Boogie Ellis can’t be expected to carry the USC offense in the NCAA tournament
Boogie Ellis shoots around UCLA’s Jaime Jaquez Jr. during the Pac-12 tournament semifinal. (John Locher / AP)
Ryan Kartje (LA Times) — This time, there would be no escape.
As the crosstown rivals met for their rubber match, the cold realities of March would offer a stern reminder to USC. Slip up once, and your record-breaking season could soon be over.
UCLA got the better of USC in their third meeting Friday, and as both enter March Madness with their eyes on another deep run, it’s the Trojans who have the most questions hanging over them.
Here’s what we learned after USC’s 69-59 loss against UCLA:
USC has no worries on Selection Sunday. But after that …
The Trojans might be comfortably in the field, but nothing about the last two weeks should leave them feeling comfortable heading into the NCAA tournament.
The offense has been stagnant. USC’s top scorers have been inconsistent. And the defense hasn’t been enough to overcome either. Even when the Trojans have won over the past month, they’ve done so by the skin of their teeth, escaping in the final minutes.
That strategy isn’t usually a successful one this time of year. All it takes is one slip-up for USC to be sent packing, and the Trojans have been particularly prone to those types of problems lately.
Fortunately for USC, its invite isn’t incumbent on its performance the last two weeks. The Trojans still won 25 games in the regular season, a school record. That counts for something.
Most bracket projections have USC in the range of a sixth or a seventh seed. UCLA coach Mick Cronin called that likely seeding “ridiculously low” and attributed it to “West Coast bias.” But the truth is USC is nowhere near peaking at the most important point of its season. Unless it can turn things around soon, it could be headed for an early exit.
UCLA had better defense, rattling USC inside
All season, USC hung its hat on defense. Its interior work was especially strong given its extraordinary size and length. Inside the arc, few defenses in college basketball have been better this season.
But Friday night, it was UCLA that made its presence known around the paint. Bruin big man Myles Johnson helped shut down USC on the interior, leaving Isaiah Mobley unable to make much of an impact around the basket. Mobley finished with just nine points, while fellow forward Chevez Goodwin was even less of a factor, finishing with five points on two-of-seven shooting.
USC made just four of 17 shots inside the arc during the first half on its way to just 28 points. Without a consistent presence inside, the Trojans were left scrambling, settling for perimeter shots as their offense struggled to settle into a rhythm.
Coach Andy Enfield saw no reason for concern. “We just have to finish some of those,” he said. “It’s nothing they did.”
But what was once a clear advantage for USC certainly no longer seems that way.
USC limited its turnovers but offense still struggled
Sure, it’s not hard to improve on 23 turnovers. But USC’s nine giveaways Friday night actually ranked among its lowest turnover totals of the season.
That was the good news. The problem is it didn’t matter much. USC still struggled to move the ball and often found itself relying on Boogie Ellis to make plays in isolation. The crafty ball movement that USC has flashed at its best was nowhere to be found. The Trojans finished with a meager six assists, their lowest total of the season.
“We need a higher assist total for us to reach our potential offensively,” Enfield said. “We just need to be more efficient.”
Where that efficiency might come from is a legitimate question. Ellis isn’t exactly the floor general type, and neither Drew Peterson nor Mobley has proved themselves as entirely capable catalysts. USC may have to figure it out on the fly, as it continues to question who should initiate the offense.
Ellis kept USC alive again. He’s going to need help
By the end of Friday’s loss, after he’d poured in a career-high, Ellis was out of breath. As he leaned back into a defensive stance, USC’s point guard was exhausted.
It wasn’t hard to see why. Ellis played his heart out as the Trojans’ only consistent offensive threat, scoring 27 points, 16 more than any other player in USC’s rotation.
His recent surge is a good sign for USC as it seeks to find anyone capable of scoring on a consistent basis. Ellis had 44 points over two games in the Pac-12 tournament, putting the Trojans offense completely on his back.
But if Ellis is USC’s only consistent scorer, then the Trojans are in trouble. USC isn’t built for that. It needs multiple options to be able to keep up with more prolific offenses. Against UCLA, though, there was no one else.
