USC looks for NCAA Tournament encore statement against Miami

After last year’s Elite Eight run, No. 7 seed Trojans feel like respect is lacking going into Friday’s first-rounder

Adam Grosbard (OC Register)  —  GREENVILLE, S.C. — On Friday, the USC men’s basketball team will begin its second consecutive NCAA Tournament, though head coach Andy Enfield likes to point out it would be three straight Big Dances for the Trojans if the COVID-19 pandemic had not canceled the 2020 event.

But even after last year’s Elite Eight run, after Evan Mobley went No. 3 in the NBA draft, after tying the program record for wins in a season with a 26-7 mark, and as the No. 7 seed Trojans prepare for their 12:10 p.m. PT first-round game against No. 10 seed Miami in South Carolina, there’s a sense of exasperation that the team is still fighting for the next level of credibility.

“They never give us our respect,” guard Max Agbonkpolo said. “I feel even UCLA will do one thing well towards our five things we did as well and then they get the respect. I don’t even know. I ask myself all the time, ‘When we will get our respect?’”

USC has been ranked in the AP poll since the second week of the season, entering this week at No. 22. Half of the Trojans’ wins came away from the Galen Center, and USC went 4-4 in Quadrant 1 opportunities.

But three losses in the final two weeks building up to the tournament – one to Pac-12 champion and No. 1 seed Arizona and two to No. 4 seed UCLA – convinced the NCAA Selection Committee not to reward USC for its season, instead sending the Trojans across the country to play a Miami team that needed just a two-hour flight to reach Greenville.

Enfield expressed some understanding for the situation. Growing up in Pennsylvania, he did not watch USC basketball because the games were on so late on that side of the country. So he chalked it up to a lack of awareness rather than an actual bias against West Coast basketball.

“It’s out of our control. We’re just going to control what we can control and go from there,” forward Isaiah Mobley said. “I feel like when we start winning, people will like begin to respect us more.”

That mission will begin Friday against the Hurricanes (23-10). Offensively, Miami presents a unique challenge for USC. The Hurricanes’ four guards – led by sixth-year senior Kameron McGusty – all are capable scorers. They flank Sam Waardenburg, a big who can stretch the floor and put extra pressure on the USC defense by creating space in the paint for the guards to attack.

And while Miami is not a particularly intimidating defense, the Hurricanes do try to create deflections and steals to disrupt opposing offenses. It’s similar to the style USC saw last week in the Pac-12 quarterfinals against Washington.

“Well, we handled Washington’s pressure really well. We only turned over 23 times instead of 24,” Enfield cracked. “We’ve been an inside-outside team all season, and we have to have our best players play well.”

One area where USC has a clear advantage over Miami is rebounding. The Trojans were top-25 nationally in rebounding margin this season; the Hurricanes allowed opponents to collect 30.3% of available offensive rebounds.

USC could get a reinforcement or two for the first round, as well.

Enfield described guards Reese Dixon-Waters (groin) and Isaiah White (wrist) as day-to-day, with final decisions on their availability to be decided Thursday night.

While White did not participate in USC’s open shootaround Thursday, Dixon-Waters (21) was moving around through drills and taking shots, though he did not take part in the alley-oop line. The redshirt freshman has proved to be a valuable reserve this season and would be especially helpful against the guard-heavy Hurricanes.

Perhaps a win over Miami helps USC gain some ground in the national conversation. But if not, that’s not the most important thing this weekend.

“It’s win or go home at this point,” guard Drew Peterson said. “We’re just focusing on every next game and let the play speak for itself.”

ocregister.com

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