With 12:40 remaining in the second half Wednesday night at Haas Pavilion, nothing seemed to be going right for Isaiah Collier and USC. In what was supposed to be a triumphant return to the court for the freshman guard, sidelined by a hand injury since Jan. 10, he was 0-4 from the field, 0-2 from the free throw line and the Golden Bears were holding a steady double-digit lead on their way to a 83-77 overtime victory.

Collier looked understandably rusty in the first half of his return, lacking his usual conviction in running Head Coach Andy Enfield’s offense. It looked as if the slumping Trojans (9-14, 3-9 Pac-12) were on the way to yet another uninspiring defeat, a feeling they experienced all too often during their time without their freshman phenom. 

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But out of nowhere, Collier decided he was not interested in that outcome, and that it was time for him to carry a team he had been forced to watch lifelessly flounder from the bench for nearly a month. 

He started flying to the rim on every possession, bulldozing UC Berkeley (10-13, 6-6 Pac-12) defenders on his way. He finished with 20 points, including going 12-16 from the free throw line, at one point scoring seven in a row for USC. He celebrated each trip to the line like it was a game-winner, bringing life to his team and silencing the crowd. His Herculean effort carried a Trojan team that had no business playing a competitive basketball game into overtime.

However, in the game’s final moments, Collier did not get the call that mattered most. Down 3 with 27 seconds left, he drove to the rim once again and was immediately met with contact from Golden Bears graduate forward Fardaws Aimaq. After a half full of furious home fans at repeated whistles, the crowd roared when another did not come. A furious Collier could not believe what he was seeing but was quickly waved off by referee Gregory Nixon. Just like that, Collier’s heroics were wasted as the Trojans dropped their sixth consecutive game on the road.

“You saw his competitive spirit … No one’s perfect, but he sure tried as hard as he could to help us win,” Enfield said in an interview with the Orange County Register.

However wronged the Trojans may feel by the game’s conclusion, apart from Collier, their performance was a flat-out disaster. Enfield’s decision to stick with his three-guard lineup that dominated against Oregon State (11-11, 3-8 Pac-12) could not have gone much worse.

Fifth-year guard Boogie Ellis, sophomore guard Oziyah Sellers and freshman guard Bronny James shot a combined 4-15 from the floor and 2-8 from the 3-point line. The three combined for just two assists, and their lack of size was exposed as the Trojans were outrebounded 54-27, including 19-5 on the offensive glass. 

Despite that, it is difficult to blame personnel decisions when players continuously shoot themselves in the foot. The Trojans repeatedly missed easy looks in the paint and shot just 15-24 from the free throw line. Enfield, who set an NCAA record shooting 92.5% from the stripe during his playing time at Johns Hopkins University, seems to be growing increasingly irritated with his squad’s lack of discipline. 

“Yeah, it is frustrating. I’ll give you one example, in the second half, we missed four straight free throws and missed a layup on three straight possessions,” Enfield said. “So stuff like that, that’s just us … Meaning, we control that. It’s not what the other team is doing.”

With the depth and talent USC possesses, it is baffling when, after a game that went into overtime, Collier and graduate forward DJ Rodman are the only players in double figures. After bringing in back-to-back top-10 recruiting classes in the nation, it is jarring to see Enfield continue to run through his bench, desperate to find answers. 

Against Cal, nearly every Trojan played, with the exceptions of freshman forward Brandon Gardner and senior guards Zach Brooker and JD Plough, who have played a combined 12  minutes in their USC careers. This late into a season, the goal is to have a trusted, established rotation heading into the postseason, but Enfield continues to toss puzzle pieces onto the court, praying a few of them will fit together. 

Luckily for USC, Wednesday night’s battle was not what will decide its season. March’s Pac-12 tournament will, and the return of Collier, looking like the nation’s number one prospect that they signed, is a win. His ability to create on a dime in half-court offense can keep the Trojans in any game, and makes them an opponent that conference rivals will not want to see. Maintaining his health and building a functional rotation around him will be key as the Trojans head into the home stretch. 

“I feel like we can still accomplish a lot of things,” Collier said. “It’s our first game back since [January] with a whole team.”

USC will continue its trip to the Bay Area as it takes on Stanford at Maples Pavilion Feb. 10 at 7 p.m.