“SCoop” is a column by Nolan Ezzet about USC’s sports teams.
USC has had a tough schedule the last two weeks, playing No. 11 Arizona and No. 8 UCLA in addition to a competitive Arizona State team. USC was hot going into these games after just nearly taking down UCLA and successfully securing two big conference wins against Colorado and Utah. Over the course of the following three games, the Trojans proved their validity as a respectable tournament team.
The tough three-game stretch began with USC’s road matchup against Arizona. Senior guard Boogie Ellis had one of the worst games of his season, shooting 2-for-11 from the field and giving up four turnovers. His partner in crime, fifth year guard Drew Peterson, wasn’t much help as he shot 5-of-14 while turning the ball over twice.
As a team, the Trojans shot 24-of-65 from the field and 4-of-17 from 3-point range. Their offense lacked proper ball movement, and the team totaled only seven assists.
Meanwhile, Arizona shot 28-for-58 from the field and an electric 12-for-24 from deep. The Wildcats’ offense was flowing the whole game, and they racked up 18 assists as a team.
This game seemed to be over from the start. At halftime, Arizona boasted a 41-26 lead. USC couldn’t fight back, and Arizona took home an 81-66 victory.
Going into their matchup against ASU, the Trojans had to make drastic improvements — and they did just that.
USC locked up on defense and prevented the Sun Devils from shooting even close to as efficiently as the Wildcats. ASU shot 25-of-65 from the field and went just 5-for-22 from deep.
USC, however, shot very efficiently, going 28-for-57 from the field and 7-for-18 from behind the arc.
Peterson led this effort, as he racked up 19 points on 7-of-11 shooting. Ellis also had a bounce-back performance, as he scored 18 points on 7-of-16 shooting.
Freshman guard Tre White and freshman forward Vincent Iwuchukwu were also integral to the win. Both scored 12 points, with White shooting 5-for-10 and Iwuchukwu shooting 5-for-8.
Although most Trojan fans were happy with USC’s 77-69 roa win, head coach Andy Enfield was disappointed. His team had a 20-point lead with four minutes remaining but let the Sun Devils chip half of that lead away.
“The last four minutes was one of the worst four minutes of basketball I’ve ever been a part of,” Enfield said.
Nonetheless, the Trojans took home the victory and now had their eyes set on their next opponent: UCLA.
Enfield knew exactly what he wanted to see from his team.
“We have to play like we did for 36 minutes [against Arizona State]. Pretty simple,” Enfield said. “If we play like that, we’ll be fine. We’ll have a great home crowd advantage. We’re very good at home.”
And boy, did his team match — and even exceed — his expectations.
Galen Center was packed with fans, and the line for students to enter wrapped around the block. People camped out for several hours before the game just to watch the Trojans exact revenge on their crosstown rival.
The Trojans started out hot and got off to an early 12-6 lead. Midway through the half, however, UCLA regained the lead, and the Bruins kept the momentum for the rest of the half. They led 37-25 at halftime.
Whatever Enfield told his players during halftime, however, changed the entire course of the game.
Ellis, who scored just four points in the first half, put on an electric performance. He hit step-back three after step-back three and had one of his best defensive outings as well. He recorded one block and one steal without giving up any turnovers of his own, and he was a lockdown defender even when the statsheet didn’t record anything.
Ellis finished the game with a career-high 31 points on 9-of-17 shooting and was easily the best player on the court.
Peterson also shot well, going 6-for-10 from the field, good for 16 points. However, his five turnovers frustrated many fans; he was best when used as a catch-and-shoot or iso player.
Sophomore guard Kobe Johnson scored 10 points on 2-of-8 shooting but also provided his usual elite defense, which aided in stopping an efficient Bruin offense. He recorded three steals and one block.
USC retook its lead midway through the second half and ran away with it. The Trojans took down UCLA 77-64, although the game was closer than the final score suggests.
USC is now 15-6 overall and sits third in the Pac-12.
Although USC played poorly against Arizona, the Trojans bounced back against ASU and looked incredible on both sides of the ball against an elite UCLA team. Ellis proved himself as a threat capable of single-handedly taking down any opponent when he performs his best.
Some minor adjustments still need to be made, including Peterson’s turnover problem. If Enfield can get the most out of this team, USC won’t just be a playoff team; the Trojans could make a solid run in March.
SCoop runs every other Tuesday.