Categoria: USC Sports

Season Review: USC Basketball Overachieves, Setting Up A Bright Future

by Ufficio Stampa 18 Marzo 2023 Comments0

For the second year in a row, USC’s season ended in the first round of the NCAA tournament, this time with a 72-62 loss to Michigan State.

It was a disappointing loss for the Trojans, given that their own offensive shortcomings played a major role in the defeat. But entering the season there was no guarantee this was even a tournament team. Only Drew Peterson and Boogie Ellis were key rotation pieces a year ago, and the Trojans had to rely on many untested freshmen and sophomores.

Only the team dynamic worked, and the young Trojans developed into some valuable role players.

Reese Dixon-Waters was Pac-12 Sixth Man of the Year with his ability to score and defend off the bench. Kobe Johnson led the conference in steals and shot 36% from 3-point range. Tre White showed flashes as someone who can create his own shot. Joshua Morgan was an intimidating rim protector. Vincent Iwuchukwu had moments on offense when he was healthy enough to play. Kijani Wright developed into a reliable defender.

Which means, moving forward, all the pieces are in place to play around the dynamic force that is joining the team next year. We’ll touch more on him in a moment, but this season could end being looked at as a springboard to greater success in a year.

Highlights Two top-25 home wins over Auburn and UCLA certainly rank near the top of the list. So does a sweep of the Mountain road trip, something the Trojans never take for granted. And overcoming a season-opening loss to Florida Gulf Coast to finish tied for second in the Pac-12 was certainly an achievement. But the aforementioned player development will likely be the lasting legacy of this USC season.

Lowlights It has to be the way the season ended. Losing to Arizona with outright second place on the line, almost blowing senior day to Arizona State only to come out completely flat in the Pac-12 tournament opener to the Sun Devils was bad enough. But that trend of slow starts and offensive droughts followed USC to Columbus as the Trojans shot 34.4% from the floor in the second half against Michigan State.

Who’s gone Peterson is graduating, while Ellis has made clear he intends to forgo his fifth season of eligibility and declare for the NBA draft. The pair did an admirable job leading these young Trojans as captains this season.

Though he had a tendency to be streaky, Peterson was always capable of stuffing a stat sheet in multiple ways. And he fought through back spasms over the course of the last three weeks of the season, refusing to miss a game despite his obvious discomfort.

Ellis’ blossoming into a true playmaker was one of the highlights of USC’s season. He arrived in Los Angeles in 2021 as a renowned scorer but an unbalanced game. But as his senior season progressed, he turned into a true point guard, impressing coaches and teammates with his decision making as he looked to make the right basketball play rather than just score.

Who’s on the fence There’s no Mobley brother weighing an NBA decision this spring. Most of USC’s contributors are expected to stay for next season, though it’s possible there are a couple players who opt to transfer and create scholarship spots for head coach Andy Enfield and his staff.

Who’s on the way The nation’s top overall recruit, point guard Isaiah Collier, should light the Galen Center up next season. He likes to push the tempo, running in transition and finishing with ferocious dunks. He has a smooth jumper and likes to drive to the rim with slippery moves. And most importantly, he is a true point guard who makes clever passes when his gravity inevitably pulls the defense in.

He’ll be joined by high school teammate and four-star center Arrinten Page. At 6-foot-9, Page is an athletic, high-flying big with impeccable chemistry with Collier. And four-star combo guard Silas Demary Jr. rounds out the recruiting class as a pure scorer.

As of now, all 13 scholarship slots are accounted for next year. But if anyone transfers out, USC would like to add another perimeter scorer who can create his own shot or a low post big who can take entry passes and find ways to score.

Pac-12 Basketball: No, UCLA And USC Won’t Take Their NCAA Tournament Units To The Big Ten

by Vito Califano 17 Marzo 2023 Comments0

Time for Pac-12 fans to embrace the enemy within.

UCLA and USC are departing for the Big Ten in the summer of 2024, but the March Madness units they collect in the NCAA’s complicated revenue distribution formula will remain bound to the Pac-12 for the full payout cycle.

The schools are leaving; the units are staying.

USC was eliminated Friday by Michigan State, while the Bruins have advanced to the second round and a date with Northwestern on Saturday.

Their success will impact Pac-12 budgets for years to come.

We’ll get to the details momentarily, but suffice it to say that every tournament game played by the L.A. schools this March and next March will be worth tens of thousands of dollars to each continuing member starting in the spring of 2025.

Without getting too deep into the complexities of the NCAA’s distribution formula, know this:

Each game played is worth one unit through the national semifinals — a maximum of five per team per year. Each unit has a dollar value attached. The units are carried forward for six years and paid out to the conferences in ever-increasing amounts each spring. (The increase is roughly 3 percent per year). The units USC and UCLA earn in the 2023-24 tournaments will not follow them to the Big Ten. They will stay with the Pac-12, with the dollars distributed evenly among the remaining 10 schools.

