The USC Trojans missed 16 of 17 shots at one point in their Tuesday night game against the Vermont Catamounts in the Galen Center. They looked ugly for long stretches of play. They scored only 22 points in the first half. They trailed by seven points, 30-23, early in the second half.
The effort was there. Players were not being lazy or halfhearted. This was a typically vigorous performance from an Andy Enfield-coached team. He doesn’t allow his players to coast or glide through games. This is what has made USC basketball better in recent seasons. This program doesn’t take shortcuts.
But the games sure can be ugly, and for most of the night against Vermont, USC played ugly basketball.
This was supposed to be a different kind of USC team, a different kind of Andy Enfield team: more shooting, faster pace, more possessions, smaller lineups.
Yet, not much has changed.
USC-Vermont was a cliffhanger featuring lots of defense, inconsistent shooting, a lot of danger for the Trojans, and Drew Peterson coming up clutch.
Peterson caught fire late in the game, rallying USC from a seven-point deficit for a hard-earned 59-57 win. Peterson finished with 20 points, 8 rebounds, and 8 assists to enable the Trojans to dig out a crucial victory. This win over Vermont could look really good in March if the Catamounts make the NCAA Tournament. USC needs good wins to offset the loss to Florida Gulf Coast.
This isn’t a new USC team, but it’s a team which still knows how to compete when things get tough.
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