Scalabrine May Have to Sit Out

USC cannot afford to lose any starter, with the Pac-10 season winding down, top-ranked Stanford arriving in the Sports Arena on Thursday and the Trojans fighting to make the NCAA tournament field.

But there is a chance that Brian Scalabrine will be unable to play Thursday because of a strained right hip flexor.

Scalabrine injured the muscle Saturday toward the end of the Oregon game when he tried to stop but slid awkwardly on the floor. He’s still not sure why it happened. “My friends said on television it looked like I hit a wet spot,� he said. “But they were probably trying to be nice to me. I thought I just slipped.