Let’s say UCLA reaches the Sweet 16 this year. That’s three games played and three units earned. Next year, those units will be worth about $360,000 each, or $1.1 million in total.

That money will be split 12 ways ($30,000 per unit) because the Bruins and Trojans are members of the conference in the 2024 fiscal year.

But starting with the spring of 2025 — and continuing for the remaining five years of the payout cycle — UCLA’s units will be split 10 ways among the remaining Pac-12 schools. And they will increase in value each year.

(Revenue distributions for any new members would be negotiated.)

With the 3 percent escalator, we’ll estimate the average unit value over the final five years of the payout cycle at $390,000.

Divide that by 10, and it’s $39,000 per school per year for five years — or almost $200,000.

And that’s for a single unit earned by the Bruins and Trojans this month.

Games played in the NCAAs next March would work the same way, except with the payout cycle starting in the spring of 2025, the L.A. schools would not reap any of the cash they generated.

So if you’re wondering whether to root for the L.A. schools, keep in mind the endgame: Their success in the NCAAs could be worth $1 million or more to your school over time.

*** Send suggestions, comments and tips (confidentiality guaranteed) to pac12hotline@bayareanewsgroup.com or call 408-920-5716

*** Follow me on Twitter: @WilnerHotline

*** Pac-12 Hotline is not endorsed or sponsored by the Pac-12 Conference, and the views expressed herein do not necessarily reflect the views of the Conference.

Jon Wilner | College Sports Reporter Jon Wilner has been covering college sports for decades and is an AP top-25 football and basketball voter as well as a Heisman Trophy voter. He was named Beat Writer of the Year in 2013 by the Football Writers Association of America for his coverage of the Pac-12, won first place for feature writing in 2016 in the Associated Press Sports Editors writing contest and is a five-time APSE honoree.

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USC’s Offense Disappears In NCAA Tournament Loss To Michigan State

by Ufficio Stampa 17 Marzo 2023 Comments0

COLUMBUS — Perhaps this was the way it was always meant to end. A USC men’s basketball team whose offense had a penchant for disappearing for vast stretches of games, vanishing at the worst possible moment.

It’s something USC could get away with at times over the course of the season, but not Friday, as the 10th-seeded Trojans fell to seventh-seeded Michigan State 72-62 in the first round of the NCAA tournament.

USC shot 11 for 32 from the floor in the second half. Eleven turnovers – eight in the second half – generated 16 Michigan State points. Leading scorers Boogie Ellis and Drew Peterson combined to shoot 7 for 22 from the floor.

“This game did not go as planned in the second half,” Trojans head coach Andy Enfield said. “A lot of timely shot-making by Michigan State and some timely misses on our part.”

And somehow worse, with USC down nine with two minutes left, after Michigan State missed three consecutive front ends of one-and-one free throws, the Trojans (22-11) missed two jumpers and turned the ball over, netting zero points, as the opportunity for a comeback slipped away.

“When you’re trailing and you’re trying to figure it out and gauge trying to get 3s versus easier twos, it’s just something that’s part of the game,” Peterson said. “We tried to find the best shot possible.”

Not to say USC’s offensive woes began in the second half.

The Trojans quickly fell behind by 11, in part due to allowing Michigan State (20-12) to make 10 of 18 attempts with open looks. But the bigger problem for USC was its own shot selection.

USC missed nine of its first 12 attempts and 12 of its first 15 shots were jumpers. The Trojans were settling for long looks, including one 30-foot Ellis 3-pointer that left Enfield flabbergasted.

After averaging 25.8 points across the last six games of the regular season, Ellis never got comfortable against Michigan State. He was held to six points, his lowest point total since Dec. 7. And his five assists were offset by three turnovers.

“I let my teammates down today,” Ellis said. “I didn’t change my pace all year. I play with a great pace. But today I played a little bit too fast. So that’s on me.”

But USC found an unlikely first-half hero, as is so often the case in March.

Michigan State opted not to defend center Joshua Morgan when USC drove to the rim, instead deploying his man to double-team the ball handler. So USC started feeding Morgan. The center made a jumper and three layups, and USC was within three.

When Morgan returned to the bench during the ensuing MSU timeout, he could hardly stand up straight he was so out of breath. But that didn’t stop assistant coach Eric Mobley and freshman Vincent Iwuchukwu from mobbing him.

After the break, Ellis hit a floater – his first basket of the game, 17 minutes in – and Kijani Wright sank a free throw to tie it, and that’s how the Trojans and Spartans would enter halftime.

But USC again could not find enough energy to start the second half. The Trojans opened 2 for 8 from the field, while Michigan State made 7 of 11. USC went scoreless for three minutes while Tyson Walker, moments after injuring his elbow on an Ellis charge, found Joey Hauser for a 3, then drove in for a second-chance layup.

When Carson Cooper put back a miss for a two-handed dunk, Enfield called timeout with USC trailing 49-40.

