USC basketball enters its final year in the “Conference of Champions”

The USC men’s basketball team entered 2023 with high expectations, and so far, the team has struggled to live up to them. Before a ball was dribbled or a basket was made, many Pac-12 members considered USC one of the best teams in the conference, only behind the defending Pac-12 champion Arizona Wildcats in the conference preseason media poll. Highly-touted recruits, including the No. 1 player in the country, had fans buzzing to get to Galen Center this season.

Entering the 2023 season, a pair of young, explosive freshmen — guards Isaiah Collier and Bronny James — and experienced upperclassmen — fifth-year guard Boogie Ellis, junior guard Kobe Johnson and redshirt senior forward Joshua Morgan — had USC head coach Andy Enfield excited and ready for a final year in the Conference of Champions.

The ‘dynamic duo’ of Collier and Ellis led the Trojans to a hot 5-1 start, but the sunshine and rainbows didn’t last forever. Collier showcased his athletic and play-making ability early on, punishing smaller guards when attacking the rim. His counterpart, Ellis, didn’t miss a beat from his senior campaign, where he lit it up from 3-point range and made the difficult shots look easy. However, after the Trojans’ fifth win on November 23 versus Seton Hall in San Diego, they dropped four of their next six games to end non-conference play.

Fast forward to January, and unexpected non-conference losses to begin the season and a 1-2 start in Pac-12 play have the Trojans unranked at 7-7. The early struggles for the Trojans have shown holes in the team that Enfield must fix if he wants to have any real success in the Pac-12 and March Madness.

Turnover Bug

The Trojans have caught the turnover bug, which has them falling behind by double digits in some games and preventing them from closing out opponents. In its seven losses this season, USC has produced an average of 14.8 turnovers, a mix of poor judgment from the guards, a lack of chemistry and sloppiness.

Chemistry takes time to develop, but the connection between USC guards and bigs will prove pivotal against solid defensive teams — UCLA, Arizona, Colorado and Washington State — in the Pac-12. While Collier has undoubtedly proved to be an engine for the USC offense, the bug has hit him the hardest. He leads the team in turnovers and has an assist-to-turnover ratio of 4.4 to 3.7.

“We have allowed him to play through some mistakes,” associate head coach Chris Capko said December 17. “Hopefully, the experience allows him to continue to get better.”

The blame doesn’t fall solely on Collier. His explosiveness lets him beat defenders with his first step and instantly get into the lane. Collier’s court vision, which Enfield raves about, and strong passes almost hurt him more than help him because of the lack of trust.

Once in the paint, the lack of chemistry between Collier and his big men — Morgan or sophomore forwards Vince Iwuchukwu and Kijani Wright — shows its face. Collier has made brilliant passes to the low block multiple times in a game this season, and in return, one of the big men proceeds to fumble the ball out of bounds. Collier gets registered for that turnover.

“[Collier] is just a young player, still trying to figure it out,” Capko said.

The coaching staff still trusts Collier and the front court to turn things around in the turnover department. USC ranks second-worst in the Pac-12 in turnovers, making this a necessary fix if the team hopes to make any real push heading into March.

“If we can continue to take care of the ball, we can be a really good team, " Capko said.

Defensive Woes

Enfield and USC have prided themselves on their ability on the defensive side of the ball, with elite shot blockers and great perimeter defenders in the past.

“Everybody knows if they don’t play hard on the [defensive] side of the ball, they come out of the game,” Enfield said at Pac-12 Media Day.

To start the season, the group was optimistic as their two Pac-12 All-Defensive Team guys, Johnson and Morgan, returned.

Enfield preached man-to-man defense at Pac-12 Media Day as the team’s main philosophy for the defensive side because of the length and speed Johnson, James and Collier have at the perimeter, in addition to the size in the front court between Iwuchukwu and Morgan.

However, in 14 games, USC ranks in the bottom half in Division 1 with 74.8 points allowed per game (269th).

“I feel like we are lackadaisical on defense, including myself,” Ellis said after a loss to Long Beach State on December 10. “We just got to be better talking on defense, finishing with box outs and rebounds.”

In Ellis’s defense, rebounding has been the main culprit for opposing teams generating offense. Too often this season, opposing teams have outmuscled USC’s bigs in the post, creating those second-chance points that no level of basketball coach likes. USC allows an average of 35.4 rebounds a game this season, including 11.5 offensive rebounds.

