Floyd Says Going Big Has Its Drawbacks

Having been outrebounded by 18 and pushed around inside in two games against California, might USC be better off with a bigger lineup in Thursday’s rematch in a Pacific 10 Conference tournament quarterfinal at Staples Center?

“We’ve toyed with playing two big guys,” Trojan Coach Tim Floyd said.

“I don’t know if that’s the answer because it takes one of our scorers off the floor.”

In addition to playing mainstays Nick Young, Gabe Pruitt and Ryan Francis, Floyd could go with a lineup that features center Abdoulaye N’diaye and forward RouSean Cromwell instead of his usual alignment of three guards, one center and a 6-foot-6 swingman posing as a power forward.

N’diaye, for one, said he liked the idea of adding some height to help him combat 6-8 Leon Powe and 6-11 DeVon Hardin.

“That would help us to go to the glass because we have a tough matchup,” N’diaye said. “Nick has to guard somebody who’s 6-11 and I have to guard somebody who’s [6-8]. Maybe with RouSean and me in there, or Jeremy [Barr], that could help us go to the glass and get more rebounds than usual.”

*

Young was selected to the U.S. Basketball Writers Assn. All-District IX team.... The Trojans will check into a downtown hotel today and stay there through the end of the tournament.