A driving, one-handed dunk from Johnson stopped the bleeding, then a dump down from Dixon-Waters to an open Morgan for a dunk got USC within five again.

But USC suffered another scoring drought, this one four minutes long. USC missed five consecutive shots and turned the ball over three times, including a pass from Morgan out to the perimeter that A.J. Hoggard intercepted and took the distance for a layup.

So when USC fell behind by 15 as Michigan State hit back-to-back corner 3s, Jaden Akins bouncing up the court in celebration after the second. The large Spartan contingent at Nationwide Arena jumped about, too, sensing the win in hand.

Even when Johnson hit back-to-back 3-pointers to get within nine, Michigan State was able to survive not by hitting free throws but by grabbing the rebounds of USC’s repeated misses.

Unfortunately for USC, cold spells on offense were not an uncommon occurrence in losses this year. Asked if he needed to do a philosophical reevaluation of the USC offense this offseason, Enfield put the onus on his players.

“The scoring droughts are usually either you miss open shots or guys try to do too much on their own, one-on-one, instead of just moving the ball and spacing and cutting,” he said. “It is frustrating at times throughout the season. But for the most part our guys played the right way.”

But not enough to move on this March.

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USC Seeks Sharp Start Vs. Michigan State In NCAA Tournament

by Mata 16 Marzo 2023 Comments0

COLUMBUS — USC’s last two playoff games have followed a similar pattern.

Last week in the Trojans’ Pac-12 tournament opener, USC fell behind Arizona State 8-0 and was never able to dig out of that hole.

Last year in the NCAA tournament, Miami jumped out to an 11-point lead as USC didn’t score its 20th point until there was 1:03 left in the first half. Despite Drew Peterson’s last-minute heroics, the Trojans could not weather the Hurricanes.

So as 10th-seeded USC prepares for this year’s NCAA tournament opener against seventh-seeded Michigan State on Friday at Nationwide Arena, the Trojans want to avoid a similar slow start that dooms their March dreams.

“As I told our players, this is what you play for. This is what you dream about as a young player growing up,” USC head coach Andy Enfield said. “You’re on the biggest stage and competing for a national championship. So they better be ready. I’m sure they will.”

This season has been one of exceeding expectations for these Trojans (22-10). Opening the season with a Quadrant IV loss to Florida Gulf Coast seemed to portend a rebuilding year, with Drew Peterson and Boogie Ellis the only returning starters and many freshmen and sophomores around them.

But USC won 11 of its next 12 games and built a résumé of wins over tournament teams Vermont, Auburn, UCLA and Arizona State. The Trojans played their typical brand of defense, Ellis blossomed as a playmaker and young wings Kobe Johnson, Reese Dixon-Waters and Tre White grew into their roles.

It was enough for the Trojans to earn an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament, their third consecutive appearance. Standing in the way – the Spartans (19-12).

This isn’t your typical Tom Izzo-coached team. Only a plus-three average rebounding margin, allowing opponents to shoot 45.0% from the floor. Only one real big man, Joey Hauser, who is a threat to score in the paint.

Instead, Michigan State has relied on guard play and 3-point shooting this season, reminding Ellis of Arizona State.

“Tyson Walker is an elite scorer. He can shoot it with range. Very quick,” Enfield said. “He’s one of their leaders. But they have a lot of other good players that complement what he does.”

The Spartans’ reliance on guards will play into undersized USC’s favor. The Trojans have typically played with one big on the court this season, with defensive stalwart Joshua Morgan starting and being relieved by Kijani Wright or Vincent Iwuchukwu.

Iwuchukwu has missed USC’s past two games with a back injury. Enfield described the freshman 7-footer’s condition as day to day Thursday. But during the Trojans’ public shootaround at Nationwide Arena, Iwuchukwu did not participate and instead watched from the sidelines in plaid USC pajama pants.

USC won’t have much to time to change out of its PJs on Friday. The Trojans’ tournament opener tips off just after noon in Ohio, or 9:15 a.m. in Los Angeles.

It’s a change of pace for USC after so many 8 p.m. starts this year, and another factor the Trojans will need to combat as they try to avoid another slow March start. But USC flew to Columbus on Tuesday to adjust to the new time zone and ensure it is ready for Friday.

“We knew it’s all about preparation going into a game like this. We’re prepared, getting good sleep, all that stuff,” Peterson said. “I think we’re the first game on Friday, so excited to be able to get that showcase slot.”

No. 10 USC vs. No. 7 Michigan State What: NCAA tournament first round

When: 9:15 a.m. Friday

Where: Nationwide Arena, Columbus Arena

TV: CBS

Selection Sunday Updates: Where Will UCLA, USC Be Seeded In NCAA Tournament?

by Vittorio Ferla 12 Marzo 2023 Comments0

Southern California is well-represented in the 2023 NCAA Tournament with UCLA, USC and San Diego State competing.

