The USC Trojans avoided what would have been a really bad loss to the Brown Bears on Sunday evening. That’s the good news. The bad news: just about everything else about that game.
Yes, the big three of Isaiah Collier, Boogie Ellis, and Kobe Johnson scored 66 points. Ellis and Johnson were back in the lineup after missing the game against UC Irvine. The Trojans lost to Irvine, showing how weak they are when two of their three best players are off the floor. That Irvine loss also showed that if USC’s backcourt is thin, the frontcourt is not going to save the day.
D.J. Rodman went 0 for 8 against Irvine. He didn’t play on Sunday against Brown, but when he was available against Irvine on a night when USC needed his help, he didn’t perform well.
With Rodman out against Brown, Josh Morgan and Kijani Wright needed to pick up the slack while Vince Iwuchukwu — bothered by injuries and unable to be a full participant in offseason workouts — works his way back into shape with limited minutes.
It didn’t go well.
Morgan got into early foul trouble and never found an offensive rhythm. He scored two points and did not hit a single field goal attempt in 19 minutes. Wright posted a meager two points and did not collect a rebound in 13 minutes. That’s four points in 32 minutes with Rodman unavailable.
USC frontcourt players (forwards and centers) provided only 12 of USC’s 81 points against Brown. The Bears have an undersized frontcourt with two starters who are 6-foot-8. USC has more size and length and should be able to play over the top against smaller opponents, but against Brown, that didn’t happen.
Andy Enfield and his staff have to find a way to get their frontcourt more involved on offense so that defenses can’t overplay Isaiah Collier and Boogie Ellis. Lob passes to the rim for layups or dunks would seem to be a way for Collier to punish defenses and get Morgan more involved in the offense, but that hasn’t happened so far this season.
Morgan in particular needs to be able to produce while Iwuchukwu gets back into playing shape. Notably, however, Morgan’s foul trouble on Sunday gave Iwuchukwu 19 minutes of playing time, which is more than Enfield and USC anticipated. Iwuchukwu hit five free throws and scored seven second-half points, an encouraging sign. If Iwuchukwu can get fully healthy and become a 25-minutes-per-game player who makes significant contributions at both ends of the floor, USC’s situation can improve considerably. However, Iwuchukwu still needs time to regain his stamina and get more minutes.
Until that happens, Josh Morgan and Kijani Wright need to do more to help this team.
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