January was a devastating time for the Trojans. After opening the month with two wins over the Northern California schools, USC went winless and has now fallen to the bottom of the Pac-12. Its 8-12 overall record is the team’s worst start through 20 games since the 2012-13 season.

“At the end of the day, you can’t get any worse,” said graduate forward DJ Rodman in an interview with the Daily Trojan. “Obviously we don’t like it. So I mean, we’re trying. But it’s just not all clicking like we want it to.”

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Without freshman guard Isaiah Collier in the lineup, the Trojans’ (8-12, 2-7 Pac-12) offense looks directionless. USC only had one player reach double digits in scoring against UCLA (9-11, 4-5) Saturday: sophomore guard Oziyah Sellers. Fifth-year guard Boogie Ellis returned to action against the Bruins, and while it appeared he’d be in store for a big performance after scoring 8 of the Trojans’ first 10 points, he went scoreless the rest of the game.

USC will need a bounce-back performance from Ellis if it wants to have a chance against the Oregon Ducks (14-6, 6-3), a team that barely trails No. 11 Arizona (15-5, 6-3) for first place in the conference.

Sellers was the Trojans’ main upside despite the depressing loss, going a perfect 3 for 3 from the field off the bench. Sellers had been starting for the previous two games due to Ellis’ injury and has proven that, when given minutes in the lineup, he can be a reliable scorer from outside.

USC also struggled on the boards, allowing 15 offensive rebounds that resulted in numerous second-chance opportunities. The Trojans must figure out a solution to this against Oregon, or else they’ll get torched by the Ducks’ 6-foot-11 senior center N’Faly Dante. Dante was absent from 14 games with a hamstring injury but hasn’t missed a stride since returning earlier in January. He is averaging a team-leading 8.2 rebounds per game along with 14.8 points, the second most on his team. 

USC must also keep the game afloat heading into halftime if it wants to find the win column sooner rather than later. Against the Bruins, the Trojans only trailed by 3 points with three minutes remaining in the first half, before allowing a 10-0 run that gave UCLA the momentum to win.

“We’re just not showing toughness that we know that we have, because we show it in practice, but we don’t show it in games,” Rodman said. “When we get punched in the mouth, we’ve got to learn how to punch back.”

Oregon’s senior guard Jermaine Couisnard will be another Duck for the Trojans to keep on their radar. Couisnard has been surging lately, most recently posting 20 points against the Wildcats on Saturday and hitting seven 3-pointers the weekend prior against Utah. 

Against UCLA, USC went with a taller lineup, featuring sophomore forward Vincent Iwuchukwu and redshirt senior forward Joshua Morgan. Unfortunately, though, both had lackluster performances. Morgan shot 3-for-11 from the floor for a measly 6 points while Iwuchukwu mustered just one jumper and a couple of free throws. However, when USC played Oregon in Eugene on Dec. 28, Morgan erupted for 14 points on 6-for-7 shooting. The Trojans will need him to replicate that performance.

“We just did not play very well offensively with our shot-making and our finishing around the rim,” said Head Coach Andy Enfield in a press conference after the UCLA game. “Unfortunately, we got outplayed in certain areas […] I’ll take the blame for that.”

Ducks freshman forward Kwame Evans Jr. stole the show against the Trojans in the prior matchup, pickpocketing USC five times, grabbing eight rebounds and totaling 22 points. Evans’ minutes and production have been limited since then, but the Trojans should still be alert when facing him a second time.

“We just didn’t make shots, we didn’t play good defense,” said Ellis in an interview with the Daily Trojan. “You can’t win basketball that way.”

The road has been rocky, and USC’s chances at scoring a March Madness bid are looking slimmer every game. The Ducks will head south to attempt to sweep the Trojans Thursday at 7:30 p.m. at Galen Center.