Men’s basketball is excelling with defense

The USC men’s basketball season began with a wild overtime victory against Cal Baptist in November. USC showed signs of potential on both ends of the court during the game but before the Trojans could establish some rhythm, their season was postponed for two weeks due to a team COVID-19 outbreak.

To make matters worse, USC began the season with seven new players and only one returning starter — sophomore guard Ethan Anderson. They lost veterans like guard Jonah Mathews and forward Nick Racocevic to graduation and forward Onyeka Ogonkwu to the NBA draft, where he was selected in the first round. 

The experience or a lack of playing time together has not been evident so far. Coming into the season, USC was predicted to finish sixth in the Pac-12 behind schools like Arizona and Arizona State. The Trojans have already defeated both schools this season. They’ve proven their talent beyond a sixth-place conference standing and currently own an 11-3 overall record and second place in the Pac-12. 

Several new faces have stepped up. Transfers such as former Santa Clara senior guard Tahj Eaddy, former Rice junior forward Drew Peterson and former Utah Valley senior forward Isaiah White have been regular contributors for a USC team that had very little time together prior to the start of the season. Another new face, freshman forward Evan Mobley, the highest-ranked recruit to ever attend USC, has been a revolution. 

USC’s depth was tested early when Anderson suffered a back injury in the Trojans’ third game that kept him out for nearly a month and a half. It was during this stretch that head coach Andy Enfield said he didn’t really know what to expect out of the team since few of the players they relied upon last year were there. 

However, while Anderson was recovering, the team began to click. Enfield had high praise for how they came together. 

“Everybody was brand new, and we were trying to put a team together and have them have a chemistry between them on the defensive and offensive end,” Enfield said in a virtual press conference Saturday. “I think they’ve done a great job, [I’m] very proud of how they’ve come together as a team.”

According to Eaddy, the Trojans’ performance thus far comes as no surprise to him. 

“I think this is an extremely talented team,” Eaddy said in an interview with the Daily Trojan. “I felt like this coming in the offseason. We were projected to finish six[th] within the conference, but I knew, with the talent we had, and all the length and the size, that we were capable of great things this year. So I knew we’re gonna do something special.”

To Eaddy’s credit, the Trojans really are doing something special. 

So far USC has allowed the third-fewest field goal percentage in the nation at 37% per game. They also lead the Pac-12 in rebounds and blocks per game. Standout freshman forward Evan Mobley has more blocks himself than the team totals for Colorado, Utah, Arizona State, UCLA and California.  

It’s a testament to the physicality of the squad. With eight players taller than 6-foot-7-inches, the Trojans are the tallest team in the nation. 

USC is also the second-best shooting team in the Pac-12, shooting 47% from the field per game, right behind Oregon. Mobley leads the team with an average of 16 points per game and is one of four players averaging double-digit points. 

Their recent play propelled them into third place in the Pac-12 and a NET ranking of No. 19 in the nation, as of Tuesday night. The NET rankings are used for the NCAA tournament in March, which Eaddy said the Trojans have a good chance of competing in. 

“You don’t want to always rely on your three-ball or your perimeter shooting and things like that. You want to be able to rely on the defense to be able to get stops when you need them,” Eaddy said. “I think us being an elite defensive team, I think that’ll carry over [and] allow us to play late in March.”

After dropping their first Pac-12 game against Colorado, the Trojans began an impressive run winning five consecutive conference games. This includes the two-game sweep over the Arizonas on the road for the first time since 1985 — a remarkable feat for a team that is fairly new. 

The exceptional play thus far from USC has demonstrated the promise of a team that can compete for a Pac-12 championship and possibly go far in March Madness.

Peterson kept it simple when asked about what it will take for them to do just that. 

“I think it’s just going to take consistency. One of our problems is not being able to shoot consistently, and I think we’re getting better with that and limiting turnovers, as well,” he said in a virtual press conference Saturday. “Consistency is what is going to get us this Pac-12 title and we’re ready to go for it.”

The Trojans’ ability to stay consistent will be tested during the second half of the season. The toughest part of their Pac-12 schedule is ahead with games against Stanford, Oregon and UCLA. It’ll be a great opportunity to see if USC can continuously compete against the upper rung of the conference. 

The Trojans’ next game will be Thursday against Stanford at 2 p.m. at Maples Pavilion.