The rebounding problem cost the Trojans a win against the now-No. 11 Oklahoma Sooners in San Diego. Oklahoma sophomore guard Otega Oweh ran untouched past three USC defenders from the corner to the middle of the paint to tap in a missed jumper with 1.4 seconds left to give the Sooners a two-point win.

Getting outrebounded by the opposing team means poor effort on USC’s end. As a coach, you are responsible for igniting that fire in the team to be more aggressive in rebounding. Players feed off that energy, and you can see how top teams in the country — like Arizona, Gonzaga, Duke and Purdue — have this ‘always go’ mentality every game. And for all those teams, their defensive aggression generates better offense and easier buckets on the other end. If the inconsistent energy trend continues into the Pac-12 for USC, the Trojans can only hope for a spot in March Madness.

“When we have gotten punched in the mouth, we haven’t always responded,” Capko said.

On the flip side, in moments of games when the tenacity is high, USC has been able to force opposing offenses into bad shots and sloppy turnovers. The active hands of the guards have generated 6.8 turnovers a game. In addition, Morgan has provided elite shot blocking that Trojans fans are used to, ranking top-20 in the country in blocks with 2.3 per game.

“We take care of the ball, we defend at the level we need to, and there is definitely a higher ceiling to this team,” Capko said.

Consistency

Talent wins you regular season games, but staying consistent from game to game builds a championship team. Due to injuries and erratic performances, USC hasn’t had a steady starting lineup, as Enfield hasn’t found a dependable pair of forwards to open alongside its talented backcourt trio of Collier, Ellis and Johnson.

At the fourth spot, graduate transfer forward DJ Rodman — son of NBA Hall of Famer Dennis Rodman — has shown enough to continue starting from here on out. Rodman progressed every year from beyond the arc at Washington State and has carried the efficiency over to USC, where he is shooting 39.5% (second-highest on the team) and has become a reliable catch-and-shoot guy. But at times, Rodman can become a stranger in the offense, disappearing from the play as a whole.

“[Rebounding] is where Rodman can really impact this season … without making shots,” Capko said.

The debate truly lies at the center position between Iwuchukwu and Morgan. Iwuchukwu came back from a cardiac arrest situation two summers ago, similar to the one Bronny James suffered this July. This allowed Iwuchukwu to mentor James as he worked his way back onto the court this season.

On the court, Iwuchukwu’s year has been filled with bumps in the road. A 15-point and six-rebound performance against Long Beach State finally saw Iwuchukwu flash the offensive versatility that ranked him as a five-star center out of high school in 2022.

“A lot to improve on. ... Just going to keep building,” Iwuchukwu said. However, he has often struggled to find a rhythm on both sides of the ball, allowing opposing bigs to push him around even at his 7-foot-1 size.

Morgan’s early season campaign has been highlighted by his elite shot-blocking ability, rebounding and touch around the rim. His play has carried over from a solid junior year.

Morgan recorded a career-high 10 blocks versus Seton Hall, letting nothing come close to the rim. On the offensive side, Morgan has shown the most development as a scorer compared to everyone else on the frontcourt. Like Iwuchukwu’s flaws, he plays smaller than his size at 6-foot-11, which is a needed area of improvement.

Collier, Ellis, Johnson, Rodman and Morgan should be the starting lineup entering conference play.

There is undoubtedly a lot that the Trojans have to fix and figure out, yet this season has some positives to look forward to. The team ceiling rises when Collier and Ellis hit shots and orchestrate a fluid offense. Johnson and Morgan have continued to provide their defensive prowess, leading the charge and effort on the defensive side.

USC began conference play last Thursday with an eight-point loss against the Oregon Ducks in Eugene. The Trojans headed 50 miles north to Oregon State on Saturday, and similarly, turnovers and rebounding problems resulted in a 16-point loss.

USC has not won the Pac-12 tournament since the DeMar DeRozan days in ‘09, and this is the program’s last chance to finish on a high note in the Conference of Champions. Winning the tournament might also be the only way the Trojans make it to March Madness with seven losses already. However, college basketball is a long season and should be treated more as a marathon than a race.

“I’ve been through the fire. So, a couple of losses doesn’t really affect me,” Ellis said. “There are going to be ups and downs in this, but at the end of the day, just got to keep getting better. Every time you take a loss, just use it as a lesson.”