USC returns to the court with dominant win over Santa Clara

When the USC men’s basketball team paused activities on Dec. 13 due to a confirmed COVID-19 case, it was fair to wonder how even an ideally brief pause would affect a group of many new faces trying to gel as a unit. When the break extended to 21 days between contests, it became a realistic concern that the Trojans would return to the court with significant rust that could derail their season.

The questions about the rest of this campaign have not yet been put to rest, but the Trojans answered any concerns about a slow return with an 86-63 victory over Santa Clara Tuesday night at the Galen Center.

Despite holding just one contact practice during the break, the Trojans came out focused and aggressive in the first half, using their interior and athletic advantage to open the game on a 22-10 run. USC set a no-frills attitude in the first 20 minutes, turning the ball over four times, taking one 3-pointer and getting to the line for 13 attempts. From there, it was a coast to the finish.

“As a team, we’ve been kind of anxious to play because it’s been so long,” sophomore forward Isaiah Mobley said after the game. “I think the excitement took over as an energy and allowed us to stay focused and stay sharp … Paying attention to the details in our two short practices prior to this helped us stay sharp and not be rusty.”

USC’s three rotation bigs — Mobley, his brother freshman Evan Mobley and redshirt senior Chevez Goodwin — combined for 40 points and 19 rebounds. It was an impressive showing against Santa Clara, which has the same team strengths as the Trojans in rebounding and defense. The Trojans held senior forward Josip Vrankic, who ranks eighth and first in the WCC in rebounding and scoring, respectively, to 13 points and six rebounds.

The Mobley brothers in particular attacked the rim with abandon, leading to multiple strong finishes and loud dunks.

“When I came out today, I just tried to have energy and assert myself, and kinda try to get myself going,” Isaiah Mobley said. “I felt that early, getting a couple quick buckets and seeing the ball go through the net, kinda boost my confidence and keep it going throughout the game.”

USC also continued its strong 3-point defense, holding the Broncos to an unsightly 2-of-17 from long-range. Although they got hit with a few backdoor cuts, the Trojans were up to their elite level of defense from earlier in the season.

“It was difficult because we only had one day to prepare for this game, but because we’ve instilled the principles through practice, I thought our guys really gave effort and they followed our defensive principles most of the night,” Enfield said. “For the most part, it was impressive for our players to retain a lot that we had gone over prior to our shutdown, and they came out and executed.”

Conversely, the Trojans shot 50% from behind the arc for the second straight game, and a big part of their 7-of-14 mark was their shot selection. Redshirt senior guard Isaiah White said the team’s improved shooting has come from competition in practice.

“Iron sharpens iron. At practice everyone gives it their all because everyone wants to play well,” he said. “It boosts our percentages up because we don’t take any plays off. We stay locked in, we stay focused.”

The Trojans certainly became more perimeter-oriented offensively and slowed down a bit in the second half, but the team maintained its energy. When bench guards redshirt junior Noah Baumann and junior Amar Ross made threes in the final minutes, everyone on the bench exploded to their feet to applaud the efforts.

Freshman guard Reese Waters made his debut in garbage time, draining a 3-pointer on his first collegiate attempt. Waters, a 6-foot-5 guard who was ranked No. 50 in the Class of 2021 by 247Sports and reclassified to join the team during its hiatus, finished with five points and a rebound in five minutes.

Enfield emphasized what Mobley said: USC’s players were antsy to get back out there after the long break, which included two conference games that will be rescheduled. He also said it was important to get back into game action with Pac-12 play opening Thursday against Colorado.

“This was not considered a tune-up game; this was a game that we thought we had to really perform to win,” he said. “Even though we only have one day to prepare for Colorado, we thought it was more beneficial to get back on the court and play a real game before Pac-12.”

USC hosts Colorado on New Year’s Eve at 6 p.m. PST.

NOTES

- Sophomore guard Ethan Anderson is still day-to-day with a back issue that forced him to miss this game. Enfield said Anderson likely wouldn’t practice full-contact tomorrow and that he is questionable for the team’s games on Thursday and Saturday.

- Enfield said sophomore Drake London has decided to focus on his football career and that he will no longer be with the team. London was a second-team All-Pac-12 selection as a wide receiver for the 2020 season and played in two games for the basketball team last season.