USC gears up for Colorado road match


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Sophomore guard Ethan Anderson was absent for USC’s first matchup against Colorado but anticipates playing in Boulder on Thursday. (Simon Park | Daily Trojan)

With March just around the corner, the No. 19 men’s basketball team now enters a key late-season stretch that could determine its tournament fate. 

Head coach Andy Enfield’s squad will head east to Boulder to take on the Colorado Buffaloes Thursday night. 

The Trojans last battled the Buffaloes back on New Year’s Eve at the Galen Center, coming up short in a 72-62 loss. USC was unable to assert their dominance on the glass despite their size advantage, and star freshman forward Evan Mobley managed only 12 points, shooting 5-14 from the field. Sophomore guard Ethan Anderson, then sidelined from a back injury, looked on from the bench as his team struggled to generate an efficient offense against Colorado. 

Anderson returned to the starting lineup in February, leading the offense in a 72-58 thumping of the Oregon Ducks. Anderson posted six points, seven rebounds, eight assists and allowed only one turnover. USC jumped out to a blistering start thanks to redshirt senior guard Tahj Eaddy’s hot shooting and Anderson’s steady playmaking, leading the game from wire-to-wire. 

“A big part of my game that I am going to emphasize over the rest of this year and upcoming years is just being able to do everything because I believe that’s where my value lies,” Anderson said. “[I’m] able to score, to rebound and to assist and to do everything on the court; I think that’s why I’m valuable.”

Anderson’s jack-of-all-trades play style will be on full display against Colorado as he will have his hands full on the defensive end. The biggest threat to shut down will be the Buffaloes’ offensive engine, senior guard McKinley Wright IV. 
Wright put up 19 points, four rebounds and four assists against the Trojans during the two teams’ last meeting. The senior will look to put on a show at his final home game, where the Buffaloes have been extremely strong all year with an 8-1 record.

“I am going to watch a lot of film this week, over the next two days, to really see what he likes to do, what he doesn’t like to do,” Anderson said. “I am going to continue to do what I do — focus, lock in on him and try to make things tough on him so we can get the win.”

As important as Wright is to the Colorado attack, it doesn’t just end with him. Senior guard D’Shawn Schwartz put consistent pressure on the rim, having recorded a double-double in the first matchup against USC. Senior forward Jeriah Horne has connected on 43.8% of his attempts from beyond the arc this season, so USC’s perimeter defenders will have to respect Colorado from behind the arc. 

A win against the Buffaloes would put the Trojans in premier position to snag their first regular-season Pac-12 title since 1985. USC currently holds the first seed with UCLA right on its tail, just half a game behind. A win against the Buffaloes might solidify the No.1 seed in the Pac-12 Tournament for the Trojans. 

The journey to the Big Dance ramps up now, as every game carries serious gravity for this Trojans team. The first step is to even the series against Colorado on Thursday. Tip-off is at 6 p.m.