Jaime Jaquez Jr. (Camarillo High) and Tyger Campbell led UCLA to win the Pac-12 regular season championship but fell short of winning the Pac-12 Tournament championship, after a loss to the Arizona Wildcats in Las Vegas.

The Trojans finished 14-6 in conference play, finishing in a tie for second along with the Wildcats. The Trojans were eliminated from the conference tournament by Arizona State in the quarterfinals.

Matt Bradley (San Bernardino) and Lamont Butler (Riverside Poly) lead San Diego State to the Mountain West Tournament Championship. The conference’s top seed beat Utah State 62-57 on Saturday.

HOW TO WATCH: What: Selection Sunday (bracket released)

When: Sunday, 3 p.m. PT

TV: CBS (Ch. 2)

Tournament Schedule: First Four: March 14-15

First round: March 16-17

Second round: March 18-19

Sweet 16: March 23-24

Elite Eight: March 25-26

Final Four: April 1

NCAA championship game: April 3

Conference Tournament Champions (automatic tournament bids): American East: Vermont American Athletic: TBD Atlantic 10: TBD ACC: Duke ASUN: Kennesaw State Big 12: Texas Big East: Marquette Big Sky: Montana State Big South: UNC Asheville Big Ten: TBD Big West: UC Santa Barbara CAA: College of Charleston Conference USA: Florida Atlantic Horizon League: Northern Kentucky Ivy League: TBD MAAC: Iona MAC: Kent State MEAC: Howard Missouri Valley: Drake Mountain West: San Diego State Northeast: Fairleigh Dickinson Ohio Valley: Southeast Missouri State Pac-12: Arizona Patriot League: Colgate SEC: TBD Southern: Furman Southland: Texas A&M-Corpus Christi SWAC: Texas Southern Summit League: Oral Roberts Sun Belt: Louisiana West Coast: Gonzaga WAC: TBD

UMass Lowell’s Allin Blunt (15) looks to move against Vermont’s Robin Duncan (55) during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in the final of the America East Conference Tournament, Saturday, March 11, 2023, in Burlington, Vt. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)

Vermont’s Dylan Penn (13) drives past UMass Lowell’s Brayden O’Connor (1) during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in the final of the America East Conference Tournament, Saturday, March 11, 2023, in Burlington, Vt. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)

Vermont head coach John Becker celebrates with his team after defeating UMass Lowell in the NCAA college basketball game in the final of the America East Conference Tournament, Saturday, March 11, 2023, in Burlington, Vt. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)

Vermont players celebrate after defeating UMass Lowell during an NCAA college basketball game in the final of the America East Conference Tournament, Saturday, March 11, 2023, in Burlington, Vt. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)

San Diego State guard Lamont Butler, right, tries to steal the ball from Utah State guard Max Shulga during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game for the men’s Mountain West Tournament championship Saturday, March 11, 2023, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Steve Marcus)

San Diego State players and coach Brian Dutcher, bottom center, celebrate their victory over Utah State in an NCAA college basketball game for the men’s Mountain West Tournament championship Saturday, March 11, 2023, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Steve Marcus)

Texas forward Christian Bishop cuts the net after Texas won the Big 12 Conference tournament championship NCAA college basketball game Saturday, March 11, 2023, in Kansas City, Mo. Texas won 75-56. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

San Diego State guard Matt Bradley holds his MVP trophy as San Diego State celebrates a victory over Utah State in an NCAA college basketball game for the men’s Mountain West Tournament championship Saturday, March 11, 2023, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Steve Marcus)

Interim Texas head coach Rodney Terry, bottom right, celebrates with his team after Texas won the Big 12 Conference tournament championship NCAA college basketball game against Kansas Saturday, March 11, 2023, in Kansas City, Mo. Texas won 75-56. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

The Texas bench celebrates a basket during the second half of the NCAA college basketball championship game against Kansas in the Big 12 Conference tournament Saturday, March 11, 2023, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Interim Texas head coach Rodney Terry talks to his team during the second half of the NCAA college basketball championship game against Kansas in the Big 12 Conference tournament Saturday, March 11, 2023, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Texas guard Marcus Carr celebrates after making a basket during the second half of the NCAA college basketball championship game against Kansas in the Big 12 Conference tournament Saturday, March 11, 2023, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

San Diego State guard Micah Parrish, left, and guard Darrion Trammell celebrate after the team’s victory over Utah State in an NCAA college basketball game for the men’s Mountain West Tournament championship Saturday, March 11, 2023, in Las Vegas. San Diego State guard Lamont Butler is at right. (AP Photo/Steve Marcus)

San Diego State forward Jaedon LeDee (13) is congratulated by coaches after a basket against Utah State during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game for the men’s Mountain West Tournament championship Saturday, March 11, 2023, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Steve Marcus)

Utah State guard Steven Ashworth (3) dives for the ball in front of San Diego State guard Micah Parrish (3) during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game for the men’s Mountain West Tournament championship Saturday, March 11, 2023, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Steve Marcus)

