The USC Trojans’ hopes of an NCAA Tournament bid just took a major blow on Saturday. After losing to Oregon on Thursday, the Trojans lost to Oregon State in Corvallis, 61-58, and questions are swirling for the next few days.
Andy Enfield’s team struggled offensively, but there was one bright spot: Vincent Iwuchukwu. The freshman center battled cardiac arrest and defied the odds to return to the court in January, and he shined brightly for USC on Saturday.
Despite a tough USC loss, it was all about Iwuchukwu. He finished the day with a game-high 19 points and 7 rebounds in 26 minutes, going 5-10 from the field and a perfect 9-9 from the free throw line.
This was the best game of Iwuchukwu’s young career at USC, and the second time this year he finished in double digits. He scored 12 against Arizona State, but his strong performance on Saturday could be a sign of things to come.
With Joshua Morgan still sidelined and Reese Dixon-Waters out as well, Enfield needed somebody to step up, and Iwuchukwu played well on a poor offensive night to give USC even a fighting chance.
The freshman center caught plenty of eyes on Saturday, and that should be a massive point of encouragement for USC going forward.
FINAL: @BeaverMBB 61, @USC_Hoops 58.
– USC may have ruined its season with terrible loss against woeful Beaver team (No. 219 nationally in NET ranking).
– Vince Iwuchukwu was outstanding in career-high 25 mins. Set career-highs with 19 pts (4-8 FG, 9-9 FT), 7 rebs. Had 3 blks. pic.twitter.com/TLBTly07pi— Shotgun Spratling (@ShotgunSpr) February 12, 2023
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