Anthony on LA: USC basketball gives us something to cheer for in an odd season

When I applied to USC, I was under the impression that my first year of college would be highlighted by the play of the football team.

USC, after all, is a football school. The school has had seven Heisman trophy winners, 39 conference championships and 11 national championships. The bright lights of the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, its roaring crowd and Tommy Trojan are staples of college football tradition and history.

However, in a time of uncertainty, in the middle of a global pandemic and empty arenas, men’s basketball has proved why USC isn’t just a football school.

Sure, the last time the Trojans won the Pac-12 Championship was the 1984-85 season. But what they’ve done this year deserves serious recognition. 

Coming into the season, head coach Andy Enfield had only three returning rotational players — sophomore guard Ethan Anderson and sophomore forwards Isaiah Mobley and Max Agbonkpolo. 

Myriad transfers including redshirt senior guard Tahj Eaddy, junior guard Drew Peterson and senior guard Isaiah White rounded out a squad filled with a mix of veterans and raw talent. 

With the arrival of freshman forward Evan Mobley, the former No.1 recruit in the country, pre-season expectations were a bit difficult to settle on. In fact, media members voted USC to finish sixth in the preseason poll, which has since proven to be a horrible, extremely inaccurate prediction. 

After the Trojans’ first win against Cal Baptist, Enfield highlighted that the team had “never played together, never had a scrimmage,” prior to the season opener. The pandemic forced a limited training camp with players never being able to practice as one whole group.

With words like that, you might have expected the season to tip-off slow and inconsistently. However, the opposite happened.

USC won three of its first four games before their season was paused due to a coronavirus outbreak within the program. Their only loss in that span was a game against UConn,  where USC had a shot to tie the game during the final possession of regulation. 

Any fan paying attention could see what was brewing, and I thought to myself: “Could USC have an unusually successful season?”

The winning trend continued once USC resumed their season. The Trojans went on to win 14 of their next 16 games over a month span following the coronavirus outbreak, including huge victories against UCLA, Stanford and both Arizona schools on the road. 

The Trojans established themselves as not only the best defense in the Pac-12, but also one of the best in the entire country. 

They became demons on defense, crashing the board for rebounds and diving for loose balls with no regard for the concrete off the hardwood floor. Their energy and effort became inspiring during a time where we grew more despondent as months in quarantine continued to add up. 

The Mobley brothers became a pairing on the court as dominant as the Mario brothers, sparking memes all over Twitter. Eaddy and Anderson established a backcourt partnership that would make opposing teams dizzy. Eaddy would score at will and in moments where they most counted. Anderson would muscle his way through guards while dropping sweet dimes and swishing threes. 

It was a brand of basketball USC fans across the country grew to love. It was riveting and exciting — I felt proud to go to a school with a basketball team like this. The team’s performances also earned USC its first spot in the rankings since 2017. 

With each game and each victory, they inched closer and closer to the inevitable Pac-12 title that will be battled for Saturday against UCLA.

Of course, all good things must come to an end. After notching their seventh win in a row, they fell to Arizona in bizarre fashion. What came next was what I feared the most: a drop-off in play.

Suddenly, the Trojans became a lackluster defensive team and their effort diminished. It resulted in three losses in the next four games and with the squad clinging for life. To put the team’s rut in context, USC only had three losses in its first 21 games.

However, a bounceback win against Stanford Wednesday sets up a date with destiny Saturday at Pauley Pavillion.

Can the Trojans hold on to win the Pac-12 title? I believe so.

Will it be an easy outing? Of course not. 

The Trojans will still need a favor from Oregon State. Since Oregon beat UCLA Wednesday night, they now have the best win percentage in conference play. USC needs to beat the Bruins and the Beavers to beat Oregon Sunday to secure the Pac-12 title. 

It’s just another rift in the plans during an improbable season. But what else would USC want more than to beat their rivals in the last game of the season to keep their chances alive for their first Pac-12 title in 36 years?

It’s what you dream for growing up playing basketball — and the Trojans have their shot. 

In the most improbable of seasons, it’s time for USC to shock us again and show why this is more than just a football school. 

Game on. 

Anthony Gharib is a sophomore writing about Los Angeles professional sports. He is also the deputy sports editor at the Daily Trojan. His column, “Anthony on LA,” runs every other Thursday.