San Diego State guard Matt Bradley (20) drives past Utah State forward Dan Akin (30) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game for the men’s Mountain West Tournament championship Saturday, March 11, 2023, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Steve Marcus)

San Diego State guard Micah Parrish, left, and forward Keshad Johnson celebrate the team’s win over Utah State in an NCAA college basketball game for the men’s Mountain West Tournament championship Saturday, March 11, 2023, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Steve Marcus)

Texas Southern head coach Johnny Jones celebrates by cutting down the net after defeating Grambling State in an NCAA college basketball game in the championship of the Southwestern Athletic Conference Tournament, Saturday, March 11, 2023, in Birmingham, Ala. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)

Texas Southern head coach Johnny Jones reacts to a call during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against the Grambling State in the championship of the Southwestern Athletic Conference Tournament, Saturday, March 11, 2023, in Birmingham, Ala. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)

Texas Southern players celebrate after defeating Grambling State during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in the championship of the Southwestern Athletic Conference Tournament, Saturday, March 11, 2023, in Birmingham, Ala. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)

Texas Southern guard PJ Henry dribbles the ball during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against the Grambling State in the championship of the Southwestern Athletic Conference Tournament, Saturday, March 11, 2023, in Birmingham, Ala. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)

UC Santa Barbara players celebrate after a win over Cal State Fullerton in an NCAA college basketball game for the men’s Big West Tournament championship Saturday, March 11, 2023, in Henderson, Nev. (AP Photo/Eric Jamison)

UC Santa Barbara players celebrate their victory over Cal State Fullerton in an NCAA college basketball game for the men’s Big West Tournament championship Saturday, March 11, 2023, in Henderson, Nev. (AP Photo/Eric Jamison)

UC Santa Barbara guard Calvin Wishart, front, and Cal State Fullerton guard Tory San Antonio scramble for the ball during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game for the men’s Big West Tournament championship Saturday, March 11, 2023, in Henderson, Nev. (AP Photo/Eric Jamison)

Arizona players celebrate after defeating UCLA in an NCAA college basketball game for the championship of the men’s Pac-12 Tournament, Saturday, March 11, 2023, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Chase Stevens)

Arizona forward Azuolas Tubelis holds up a piece of the net after the team’s win over UCLA in an NCAA college basketball game for the championship of the men’s Pac-12 Tournament on Saturday, March 11, 2023, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Chase Stevens)

UCLA guard Amari Bailey (5) drives to the basket between Arizona center Oumar Ballo (11) and forward Azuolas Tubelis (10) during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game for the championship of the men’s Pac-12 Tournament, Saturday, March 11, 2023, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Chase Stevens)

Duke guard Tyrese Proctor (5) tries to hold on to the ball as Virginia guard Reece Beekman (2) reaches in during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game for the championship of the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament in Greensboro, N.C., Saturday, March 11, 2023. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton)

Virginia guard Kihei Clark (0) shoots over Duke guard Jeremy Roach (3) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game for the championship of the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament in Greensboro, N.C., Saturday, March 11, 2023. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton)

Duke guard Tyrese Proctor (5) shoots against Virginia guard Reece Beekman (2) during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game for the championship of the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament in Greensboro, N.C., Saturday, March 11, 2023. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton)

Arizona guard Courtney Ramey, center, celebrates alongside teammates after their win over UCLA in an NCAA college basketball game for the championship of the men’s Pac-12 Tournament, Saturday, March 11, 2023, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Chase Stevens)

UCLA guard Amari Bailey pauses after the team’s loss to Arizona in an NCAA college basketball game for the championship of the men’s Pac-12 Tournament, Saturday, March 11, 2023, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Chase Stevens)

Gonzaga forward Drew Timme celebrates with the net after the team defeated Saint Mary’s in an NCAA college basketball game in the finals of the West Coast Conference men’s tournament Tuesday, March 7, 2023, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/David Becker)

Gonzaga guard Rasir Bolton, second left, celebrates with the championship trophy after the team defeated Saint Mary’s in an NCAA college basketball game in the finals of the West Coast Conference men’s tournament Tuesday, March 7, 2023, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/David Becker)

Gonzaga forward Drew Timme celebrates with the Outstanding Player trophy after the team defeated Saint Mary’s in an NCAA college basketball game in the finals of the West Coast Conference men’s tournament Tuesday, March 7, 2023, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/David Becker)

Gonzaga forward Ben Gregg, forward Drew Timme and guard Julian Strawther, from left, celebrate after the team defeated Saint Mary’s in an NCAA college basketball game in the finals of the West Coast Conference men’s tournament Tuesday, March 7, 2023, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/David Becker)

Gonzaga celebrates after the team defeated Saint Mary’s in an NCAA college basketball game in the finals of the West Coast Conference men’s tournament Tuesday, March 7, 2023, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/David Becker)

Gonzaga forward Ben Gregg celebrates after the team defeated Saint Mary’s in an NCAA college basketball game in the finals of the West Coast Conference men’s tournament Tuesday, March 7, 2023, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/David Becker)

Gonzaga forward Drew Timme (2) drives to the basket against St. Mary’s forward Kyle Bowen during the first half an NCAA college basketball game in the finals of the West Coast Conference men’s tournament Tuesday, March 7, 2023, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/David Becker)

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James H. Williams | Assistant Sports Editor – Digital James H. Williams joined the Southern California News Group in 2013 with a passion for sports, social media and journalism that has led to his role as an Assistant Sports Editor with an emphasis on digital content. When covering a local sporting event, he can be found roaming the sidelines and at the snack bar during halftime. Williams also covers the UCLA football team (since 2019), esports and other entertainment-related events for the group.

