Tag: colorado state rams basketball

Trojans commit 22 turnovers but still beat Colorado State, showing their flaws and potential

The #USC Trojans have big flaws and limitations, but we’re beginning to see real improvement just before the full Pac-12 season begins on Dec. 30.

The USC Trojans walked away from Arizona with a victory over the Colorado State Rams at the Jerry Colangelo Classic.

The Trojans’ defense buckled down and the offense excelled down the stretch to get the 73-64 win as they prepare for Pac-12 Conference play.

However, it wasn’t all pretty for the Trojans. After a statement win against Auburn, there are some areas USC needs to clean up if the Men of Troy want to hang around at the top of the Pac-12.

The biggest issue of concern for USC on the evening was the turnovers. Andy Enfield’s team committed 22 turnovers while the Rams turned the ball over 13 times.

Being minus-nine in turnover differential yet winning by nine points shows what USC is capable of if it can make improvements in certain areas of play. We know USC struggles with turnovers, and that offense comes and goes. However, when Drew Peterson hits shots — as he did in the second half — the Trojans rarely lose. When USC gets its teeth into an opponent on defense, as it did versus Colorado State, it rarely loses.

CSU hit just 37.7 percent of its shots, and that number was near 30 percent before the Rams — down by 16 early in the second half — made a desperate rally which never got closer than five points (48-43) in the game’s final 11 minutes.

For some perspective, USC came into the game averaging just 12.6 turnovers per game, so 22 is awfully high for any given night. Of the 11 USC players who played in the contest, eight of them committed at least one turnover, and five had three or more turnovers in a noticeably sloppy outing.

Yes, the Trojans won the game, but taking care of the ball will be of utmost importance as they battle day in and day out in a difficult Pac-12 Conference.

USC held multiple double-digit leads in the game, but constant turnovers allowed Colorado State to hang around longer than the Rams should have.

Enfield must be pleased with the victory, but cleaning up the turnovers should be a focal point over the next couple of weeks.

What’s positive for USC is that Tre White really seems to be figuring things out. White stuffed the stat sheet and made a lot of different contributions in 32 minutes: 10 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals. He helped out in a lot of different ways. If that’s the player USC will get in Pac-12 play, the Trojans should be in good shape.

What was also good about this game: hustle plays. USC has to make the “effort plays” which add possessions and limit the opponent’s opportunties. USC got nine steals and outrebounded Colorado State 38-26. Those are the kinds of stats which will offset 22 turnovers.

If USC can just cut down the turnovers while maintaining a high level of effort, good things are possible for the Pac-12 season, which starts with a Washington road trip to Seattle and Pullman on New Year’s weekend.

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Trojans face Colorado State in tough hoops battle on Wednesday night

The #USC Trojans finish their nonconference slate with a game away from home vs the Colorado State Rams. USC has to boost its low NET ranking.

The USC Trojans are coming off a thrilling win against Auburn on Sunday at the Galen Center. The Trojans got a much-needed top-25 victory, but things don’t get easier with a game against Colorado State on Wednesday night.

The Trojans head to Phoenix to face the Rams, who are 8-4 on the year and hope to be a factor in the Mountain West Conference once again.

However, the Rams have lost to the following teams: Charleston, Penn State, Northern Colorado, and Colorado. The loss to the Buffs is understandable, especially since they defeated Tennessee earlier in the season. However, losing to five-win Northern Colorado is an ugly blemish on the Rams resume.

But, the Rams are coming off a 62-60 victory over St. Mary’s, and CSU star Isaiah Stevens had 23 points with five assists in what was essentially a two-man show for Colorado State.

The Rams shot well against one of the best defenses in the country, and Stevens was named MWC Player of the Week after back-to-back 20-plus point outings.

So, the Trojans have their hands full once again, and going against the Rams should be tough; CSU made the NCAA Tournament as an at-large team last season, the same as USC.

Andy Enfield’s team has won five in a row to move to 9-3 and this is the final non-conference game for both teams.

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Week 7 DPI Rankings: Lobos Rising After Six-Game Streak

It was back to non-conference play last week for the Mountain West. Not everybody was in action—and some who were now wish they hadn’t been.

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Week 7 DPI Rankings: Lobos Rising After Six-Game Streak

The top two stand pat, but plenty of movement below

Contact/Follow @andrewdieckhoff & @MWCwire

New Mexico, Boise State climbing in the latest DPI rankings for Week 7

It was back to non-conference play last week for the league’s affiliate members on the heels of the opening salvo to the long Mountain West season. Not everybody was in action—and some now wish they hadn’t been.

But it wasn’t all misery.

Some teams are making big strides, including one squad trying to make a move into the uppermost echelon of the MWC.

Below are the DPI rankings heading into the heart of Week 7. If you’re new to the rankings or just want a refresher, head here for a rundown of how the DPI is calculated. The ratings below reflect games played through Tuesday, December 17. As always, non-Division I games are not counted in the DPI.

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#1 — SAN DIEGO STATE AZTECS

Last Week: #1

The Aztecs moved to the #1 spot in the Mountain West last week and with no games since their close shave against San Jose State, they haven’t moved much up or down. Brian Dutcher’s team is still undefeated and boasts one of the best defenses in the country. Malachi Flynn’s star turn has propelled SDSU into the national polls, along with the play of Matt Mitchell, Yanni Wetzell, and Jordan Schakel. If KJ Feagin can provide a little more offense, this team could really turn in a special season.

