Turning point for Jefferson? If he doesn't do anything stupid

Honestly, it was a sweet moment.

Just a man telling another man to stay out of trouble.

But I doubt Ben Howland felt it necessary to instruct Darren Collison to avoid stupidity, point being that even on great days, people still don't know what to expect next from Jefferson. And it must be terribly frustrating because when he's great, USC can be great, but when he's not, things become difficult.

"Davon was terrific," said USC coach Tim Floyd. "He's a good talent."

It's always fun to listen to Floyd because he chooses his words carefully. That's why I found it interesting that he described Jefferson as a "good talent" instead of a "good player," though it's easy to understand why. When you call somebody a good player, it implies he consistently plays well. But when you call him a good talent, that means exactly what it sounds like it means, that he is talented but sometimes not much more.

Either way, perhaps this was a turning point.

USC can only hope.

Because the reality is that when Jefferson is great, the Trojans are great, evidence being that USC is 4-1 in games in which Jefferson scores at least 17 points, with the lone loss coming by four points to Kansas.

Put another way, USC is 7-5 when Jefferson doesn't score at least 17 points. So while Mayo will continue to get all of the attention (and deservingly so), the key to USC making the NCAA Tournament might actually be its other freshman. Which is why it's crucial Jefferson listens to the advice of the USC staff and avoids doing anything stupid ... tonight, tomorrow and for as long as these Trojans are counting on him to be a crucial part of a team capable of accomplishing more than they have to date.