-2) at the Los Angeles Sports Arena.
"Every game, we're getting better," said sophomore Jimmy Balderson, who came out of his redshirt year against the Aggies and scored six points in 11 minutes. "We just need to get a win. With every game, we're gaining more experience."
Part of the Cougars' woes this season has to do with trying to find leaders who can lead them to victory. Another part has to do with the difficult schedule.
Yet Hall says this schedule will pay off come January, when Mountain West Conference play begins. "It think it will help us. It definitely prepares us for conference," Hall said.
For now, the Cougars are struggling to find a way to compete for 40 minutes. The last time out, they stayed with Utah State in the first half but got buried in the second.
"It's the exact same thing that happened against Cal," Hall said. "We only played one half. We need to come out and play hard the whole game."
One bright spot for BYU in the USU defeat was the play of point guard Austin Ainge, who scored a career-high 15 points. That was good enough to earn him the starting spot tonight over Terry Nashif.
"I've been playing well and feeling good lately," Ainge said. "I've just tried to play hard in practice and wait for my chance."
The Trojans have something in common with the Cougars — they also had the unfortunate experience of playing the No. 11 Tar Heels. USC visited Chapel Hill earlier this week and left with a 97-65 setback.
Two days later, the Trojans lost at LaSalle, 71-62. In that contest, they also lost senior forward Jeff McMillan, last season's Pac-10 newcomer of the year, to an injury. McMillan will be out for four to six weeks due to a broken left hand.
Leading USC is center Rory O'Neil, a 6-foot-11 senior who averages 12 points and 7.4 rebounds per game.
For Hall, tonight's game marks a homecoming of sorts. The native of San Bernadino followed the Trojans as a kid, and he played against several current USC players when he was in high school.
"I'll have a lot of family there for the game," Hall said. "Probably 15 people. They'll be loud."
On the air
BYU (1-4) at Southern Cal (1-2)
Tonight, 8:30 p.m.
Los Angeles Sports Arena
Radio: KSL 1160AM
E-mail: jeffc@desnews.com