USC basketball ready for stiff cross-county challenge from Long Beach State

LOS ANGELES — You can’t overlook a cross-county rival.
If the USC men’s basketball team didn’t know that before, the Trojans certainly learned it against Long Beach State last winter.
The since-rebranded Beach arrived at the Galen Center with a losing record, and the Trojans built up an eight-point lead at the half, seemingly on their way to an easy win. But Long Beach State refused to die quietly, getting within three points with 1:49 to play before USC closed the game o