In 2021, USC reached the Elite Eight. The Trojans came one game short of the Final Four by making Drake, Kansas, and Oregon look really disjointed on offense and throwing those three teams out of rhythm. An active defense with a lot of length and hustle threw a monkey wrench into three opponents’ plans.
In 2022, USC won the most regular-season games of any Trojan team in history by winning a constant stream of close, ugly games. USC’s ability to play improved defense in the final five to seven minutes of a game carried the Trojans through a number of very close contests. The Trojans didn’t produce 40-minute masterpieces — not very often, at least — but in endgame situations, their defense answered the call. The 2021 team was similarly resolute in big moments during the Pac-12 regular season.
USC basketball under Andy Enfield might not be the most gorgeous work of art you have ever seen, but that’s part of the point: While UCLA and Arizona attract the elite talent, USC will unavoidably need to scrap and fight for everything it gets, at least until the Trojans (with Isaiah Collier next season, perhaps) get the elite playmaker who can create an elite offense. The Trojans simply can’t beat good teams if they aren’t hustling for every loose ball and don’t make a lot of high-effort plays. It might be a little ugly and choppy, but it works.
If the effort is there, the Trojans will be fine as long as their shooting percentages don’t plummet.
This is how USC defeated Auburn.
The Trojans hit 46 percent of their shots and made 81.5 percent of 27 free throws. Those two stats, combined with 23 forced Auburn turnovers — including six steals from Kobe Johnson — will lead to a USC win nearly every time. Auburn put up a fight, but USC’s effort plays, including a number of key offensive rebounds, made the difference.
The ending was dramatic and tense. USC can’t do things the easy way under Enfield … but it ultimately gets the job done much more often than not.
Live with the aesthetic limitations. USC basketball showed against Auburn it still has that winning knack, which is ultimately what matters. The Trojans have given themselves a chance to achieve something this season.
[mm-video type=video id=01gm9qwfp301nx1fxmsa playlist_id=none player_id=01f5k5y2jb3twsvdg4 image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01gm9qwfp301nx1fxmsa/01gm9qwfp301nx1fxmsa-5f1ce800029f353b16aab280fdc8f9aa.jpg]
[listicle id=54095]