Men’s basketball looks to rebound against Oregon


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After a three-game home stand, the USC men’s basketball team will head up to the Pacific Northwest to take on Oregon and Oregon State.

The Trojans (9-8, 1-4) are coming off three straight home games that saw them go 1-2. After winning the first against the California Bears, the Trojans have lost two straight  games to Stanford and crosstown rival UCLA.

USC will come into the game relatively fresh, as the Trojans have had the past week off, and they hope the extra practice time will pay off following a disappointing loss the UCLA Bruins last Wednesday. Despite keeping the game close in the first half, the Trojans were blown out in the second half and ultimately fell 83-66.

Second-year big man Nikola Jovanovic had a strong game, scoring 20 points and grabbing five rebounds. However, the rest of the team struggled and couldn’t get the offense going. As a team, the Trojans shot just 41 percent from the field and were out rebounded 41-20 by the Bruins.

“We just got to be tougher. Simple as that,” Clark said. “They outplayed us. They out-toughed us on the boards. We got punked.”

The Bruins were led by backcourt duo Bryce Alford and Norman Powell who combined for 43 points. The Bruins had their way in the paint and had a drastic advantage on the boards due to their size advantage.

The Trojans will look to turn things around when they take on the Oregon Ducks (12-6, 2-3). The Ducks are coming off two straight losses of their own and will look to turn their fortune around against the struggling Trojans.

Senior guard Joseph Young, the second-highest scorer in the   Pac-12, highlights an experienced Oregon squad. The Ducks will also cause problems for the Trojans in the front-court. Led by forwards Elgin Cook and Dwayne Benjamin, the Ducks average roughly 40 rebounds per game. Freshman Jordan Bell also averages the second-most blocks per game in the Pac-12 with 3.5 and rounds out a solid front court rotation for the Ducks.

After being killed on the glass against the Bruins, USC will need to put extra emphasis on boxing out and rebounding as a team. USC has struggled mightily this season with rebounding as highlighted by Jovanovic after the UCLA loss.

“As a team we didn’t do a good job boxing-out or squeezing the ball with our hands,” Jovanovic said. “I tried to do my best but everyone needs to contribute. That’s why we lost. We need to put our things together.”

Jovanovic, who started out the season slowly after being hyped up for his offseason play with the Pac-12 All Stars, has started to find his groove. The Serbian has scored in double digits in 12 straight games while shooting well above 50 percent during that stretch.

The Trojans know what they have from their second-year big man, but will need their young core of freshmen to step up if they hope to compete on the road. Freshman guard Jordan McLaughlin has struggled since returning from an elbow injury.

Fellow freshman Malik Martin has failed to contribute in the past few games, with bench player Darion Clark steadily outplaying him. With Oregon having such a strong front court and Clark averaging almost double the amount of rebounds as Martin per game, don’t be surprised if head coach Andy Enfield opts to give the second-year player a couple of extra minutes.

Oregon has been extremely susceptible to the 3-point shot this season and with Ducks having one of the best shot blockers manning the paint, the Trojans should take full advantage of the outside shot.

The Trojans have struggled mightily against Oregon in years past, their last win coming in 2009. If the Trojans can continue to grow and play as a team- they have shown flashes this season, they can give the Ducks a run for their money.

USC will face Oregon on Thursday, Jan. 22 in Eugene, Oregon. Tipoff is set for 8 p.m. PST and will be aired on the    Pac-12 Network.