Filed under College Sports college-basketball Sports UCLA UCLA basketball UCLA Sports USC USC Sports usc-basketball

USC Men’s Basketball Looks To Ride Year Of Growth Into Postseason

by pappa2200 8 Marzo 2023 Comments0

LOS ANGELES — Andy Enfield knew he had two players he could rely on entering this basketball season. Beyond Boogie Ellis and Drew Peterson, every Trojan either played a reserve or benchwarmer role the previous year or were still in high school.

It was difficult to predict what this USC season had in store, especially after a season-opening loss to Enfield’s old school, Florida Gulf Coast. A rebuild felt like the most likely outcome, given all the unknowns.

But after a mop-up role as a freshman, Kobe Johnson led the Pac-12 in steals and made the conference’s All-Defense team as a sophomore. Joshua Morgan also earned All-Defense honors in his first year as a starter, leading the conference in blocks.

Reese Dixon-Waters took an increased role and earned Pac-12 Sixth Man of the Year. And guard Tre White rounded into his starting role and made the league’s All-Freshman team. And that’s not to mention freshmen like Kijani Wright and Oziyah Sellers earning playing time late in the season.

“This is probably the most improved team I’ve had at USC from beginning of the year to the end,” Enfield said.

This group of previously untested Trojans will face its biggest challenge this week as USC begins postseason play, starting Thursday with the Pac-12 quarterfinals in Las Vegas.

But true to his buoyant form, White is more exhilarated by the prospect than intimidated.

“This is still not hitting me. This is a dream come true,” White said, beaming. “It’s crazy. Family members I haven’t talked to in years hitting me like, ‘Good luck in March Madness, we’ll be watching.’ Like, oh, this is really that.”

This is the type of confidence Enfield has tried to instill in White. With USC in desperate need of a third scorer behind Ellis and Peterson, Enfield has encouraged White not to pass up good looks and to shake off misses and be ready for the next opportunity.

“I think it’s trust and confidence in us. Some coaches try to control every little narrative. But I feel like with Coach Andy, he gives us guidelines but he lets us be free,” White said. “I feel like that’s how we all got better [this] year. He doesn’t take our confidence away.”

Sometimes creating confidence in a young player can be trickier. Wright got early playing time for the Trojans as a backup to Morgan, but lost his spot in the rotation in the middle of the season as it was clear the freshman was not ready.

That could have had a devastating impact on the mental development of a young player. But Enfield and his staff tried to stay positive with him even when relegating him to the bench.

“We said, ‘Look, you got to be better in these areas.’ We were very specific with him: You have to be a better rebounder, you have to be a better defender,” Enfield said. “And he took that to heart, has really improved. He’s a tremendous worker and has such a positive attitude.”

All these improvements have the Trojans in a position that was difficult to predict in November. As the No. 3 seed in the Pac-12 tournament, a win Thursday likely cements USC’s spot in the NCAA tournament.

Who USC plays Thursday will be decided late Wednesday night. Either USC faces sixth-seeded Arizona State for a second game in a row, or has to do some late cramming for 11th-seeded Oregon State.

Dixon-Waters missed practice Tuesday with illness but is expected to travel to Vegas. Center Vincent Iwuchukwu (back) will be a game-time decision Thursday. So it’s possible the Trojans are a little undermanned.

But compared to a few months ago, USC has young players ready to step up when called upon.

Adam Grosbard | Sports reporter Adam Grosbard covers USC athletics for the Orange County Register and Southern California News Group. He’s previously covered his alma mater SMU and the WNBA for the Dallas Morning News and high school sports for the Long Beach Press-Telegram. A Pasadena native, he currently lives in the South Bay.

Filed under College Sports Pac-12 Sports USC USC Sports usc-basketball

USC Men’s Basketball Can Cement Status Vs. Arizona

by Vito Califano 1 Marzo 2023 Comments0

LOS ANGELES — The USC men’s basketball team has the chance to add a couple feathers to its cap Thursday against Arizona.

A win would give the Trojans their 15th consecutive victory at home, tying the second-longest home winning streak in program history. And a victory would put USC one away from going undefeated at home in conference play for the first time since 1991-92.

Not bad for a team that lost its season opener at Galen Center to Florida Gulf Coast, a defeat that looks more like a misdirection than the dour foreshadowing it felt like at the time.

