USC Trojans
Pac-12 (21-12, 9-9)
After winning just three conference games in 2014-2015, not many had high hopes for USC in 2015-2016. But Coach Andy Enfield was building something and he returned a lot of talent from last year’s team and brought in some more to help solidify his lineup. In the end, the Trojans had a great year and battled hard to stay near the top of the Pac-12 standings throughout the entire season.
Big Wins: 11/26 vs Wichita State (72-69), 1/9 Arizona (103-101), 3/2 Oregon State (81-70)
Bad Losses: 11/29 vs Monmouth (73-83), 1/3 at Washington (85-87), 2/12 at Arizona State (67-74)
Coach: Andy Enfield
Why They Can Surprise:
There may not be a team in the country that has a more balanced scoring attack than USC. Six players average between 9.8 and 13.4 points per game. Sophomore Jordan McLaughlin and junior Julian Jacobs are the guys setting up everybody else. McLaughlin averages 4.7 assists per game, while Jacobs averages 5.5. Those two also spearhead the defensive effort and combine for nearly 3.0 steals per game. McLaughlin is a good outside shooter, while Jacobs is a big, versatile 6-4 guard who does everything for this team and makes everybody around him better. The backcourt also boasts a couple more shooters in Katin Reinhardt and Elijah Stewart. But 6-10 freshman forward Bennie Boatwright is a good three-point shooter too. He is having a great freshman campaign and his ability to stretch the defense opens up a lot of space for the offense. And that includes space for his frontcourt mate Nikola Jovanovic. The 6-11 junior is a more traditional big man and easily leads the team in rebounding.
Why They Can Disappoint:
This is a pretty solid team all-around. They have a nice shot blocker off of the bench in Chimezie Metu and have a lot of different offensive options despite usually going seven or eight deep. Turnovers have been a problem on occasion and the team’s free-throw shooting is not particularly impressive either. USC is going to give up a lot of points, but they do not allow the opposition to get easy looks. The Trojans rank fourth in the Pac-12 in field-goal percentage defense and second in three-point field-goal percentage defense. When the Trojans lose, their balanced scoring is less balanced and they are relying too much on one or two players. That mostly happens when foul trouble becomes a big problem and Coach Enfield has to reach deeper down his bench then he would like.
Probable Starters:
Jordan McLaughlin, Sophomore, Guard, 13.4 ppg, 4.7 apg, 3.7 rpg, 1.5 spg
Julian Jacobs, Junior, Guard, 11.8 ppg, 5.5 apg, 4.9 rpg, 1.3 spg
Katin Reinhardt, Junior, Guard, 11.5 ppg, 1.4 apg
Bennie Boatwright, Freshman, Forward, 11.5 ppg, 5.3 rpg
Nikola Jovanovic, Junior, Forward, 12.1 ppg, 7.0 rpg
Key Roleplayers:
Chimezie Metu, Freshman, Forward, 6.6 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 16 bpg
Elijah Stewart, Sophomore, Guard, 9.8 ppg, 3.6 rpg
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 80.7 (22nd in nation, 3rd in conference)
Scoring Defense: 74.4 (247, 9)
Field-Goal Percentage: 45.8 (86, 6)
Field-Goal Defense: 41.4 (78, 4)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 7.8 (93, 2)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 38.2 (34, 2)
Free-Throw Percentage: 67.4 (264, 10)
Rebound Margin: 1.1 (150, 7)
Assists Per Game: 15.0 (75, 3)
Turnovers Per Game: 12.3 (131, 6)
Recent Postseason Appearances:
2011 NCAA Opening Round loss to VCU
2009 NCAA Round of 64 win over Boston College
2009 NCAA Round of 32 loss to Michigan State
2008 NCAA Round of 64 loss to Kansas State
2007 NCAA Round of 64 win over Arkansas
2007 NCAA Round of 32 win over Texas
2007 NCAA Regional Semifinal loss to North Carolina
2002 NCAA Round of 64 loss to North Carolina-Wilmington
*all team stats through 3/6
