Trojans practice
![USC teammates Daniel Hackett, left, and Taj Gibson hitch a ride to the locker room as the team prepares for Friday's first-round NCAA tournament game against Boston College at the Metrodome.](https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/37cbd56/2147483647/strip/true/crop/586x394+0+0/resize/586x394!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F84%2Fcc%2F83f1af8993604e17ff3653efdbe7%2Fla-01trojans-kgs46snc.jpg)
USC teammates Daniel Hackett, left, and Taj Gibson hitch a ride to the locker room as the team prepares for Friday’s first-round NCAA tournament game against Boston College at the Metrodome. (Rob Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
la-trojanspractice-pg
![Nikola Vucevic](https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/8e1c712/2147483647/strip/true/crop/586x384+0+0/resize/586x384!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Ffa%2F93%2F2207cf3d1d180e0bfc7f2c46e76f%2Fla-02trojans-kgs3jnnc.jpg)
USC freshman forward Nikola Vucevic finds room to relax in the
![Marcus Simmons](https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/455ddd3/2147483647/strip/true/crop/586x391+0+0/resize/586x391!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F22%2F1d%2F234bed9ff05abd203cd0eb792007%2Fla-03trojans-kgs45fnc.jpg)
USC sophomore guard Marcus Simmons arrives Thursday at the Metrodome for a practice in preparation for an NCAA tournament first-round game against Boston College on Friday. (Rob Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
![Taj Gibson, Percy Miller](https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/3fd5c21/2147483647/strip/true/crop/283x425+0+0/resize/283x425!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F2e%2F99%2F3a7723b3be0d74424eb70786dd70%2Fla-04trojans-kgs3fgnc.jpg)
USC teammates Taj Gibson, right, and Percy Miller share a laugh during practice at the Metrodome on Thursday as the Trojans prepare to play Boston College in a Midwest Regional first-round game on Friday. (Rob Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
Advertisement
![Daniel Hackett](https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/11d3811/2147483647/strip/true/crop/296x425+0+0/resize/296x425!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F7d%2F24%2Fc7bd1c1c8ac1ddefc9d3ed105ad0%2Fla-05trojans-kgs3glnc.jpg)
USC junior guard Daniel Hackett is a study in concentration during a practice session Thursday at the Metrodome. (Rob Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
![DeMar DeRozan](https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/d046bba/2147483647/strip/true/crop/268x425+0+0/resize/268x425!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fd9%2F5d%2Fc08001d7cc778cb56861cbf0b1c3%2Fla-06trojans-kgs491nc.jpg)
USC freshman forward DeMar DeRozan performs a trick shot as practice winds down for the Trojans at the Metrodome on Thursday. (Rob Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
![Taj Gibson, fan](https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/50124e8/2147483647/strip/true/crop/586x399+0+0/resize/586x399!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fae%2F65%2Fbe2fe152c4090ed0e398ca705413%2Fla-07trojans-kgs3fznc.jpg)
USC Trojans player Taj Gibson greets a fan as he leaves a practice session Thursday at the Metrodome. (Rob Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)