USC is excited to still be playing, get shot at Kansas on big stage
The NCAA Tournament this year is a unique bonding experience for teammates. Confined to a solitary hotel floor, USC’s players have congregated in each other’s hotel rooms during off hours to watch games together. Saturday night after defeating Drake in the first round, the Trojans gathered to watch Abilene Christian-Texas.
But former teammates who missed out on a similar
experience a year ago aren’t far from the Trojans’ minds, either.
Last year’s seniors — Nick Rakocevic, Jonah Mathews, Quinton Adlesh and Daniel Utomi — have been in touch to encourage players like Isaiah Mobley in the NCAA Tournament, an opportunity that was taken away from USC
at the start of the pandemic last March.
“Just saying, ‘ball out, have fun out there,’” Mobley said. “I’m also just keeping in mind last year not getting this opportunity. So I just try to take advantage of every moment out here.”
The sixth-seeded Trojans (23-7) will try to stay on the dance floor tonight against third-seeded Kansas (21-8) in the Round of 32.
It’s one of the few course corrections of this pandemic season. The late start to the college basketball season meant that USC’s nonconference trip to play the Jayhawks at Allen Fieldhouse in November was canceled.
Instead, the two programs will meet at a different historic arena, Hinkle Fieldhouse, with a trip to the Sweet Sixteen on the line.
Kansas looked a little shaky in its opening win over
Eastern Washington. The Eagles took an early lead over the Jayhawks, playing in their first game since withdrawing from the Big 12 tournament due to COVID-19 complications.
It took some time for the Jayhawks to get back in rhythm before closing out a 93-84 win. Ironically, the one player who seemed ready from the jump was junior forward David McCormack, who didn’t arrive in Indianapolis until Thursday after getting out of contact tracing protocol.
The 6-foot-10, 265-pound McCormack was his usual imposing self against Eastern Washington, scoring 22 points on 9-for-15 shooting. He came a rebound short of a double-double while recording a pair of assists and a pair of steals.
Mobley and his brother Evan had some battles with McCormack back during their AAU days. Isaiah Mobley said one thing he learned from those encounters is you need to account for McCormack
at all times, even when he doesn’t have the ball in his hands, because of his ability to grab offensive rebounds (2.8 per game).
“McCormack is a different type of big than Evan. He’s more of a low block, physical, duck in guy,” Enfield said, noting his players will have to utilize their quickness to combat his physicality. “McCormack is as good a big as we’ve faced all season.”
Kansas will get forward Jalen Wilson back from quarantine today, head coach Bill Self told reporters on Sunday. The freshman forward is Kansas’ leading rebounder and averages 12.1 points per game.
It all sets up the type of game players like Mobley hope for when they dream of the NCAA Tournament: A blue-blood opponent, a historic setting and a juicy prize.
“This is definitely what you live for. If this game doesn’t give you any motivation, I don’t think college basketball is the sport for you,” Mobley said.