#2 — UTAH STATE AGGIES

Last Week: #2

It’s been a bit of a rough patch for the Aggies over the past few games. They still have one of the two best rosters in the league, but they aren’t quite living up to preseason expectations so far. After losing to Saint Mary’s and looking underwhelming in their first two Mountain West games, Utah State fell to BYU on Saturday in Salt Lake City. It was only their second loss, but it’s a missed opportunity for a good out-of-conference win to put on their NCAA Tournament resume.

#3 — NEW MEXICO LOBOS

Last Week: #4

The Lobos have won six straight after toppling New Mexico State and Grand Canyon since the last DPI rankings were posted here. Though they aren’t playing at the level of SDSU just yet, this patchwork roster of homegrown talent and incoming transfers has performed admirably in the early going. JaQuan Lyle has been everything that Paul Weir could have wanted and more. Oh, and Carlton Bragg is averaging a double-double. So far, so good.

#4 — NEVADA WOLF PACK

Last Week: #3

The Wolf Pack looked like they were starting to turn a corner over the past few weeks, winning five straight games on either side of Thanksgiving. But last week, Nevada was the second casualty of BYU’s surge, along with Utah State and UNLV. The offense had been clicking on all cylinders, but immediately downshifted from a 100-point performance against Air Force to a 42-point outing against the Cougars. That kind of volatility that makes it tough to trust Steve Alford’s club.

#5 — BOISE STATE BRONCOS

Last Week: #6

Leon Rice is getting things back on track in Boise, but outside of their win over BYU—before Yoeli Childs came back, of course—the Broncos haven’t really beaten anybody. It was another rocky showing for Boise State last week, with a midweek loss to Tulsa preceding a blowout win over Alabama State. Derrick Alston is averaging 21 points and Justinian Jessup is finding his form. But the starting five is not the problem here; Rice’s team suffers from a lack of depth.

#6 — COLORADO STATE RAMS

Last Week: #5

The Rams jumped out to a promising start, but they’ve lost three of their past four games, including both of their opening Mountain West bouts. Mixed in there was a 72-68 win over South Dakota State, and while the Jackrabbits are not a bad squad by any means, that they played CSU so closely gives a good indication of where the Rams are right now. Niko Medved’s team gave in-state rivals Colorado a run for their money, but ultimately fell 56-48 over the weekend.

#7 — AIR FORCE FALCONS

Last Week: #8

The defense still leaves a lot to be desired, but recently, the Falcons have been getting better results than they did during a rough November. The new month has been kinder to the cadets, with Air Force winning four of its past five (Note: Tuesday’s 99-42  win over Johnson & Wales is not counted in the DPI). AJ Walker has taken an important step forward as an offensive option. The sophomore was averaging 20 points per game over the past three games coming into Tuesday.

#8 — FRESNO STATE BULLDOGS

Last Week: #10

Justin Huston finally got his team to a second Division I win on Saturday against Cal Poly. But the bigger story here is the seven losses that they have already incurred. Nate Grimes is doing exactly what was expected of him so far, averaging a double-double with 13.5 points and 10.4 rebounds per night. Guards Jarred Hyder and New Williams both have some good performances under their belts, but they haven’t been able to click at the same time. That needs to change.

#9 — UNLV RUNNIN’ REBELS

Last Week: #9

The Rebels didn’t play last week, so the bad taste of the 33-point loss to BYU back has been lingering for a week and a half. There have been a lot of close calls, with UNLV playing in four separate overtime games so far. They are shooting under 42% from the field and turning the ball over 15 times a night. Games against Pacific and Robert Morris this week offer TJ Otzelberger the chance to start making some headway in his first year at the helm.

#10 — WYOMING COWBOYS

Last Week: #7

Allen Edwards got his Cowboys out to a 3-3 start, but they have dropped five straight games, including their most recent defeat at the hands of Northern Colorado. The Bears didn’t just sneak past Wyoming, either—the Big Sky hopefuls handed the home team a 21-point drubbing at Arena-Auditorium. The defense has been fair to middling, but the offense has been dreadful thus far. The Cowboys are shooting under 50% on two-pointers and just over 30% on threes.

#11 — SAN JOSÉ STATE SPARTANS

Last Week: #11

There’s a bit of a running joke around here about which Spartan is most likely to transfer next year, since the sputtering Spartans have seen five double-digit scorers depart in the past three offseasons—including Brandon Clarke, who parlayed his post-SJSU star turn at Gonzaga into a budding NBA career. All jokes aside, Seneca Knight has separated himself as the Spartans’ top option, scoring 12.5 points per game. Hopefully the sophomore can remain an important building block for Jean Prioleau.

That’s it for this week. Check back next week to see who’s rising and falling in the Mountain West and be sure to visit the Dieckhoff Power Index daily for updated rankings on all 353 teams in Division I basketball.

Andrew is a current USBWA member, covering college basketball for multiple outlets, including Mountain West Wire of the USA TODAY Sports Media Group and Busting Brackets of the FanSided Network. He also runs the Dieckhoff Power Index, a college basketball analytics system, and provides bracketology predictions throughout the season.

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