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PITTSBURGH -- Plenty of the numbers from Pittsburghs breezy 99-80 victory over Gardner-Webb looked pretty.And none of them mattered to coach Kevin Stallings. Sure shooting 54 percent and never being challenged on Monday night was nice, especially three days after needing double-overtime to hold off Eastern Michigan in Stallings coaching debut with the Panthers. Yet Stallings is more concerned about whether his team is ready for a far sterner test on Thursday against SMU at Madison Square Garden in the 2K Classic.You look at our defensive numbers, they were indicative of a team that was not really wired into play, he said. Thats my fault. Thats my job.Cameron Johnson scored 18 points and made all four of his 3-point attempts for Pitt (2-0). Michael Young put up 18 points and seven rebounds in 15 minutes after being held out of the starting lineup for only the second time in his career due to a minor violation of team rules. Sheldon Jeter added 14 points and a game-high 13 rebounds.Still, the Panthers led the Runnin Bulldogs trade baskets early in the first half and for long stretches in the second. Stallings wonders if his players are getting a little too caught up in the free-flowing offense Stallings brought with him from Vanderbilt.Maybe Ive sent the wrong message about tempo and offense and things like that, Stallings said. Were not ready to beat anybody thats equivalent to us in terms of talent because we dont sustain any type of defensive intensity.At one point in the first half, Stallings pulled the entire starting five off the floor in frustration.I think he just wanted more effort and energy, Johnson said. He cited a lack of focus for that.Not that much was required over the final 30 minutes after a 10-0 burst that included a pair of 3-pointers by Johnson to give the Panthers a 30-14 lead that was never threatened.RUNNIN WITH THE PANTHERSLaQuincy Rideau finished with a career-high 23 points for Gardner-Webb (0-2) while adding eight rebounds and six assists. David Efianayi scored 20 points and Liam OReilly chipped in 14. The Runnin Bulldogs spread the floor to provide Rideau with room to slice his 6-foot-1 frame through the lane.I felt there was little more space where maybe we could attack the paint off the dribble, Gardner-Webb coach Tim Craft said. The problem is we werent converting. Some of the finishes were a little wild.BIG MAN DEBUTPitt junior Rozelle Nix made his long-awaited debut after missing last season with a foot injury. The 6-foot-11, 300-pound Nix entered with just over 4 minutes left and finished with four rebounds and on emphatic block on Gardner-Webbs DJ Laster that sent Nixs teammates erupting off the bench.He got me once like that once, Jeter said. Im not ashamed to admit it. Im not afraid to admit it.BIG PICTUREGardner-Webb: After managing just 44 points in a lackluster loss to SMU in the opener last week, Gardner-Webb was happy to try and keep pace with Pitt in what Craft called a learning experience for a young team that will rely on Rideau and Efianayi -- both sophomores -- to carry some of the scoring load.Pitt: Despite the defensive issues, the Panthers seem to have quickly embraced what Stallings wants to do on the other end of the floor. The Panthers made 13 of 26 3-pointers and finished with 29 assists on 35 field goals.UP NEXTGardner-Webb: plays Eastern Michigan in Indianapolis on Friday.Pitt: faces SMU on Thursday at Madison Square Garden. Cheap Shoes Wholesale . 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LOS ANGELES -- Although Clay Helton is beginning his first full season as Southern Californias head coach, this transplanted Southerner has been around the West Coasts most glamorous college football program long enough to know its already time to start winning again.At USC, the bar is set high, Helton said. Its about championships. And if you dont like that bar, dont take the job.After six years as a steadying influence on the perpetually troubled Trojans during the tenures of fired coaches Lane Kiffin and Steve Sarkisian, Helton is finally in charge of a program that hasnt won a Pac-12 title since 2008.Thats the longest drought since the leagues genesis as an eight-team circuit in 1968, and the Trojans thirsty fans arent eager to wait through another rebuilding season. Neither is new athletic director Lynn Swann -- who took over after Helton had been given the permanent job by departing Pat Haden.Luckily for them, USC already has plenty of pieces in place for a resurgent season, including its usual stockpile of blue-chip talent. The Pac-12 Souths lack of a clear-cut favorite leaves the Trojans with ample reason to believe they can reach the Pac-12 title game -- where Stanford routed them last year.Helton doesnt have much of a rebuilding job to do. His offense is stocked with a veteran offensive line, JuJu Smith-Schusters fleet of receivers, and tremendous tailbacks Justin Davis and Ronald Jones II.Returning defensive coordinator Clancy Pendergast also has plenty of five-star pieces, but Pete Carroll was the last coach to turn all that talent into a powerhouse when it really mattered. Helton realizes hell be compared to those dynastic teams of the past decade until he creates his own identity for the Trojans.The clock is already ticking.Heres what to know about USC:PICK A PASSER: Helton should make his choice on a starting quarterback by next weekend -- about two weeks before the season opener. Max Browne is in his fourth season on campus, finally out of Cody Kesslers shadow. Redshirt freshman Sam Darnold has made Heltons choice tougher than expected. No matter who is chosen to go first, the other quarterback will be ready to step in.CAMS BACK: One breakout star on last seasons defense was playmaking linebacker Cameron Smith, but the freshman missed the last four games with a knee injury.dddddddddddd He returns to provide steady play on a unit that must replace several major parts, including a defensive line missing six of its top seven players from last year.SHARING IS CARING: The Trojans will share the Coliseum for at least the next three years with the Los Angeles Rams, who only have four home games before the Trojans regular season ends Nov. 26. Theyll play back-to-back home games twice -- but since the Trojans play on Saturdays, they wont get the worst of any chewed-up turf. The Coliseum groundskeepers also appear to have stepped up their game, so the arrangement could be no problem.SEASON OPENER: After losing his final two games last season as the Trojans permanent coach, Helton will continue his tenure on Sept. 3 with a trip to Arlington, Texas, to play defending national champion Alabama at the Dallas Cowboys palatial stadium. It sounds like a foolproof recipe for a third straight defeat, but Helton only sees it as an opportunity for the memorable moments expected by any player with college footballs elite programs.KEY GAMES: Even after Alabama, USCs schedule is rough on a first-year coach. September alone includes visits to Stanford and Utah, and the Trojans have back-to-back road games at Washington and UCLA in November before returning for the annual intersectional rivalry game with Notre Dame. Sounds tough -- and sounds great to Helton. Play Alabama, play Notre Dame, play the Pac-12 schedule, he said. Its what dreams are made of.PREDICTION: After the ridiculous tumult of the past six seasons, USC could benefit from a calm, sensible fall of steady growth, even if it doesnt culminate in a Pac-12 championship. Helton knows all about the Trojans lofty expectations, and he realizes Swann will be looking closely at a coach he didnt hire. Given their sadistic schedule, it would be optimistic to expect more than eight wins from these Trojans -- but that still might put USC in position to win its division. ' ' '