But the game against the eighth-ranked Wildcats represents more to USC than a couple of historical footnotes. A victory would likely eliminate all bubble speculation about the Trojans, putting them firmly in the NCAA tournament field.

USC (21-8, 13-5 in Pac-12) and Arizona (24-5, 13-5) are tied for second place in the conference. Win, and the Trojans control their destiny for the No. 2 seed in the Pac-12 tournament entering the season finale against Arizona State on Saturday.

That would have been hard to believe entering the season, with USC having such a young roster. But here the Trojans are.

“This is why you came here. This is why you came to USC, to play in these situations. What are you going to do about it?” Trojans head coach Andy Enfield said of his message to the team. “Step up and play your best basketball, compete at the highest level. Everybody makes mistakes, but if you play smart and together for 40 minutes, you have a chance to win every game you play.”

That is easier said than done against a team like Arizona, which jumped out to an early lead on the Trojans in Tucson last month and coasted to an 81-66 win.

USC was all kinds of discombobulated in that game. It could not score consistently at any level of the court, struggling in the paint against the Wildcats’ front court of Oumar Ballo and Azuolas Tubelis while shooting 4 for 17 from 3-point range.

And the Trojans’ normally effective defense allowed Arizona to shoot 48.3% from the floor and 50% from 3.

“We just didn’t play well on the road,” Enfield said. “We didn’t move the ball offensively, we missed a lot of open shots, defensively we made some mistakes. We just have to play better.”

With Arizona and USC one win or one Arizona State loss away from being locked into the second or third seed, it is likely these teams will face each other again in the Pac-12 semifinals next week in Las Vegas.

No time for USC to build confidence for that rematch like the present.

Arizona at USC When: 8 p.m. Thursday

Where: Galen Center

TV/Radio: ESPN/AM 790

Filed under College Sports Pac-12 Sports USC USC Sports usc-basketball

Alexander: Women’s Basketball Coaches Prove UCLA, USC Can Indeed Work Together

by pappa2200 27 Febbraio 2023 Comments0

Archrivals aren’t expected to cooperate, much less collaborate. But these are different times in college sports, and with the historic move to the Big Ten on the horizon, doesn’t it make perfect sense for coaches from UCLA and USC to join forces?

Women’s basketball coaches Cori Close of the Bruins and Lindsay Gottlieb of the Trojans are doing so, and it’s largely but not solely because of the logistical challenges created by joining what will be college sports’ first coast-to-coast conference.

They’re looking out not only for their schools and for basketball in L.A. but for the welfare of the women’s game, period, in attacking this challenge as allies and sharing concerns and ideas for best practices. And it’s not incidental that they’ve also enlisted the L.A. Sparks, and specifically Coach Curt Miller and General Manager Karen Bryant, as partners in their collaboration.

“I think it has to be bigger than any of our institutional or pro hats,” Close said. “It has to be bigger than all of us. We’ve got to be committed to (work for) something greater than ourselves. And we need each other. We need to be connected. I mean, isn’t that what we’re trying to do with our teams? We’re trying to take the talent of our teams and the opportunities of our individual pieces, and we’re trying to link them together to do something bigger than any of the individual players could do on their own.

“… It’s bigger than just growing it on the court. It’s about our culture and what it does for women and self-esteem, and women in sport, and women being treated as investments and a really, really valuable product and not a charity. I think those are really important shifts that need to take place in our culture.”

The first reactions when the move became public involved concerns over travel in a conference otherwise based in the eastern and central time zones. As it turns out, those burdens could be less than expected for women’s (and men’s) basketball with charter flights and possibly fewer trips, if more air miles.

“I don’t know exactly what we’re going to have in terms of the number of conference games,” Gottlieb said. “But let’s say there’s 16, kind of guessing. Or even 18. You still have half of them at home. So if there are 18 conference games we’d have nine home games. If there’s 16 conference games, we’d have eight home games. And then one road game is going to be UCLA, right?

“So people forget. We’re still going to be an L.A.-based school. You get to play all your home games in L.A. And I’d imagine that they (Big Ten conference officials) will think about … OK, if we’ve got to go play eight other road games or seven other road games, you try and combine that into three trips.

“In the Pac-12 we make four trips where we get on the plane, and the fifth is UCLA.”

And, she pointed out, two of those conference trips are altitude games, at Utah and at Colorado. That particular adjustment won’t exist in the Big Ten, but there will be adjustments involving time zones and departure times, as well as which days conference games will be scheduled.

Close noted that the Bruins played a multi-team event in the Bahamas this past November and went back to the East Coast a week later to play at top-ranked South Carolina.

“And I thought to myself, ‘This really is not that bad, you know?’” Close said.

One antidote would be to stay in the western half of the continent as much as possible in nonconference play, ideally with two-year home-and-home series with some of their current conference opponents. That assumes, of course, that other Pac-12 coaches or administrators won’t still be miffed at the L.A. schools for leaving.