Mobley scored nine points. Peterson scored 11. Both will need to be more of a factor next week, if USC has any chance of advancing.
latimes.com
_________
TrojanDailyBlog members — Always feel free to add information or new topics to the TDB which don’t necessarily pertain to any particular moderator post or member comment.
No sweet 16 this year, folks. Spring Football and Coach Riley—let’s bring it on!
Those losses at the end of the season kind of put Enfield and his team in a tough position. For the heck of it I am sticking with the Pac12, Arizona to win it all.
USC is headed back to the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament.
The Trojans earned a 7-seed in the NCAA Tournament and will face 10-seed Miami (FL) in Greenville, SC in the Midwest region on Friday at 12:10pm on Tru TV
UCLA is number 4 in the East Region and will play Akron. Arizona is number 1 in the South Region.
With the exception of last year when SC had Evan Mobley, NBA ROY candidate this year, Enfield’s teams always fade at the end of the season. Somehow the focus changes from Defense which gets USC in a position to advance to Offense and one guy trying to be the hero. Just makes me shake my head, year in and year out.
rlee, I saw that you said you grew up in Glendale. I grew up in La Crescenta. You are probably the only person (other than me) who knows where that is! Enfield seems to be improving. We do not know what his ceiling is. I watched UCLA and AZ last night. Both teams have significantly better talent than SC has (particularly AZ). Enfield is bringing in a top 10 recruiting class. Last year’s team maxed out at the Elite 8, which was probably their potential ceiling. This year’s team seems to have a Sweet 16 ceiling (depending on match ups).… Read more »
RJJ, I also grew up in La Crescenta, went to Crescenta Valley High, and I also used to assume no one knew where it was. My dad and uncle owned Spike Jones Market (Spike was my uncle). It was a great place to grow up. I feel very fortunate.
San Diego, Really unusual to meet on this board two guys raised in La Crescenta! I went to St. Francis High in La Canada. When I went to SC Law School, I attended with three of my high school classmates. I agree it was a great place to live and feel extremely blessed to have been raised where I was, in the family I was, at the the time I was. And, I remember Spike Jones Market.
I actually grew up for the first 7 years in La Crescenta, right behind the nursery on a street named Urquidez. We then moved to Sacramento for 5 years and then back to Glendale when my Grandfather, Senator Frank Weller, USC Law 1917 and USC Law LLM 1919, passed away. I attended Glendale High and played Water Polo and then Football. CV always beat us in both but we had the upper hand in Basketball during 1972-3 under our Coach Bill Westphal (Paul’s older brother who played forward for USC in the mid 1960s). SMALL WORLD as San Diejo Trojan… Read more »
This is one of those really odd coincidences. Three guys from La Crescenta meeting on the same Trojan football board.
Definitely a small world rlee and RJJ. I graduated from CV in 1976 and had friends and family affiliated with both St Francis and Glendale high. I almost went to St Francis growing up Catholic and attending Holy Redeemer Elementary. My cousin Gary taught at St Francis and I knew many who went there. My good friend at CV, Chris, was a standout Water Polo player and he ended up teaching at Glendale. Both of your schools always excelled in sports, and had many great athletes come out of there. Much respect. I lived off of Castle road which is… Read more »
It looks to me that the schedule USC had is now exposing them. The pre conference games were not challenging and as they hit conference games they became mediocre. Now is not the time to be in a shooting slump, but it fits. Enfield needs a couple of really good shooters to take the pressure off of the other 3 on the floor. Enfield has his way of coaching but for some reason has not come up with a chemistry that works consistently.
Another Trojan’s USC hoops viewpoint: “Instead of worrying about offense, it’s the defense we should be concerned with. Enfield prefers to play players who can score over those who are willing to play tough-nosed defense and take care of the ball. Isaiah White and Chevez give us the emotional boost. But they don’t play in crunch time because they don’t score. Meanwhile, Peterson is turning the ball over and won’t give Mobley the ball when Jacquez can’t stop him. We settle for 3s and don’t rebound. It’s a stupid formula. Kobe Johnson makes plays on defense and is a point… Read more »