65 College Basketball Teams In 65 Days: USC Trojans

This is a little something I like to call preview season, which by my watch starts on September 1. From that date until the start of the season we have 65 days. In those 65 days I’ll give a team preview each day. There’s going to be no rhyme or reason for the order we go in these 65 days. It will just be 65 teams I think are worthy of a detailed preview. We’ll have other previews throughout the time leading up to the season as well – conference breakdowns, player rankings, team rankings, etc. But, these will just be team previews.

USC Trojans

2017-18 Record: 24-12, 12-6 in Pac-12, 2nd in Pac-12
Top Returning Scorers: Bennie Boatwright (13.6), Jonah Matthews (9.3), Nick Rakocevic (8.1)
Notable Losses: De’Anthony Melton, Chime Metu (NBA), Elijah Stewart, Jordan McLaughlin (Graduation)
Newcomers: Kevin Porter Jr. (5-star), Elijah Weaver (4-star), J’Raan Brooks (4-star), No. 18 recruiting class
Head Coach: Andy Enfield, 6th season, 94-76

2018-19 Outlook

Well, last year was not an ideal year for USC. The Trojans were a preseason top-10/15 team depending where you looked and rightfully so. There was NBA talent on the roster. There was experience. There were great college players. But, De’Anthony Melton, who really was the most important player on the roster last season was forced to miss the year due to the FBI investigation. Along with Bennie Boatwright being injured throughout the year, it all led to an NIT bid instead of an NCAA bid.

Now, this year, USC comes in flying a bit under the radar. People remember USC struggling last season. They see the losses of Metu, Elijah Stewart and Jordan McLaughlin. But, they don’t realize Boatwright should be healthy this year. They don’t realize that USC is bringing in a top-10 NBA talent in Kevin Porter Jr.

That’s where you have to start. Porter is a guy that should be getting more hype. Porter is a 6’5″ wing that has great bounce and athleticism. Throw in the fact that he’s a No. 1 option on offense and can really score anywhere he wants – he’s enticing both at the collegiate and NBA level. He provides that other option for USC to go with Boatwright. He has a good handle that lets him attack from the wing and at 6’5″ you can play him in a couple of different spots on the wing.

Now, another reason I love this team? The depth all over the roster. At the guard spot you have Derryck Thornton/Jonah Matthews/Kevin Porter/Elijah Weaver (hurt, expected to return around the New Year). On the wing you have Porter/Weaver/Shaq Aaron/Chuck O’Bannon/Jordan Usher. In the frontcourt you have Boatwright/Nick Rakocevic/J’Raan Brooks. Obviously you need everyone to live up to the hype, but that’s a ton of depth for Enfield to play with and use different lineups based on matchups.

What USC does need though is help on the defensive end. Part of that was losing Melton early in last year. But, Enfield ran a zone for 46% of the time. That’s the highest he’s had to run a zone at USC. He prefers to run a man-to-man and let someone protect the rim. But, without guard pressure and consistently having to help and recover in man-to-man, it took away from Enfield’s bread and butter. This year we should see more of that man-to-man, especially when Weaver is healthy. The inclusion of guys like Weaver and Porter, who are athletic wings, should let USC run more of a man and be able to switch and hedge.

Along with the defense a key is going to be Thornton’s ability to cut down on turnovers. USC was great at taking care of the ball last year – ranking 17th in the country in turnover rate. However, Thornton had a turnover rate of 28% which is just crazy high. If he can take care of the ball, USC will continue to be fine because it doesn’t give up fastbreak points. They do an excellent job of slowing the game down defensively and forcing teams to run halfcourt sets. Part of that was due to the lack of turnovers.

I actually have USC as my preseason favorite in the Pac-12. I think we see a different Boatwright – most notably healthy. But, I think we see him buy into the system even more and paired with Kevin Porter Jr., see a great 1-2 combo. More importantly, that depth is going to pay off. If they can just get Thornton to live up to the hype he had out of high school or after Duke, this is a team that can really make a run. Either way, I’m in on this team and think it’s a top-20 team.