“I get it. They’re allowed to be mad that we left,” Close said. “But the reality is, is it more important to be mad that we left or is it more important to do what’s best for the game, your institution and your budgets?”

But consider: Big Ten teams will have to come out here, too, and what happens when a player compares L.A.’s weather in January or February to that at home?

“Our home-court advantage should be as good as anybody’s in the country,” Gottlieb said. “I think they’re all going to be wanting to make that trip, right? Because L.A. in January and February is probably nicer than the cities that they’re coming from.”

Or what about that player in the East or Midwest who realizes she can go to school in Los Angeles and still get a road game or two closer to home? Both schools should benefit on a national recruiting level.

“We’ve been recruiting to the Pac-12 so hard for so long, (a concern was) how this was affecting recruiting,” Close said. “And honestly, it’s actually been a blessing. … At first, when I didn’t have all my facts, I thought it might close doors. But as I’ve gone along and I’ve gotten more and more factual information, it’s actually opened up a lot more doors with recruits across the country.”

Other parts of the travel equation involve study time, sleep, nutrition and mental and physical health. But as Gottlieb put it, “If you’re not thinking about mental health and the nutrition and sleep of your athletes when you’re going to Tucson, Pullman, Boulder, the Bay Area, then you’re not doing your job already. Mental health is something you have to be considering for student-athletes now, no matter what conference you’re in. So I don’t think this adds anything additional. I think we have to be aware of it as it is.”

Gottlieb, who spent two seasons as an assistant coach with the Cleveland Cavaliers before taking the USC job last season and thus received full immersion in the craziness (and, to be honest, luxury) of NBA travel, noted that there are ways to make it efficient and comfortable.

“We’re going to have the best of the best resources to figure out what’s best for the student-athletes,” she said. “We’ll talk to sleep experts and academic people and we’ll figure it out. So I think everything’s on the table just to make it as student-athlete-friendly as possible.”

The funny thing is that when Jon Wilner of the Bay Area News Group broke the story of the schools’ move last June 30, Close – normally well plugged in as a member of the NCAA Women’s Basketball Oversight Committee and president of the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association – was among the last to know. That tells you how well the athletic directors, UCLA’s Martin Jarmond and USC’s Mike Bone, kept the move under wraps.

“I was on a staycation and I wasn’t checking my social media or anything, but I started getting all these text messages from these East Coast friends,” Close said. “And then I got a text message from Lindsay, and I’m going, ‘This can’t be right.’ I mean, I’ve heard nothing about this.

“And then literally probably about 10 minutes after I got a text message from Lindsay, I got a text message from our two associate A.D.s (Christina Munger-Rivera and Josh Rebholz) saying, ‘Hey, we want to call you in 10 minutes.’”

A couple of hours into the resulting social media firestorm, Gottlieb said, “we texted each other and said, ‘You ready for this?’

“I respect her,” she said of Close. “I respect her commitment to the women’s game, and she’s someone that always sees the big picture, So I knew, and I know going forward, that she’ll be a really good ally in terms of trying to figure out how to make this work as well as possible for both of our programs.”

In women’s basketball, this should be a case of moving from one powerhouse conference to another. Currently, each conference has seven projected NCAA Tournament entries, and the Pac-12 has six teams in the NET top 25, the Big Ten five. (As of Thursday, UCLA was 24th in the NET metric and USC 28th.)

But, as noted above, it’s not just about the conference. There are larger issues.

“We haven’t arrived completely in women’s basketball, right?” Gottlieb said. “There’s been so much growth, but there’s always ways to push the envelope. … I’ve never been one to shy away from change. It can be scary or it can motivate you. And I think Cori and I both look at it as a way to impact the way the game goes for all of women’s basketball.

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Close cited a 2019 USC-Purdue study showing that women received just 4% of sports coverage in the United States, along with more recent numbers showing increased attendance and viewership and a survey conducted by PricewaterhouseCoopers projecting that women’s sports revenue will grow by at least 15% over the next three to five years.

“So much of our history has been, well, we’ll just bring the women along so we don’t get a Title IX exposure or whatever else, or we don’t want to have bad PR,” Close said. “But now … you’re talking about, ‘Hey, we’re tapped out in terms of our sponsorship for men’s basketball and for football, where’s the next revenue stream?’ My argument is it’s women’s basketball.

“We don’t want to take anything away from anybody. We just want to have women be really great contributors to the financial landscape of college athletics. And I think with Lindsay and I working together with this trailblazing move to the Big Ten, we have a great opportunity to contribute to that.”

What’s the old saying? Together everyone achieves more. (Think about the acronym.)

Then again, when they play each other that’s put on hold.

jalexander@scng.com

Filed under College Sports Jim Alexander Sports Top Stories Breeze Top Stories LADN Top Stories LBPT Top Stories PSN UCLA UCLA Sports ucla-womens-basketball USC USC Sports