USC overwhelms Drake in the first-round of NCAA Tournament

Playing in an NBA arena during March Madness can make any college basketball player nervous. The lights are brighter; the stakes are higher and the energy of the moment can be overwhelming.

However, the Mobley brothers are not your typical college basketball players. They combined for 32 points to lead sixth-seeded USC to a 72-56 victory over eleventh-seeded Drake in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

In his March Madness debut, freshman forward Evan Mobley led USC with 17 points, 11 rebounds and three blocks. 

The 7-footer was a force on both ends of the ball throughout the game. 

“I just took it as any other game, just [tried] to stay locked in because I’m usually the main focus of a lot of teams,” Evan said in a virtual press conference after the game. “So I just tried to stay locked in, stick to our game plan that we talked about before the game and just [tried] to win the game.”

His brother, sophomore forward Isaiah Mobley, added 15 points and five rebounds — only missing one field-goal. Junior guard Drew Peterson had 14 points of his own.

The Trojans are now 7-0 on the season when three of their players score in double-figures. 

“It changes the game a lot when other players are a threat on our team. They gotta lock in on them more which leaves other players open such as me or anybody else,” Evan said. “When other players are doing well, it always just opens the floor up.”

Up by only 3 points going into halftime, USC unleashed on the defensive end in the second half. 

It was a defensive masterpiece with closeouts and boxouts and swift rotations and quick switches — a showcase of the tremendous length the Trojans possess on defense. 

Coming into the game, Drake’s sophomore guard Joseph Yesufu had been averaging 19 points per game over his last three games. It was no different Saturday as Yesufu shot out of the gates firing, scoring 14 of Drake’s first 18 points. 

After Drake shot for 42% from the field in the first half, it proceeded to shoot 19% from the field in the second half. 

“Our goal was to take their best player out of the game in the second half and make everything tough,” head coach Andy Enfield said. “And I thought we did a good job of switching man and zone [defense] and we made [Yesufu] work and I think he got tired. But [Yesufu is] just a tremendous offensive player.”

With senior guard Tahj Eaddy glued to Yesufu’s hip, he eventually cooled off, missing six straight field goals to close the first half. After scoring 18 points on 6 of 12 shooting in the first half, Yesufu was kept in check throughout the rest of the game and shot 2 for 11 in the second half. 

A simple change at half time resulted in the poor performance for Yesufu in the second.

“We assumed [Yesufu] was going to be their main scorer, but we didn’t really lock in on him the entire [first half,]” Evan said. “And then second half that’s where we were pointing and talking and letting our teammates know where he was at, so he couldn’t score as much.”

Even though Eaddy had a rough shooting game — 4 of 11 from the field — he was a demon on defense and dropped 10 dimes on offense along with one turnover.

“[Tahj] played very good defense and made a couple big shots… he played a complete game,” Enfield said. “He missed a couple easy ones in the first half, but 10 assists and one turnover is a tremendous game for any … guard.”

The Trojans suffocated the Bulldogs, holding them scoreless for five whole minutes while they went on a 11-3 run. Drake had more turnovers than field goals through the first four minutes of the second half, struggling to find any continuity on the offensive end.

Drake, however, did not give up. With USC going up 11 near the 14-minute mark, the Bulldogs forced three turnovers in three consecutive possessions, cutting the lead down to 7.

USC responded with a 21-12 run to close out the game and secure the victory.

With a shot against the third-seeded Kansas Jayhawks in the Round of 32 Monday, the Trojans have a chance to prove their worth on the national stage.

“I think it’s going to be a great game, great matchup,” Mobley said about the game. “They’re a great team, we’re a great team so we’re just going to be locked in and try and get the win.”

The Trojans will tip-off against the Jayhawks on Monday at 6:40 p.m.