USC Trojans
Pac-12 (18-12, 12-6)
USC got off to a tough start to the 2011-2012 campaign. The schedule was extremely tough and the Trojans just did not have the firepower to compete with teams like Notre Dame, Texas A&M and conference foe Stanford. However, they did play the Cardinal close at home and nearly won at Texas A&M. This is also a group that knocked off Cal in both regular season matchups. Sprinkled in-between were some bad losses, but the Trojans proved that they can beat good teams…or at least come pretty close.
Big Wins: 12/4 at Gonzaga (58-51), 1/5 at Arizona State (60-48), 2/11 at California (76-75)
Bad Losses: 12/15 at Arkansas State (56-58), 1/26 at Colorado (67-69), 1/28 at Utah (55-63)
Coach: Michael Cooper (3 seasons at USC)
Why They Can Surprise:
USC has three quality scorers. Briana Gilbreath and Ashley Corral are senior guards who have plenty of big game experience. Gilbreath is an all-around talent. At 6-1 she has the size of a forward, but she can handle the ball and shoot like a guard. Gilbreath will not take too many shots from long range, but she is a very good shooter when she does. Instead, she will use her size to attack the basket and that is where most of her offense will come from. Corral is more of a shooter and she is easily the Trojans most prolific three-point threat. Corral can make some clutch shots and Coach Michael Cooper may need her to do so in March. The frontcourt scorer lacks the experience of Gilbreath and Corral, but 6-2 sophomore Cassie Harberts has had a great season. She is a very good interior scorer and that has opened up shooting lanes for Corral and slashing opportunities for Gilbreath. Those three will score a large chunk of the Trojans points.
Why They Can Disappoint:
Gilbreath, Corral and Harberts are scorers, but USC will need more production from the rest of the team if they want to make another run in March. There is not a huge need for a fourth scorer to emerge on any given day as long as the big three are scoring, but it is never a bad thing when a player like forward Christina Marinacci drops in 15 points. Marinacci is the forward who can stretch out the defense with her outside shooting ability, but she is also the team’s best rebounder and will help Gilbreath and Harberts out in the shot blocking department. Fellow forwards Alexyz Vaioletama and Desiree Bradley will usually help out from the bench. Watch out for Vaioletama and her ability to hit the glass. The Trojans can be very strong on the glass if roleplayers like Vaioletama can help out. The backcourt lacks a scoring punch outside of Gilbreath and Corral and that could be a concern when the offense needs a spark. Ariya Crook and Stefanie Gilbreath, sister of Briana, can fill some minutes and play some defense, but neither are offensive sparkplugs and that puts a lot of pressure on the big three scorers to avoid having an off day offensively.
Probable Starters:
Ashley Corral, Senior, Guard, 11.7 ppg, 3.2 apg, 4.0 rpg
Briana Gilbreath, Senior, Guard, 12.3 ppg, 2.8 apg, 6.8 rpg, 1.5 bpg
Stefanie Gilbreath, Junior, Guard, 3.9 ppg, 2.6 rpg
Christiana Marinacci, Junior, Forward, 8.9 ppg, 7.4 rpg
Cassie Harberts, Sophomore, Forward, 11.9 ppg, 6.2 rpg
Key Roleplayers:
Desiree Bradley, Sophomore, Forward, 3.5 ppg, 1.3 rpg
Ariya Crook, Freshman, Guard, 5.2 ppg, 1.1 apg
Alexyz Vaioletama, Freshman, Forward, 4.5 ppg, 5.1 rpg
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 64.3 (126th in nation, 6th in conference)
Scoring Defense: 60.7 (149, 8)
Field-Goal Percentage: 37.6 (227, 10)
Field-Goal Defense: 37.2 (92, 6)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 5.4 (110, 5)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 34.0 (43, 3)
Free-Throw Percentage: 69.3 (154, 5)
Rebound Margin: 3.0 (92, 5)
Assists Per Game: 12.5 (171, 7)
Turnovers Per Game: 14.6 (31, 3)
Recent Postseason Appearances:
USC 2011 NIT Round of 64 win over UC Santa Barbara
USC 2011 NIT Round of 32 win over Nevada
USC 2011 NIT Regional Semifinal win over BYU
USC 2011 NIT Regional Final win over Colorado
USC 2011 NIT National Semifinal win over Illinois State
USC 2011 NIT National Final loss to Toledo
USC 2006 NCAA Round of 64 win over South Florida
USC 2006 NCAA Round of 32 loss to Duke
USC 2005 NCAA Round of 64 win over Louisville
USC 2005 NCAA Round of 32 loss to Michigan State
USC 2000 NIT First Round win over Santa Clara
USC 2000 NIT Second Round loss to Colorado State
USC 1997 NCAA Round of 64 win over San Francisco
USC 1997 NCAA Round of 32 loss to Florida
*all team stats through 3/1
See All Women’s Basketball Postseason Capsules
