Trojans need to show strength
USC has spent the last two days of practice confronting an uncomfortable reality. The Trojans’ best offensive player, forward Bennie Boatwright, is expected to miss six weeks because of a sprained knee ligament.
But Coach Andy Enfield said he hasn’t agonized over how USC (7-0) will fill Boatwright’s scoring void.
“We have enough guys that like to shoot the ball,” Enfield said, laughing. “So I’m not worried about that.”
Another cause for assurance: USC’s light nonconference slate has provided a cushion. The Trojans’ early schedule posed only three major tests; they passed the first two, with a win at Texas A&M and at home over Southern Methodist.
The only major hurdle remaining comes Saturday against Brigham Young in the nightcap of a doubleheader at Staples Center that also has a reprise of the Gonzaga-Arizona rivalry.
A win would tie USC’s best start to a season since 1971, when it began 16-0. It would also chart the Trojans on a course to potentially finish the nonconference season undefeated. After the BYU contest, five games remain before the start of the Pac-12 season. USC should be the favorite in all five.
Such a schedule, though, can provide little room for error. USC’s strength of schedule is 296th in the nation (out of 351). To stay competitive with the NCAA tournament selection committee at the end of the season, USC needs to hit on almost all of its early opportunities against winning teams, making games like the one against BYU (5-2) more crucial.
“We’ve got a couple of good wins on our schedule,” point guard Jordan McLaughlin said. “And we haven’t had any bad losses. So it’ll all be good.”
Enfield believed he sufficiently challenged his team with the home-and-home series against Texas A&M and SMU.
Those teams combined to win 53 games last season, but Enfield’s coaching peers have not judged USC’s record charitably. Texas A&M, which has two losses, received more votes in the coaches’ poll than USC, which is undefeated.
Enfield said that the Trojans aren’t “worried about getting noticed. We’re just worried about winning.”
“That’s fine if we don’t get ranked all year,” McLaughlin added. “We’ll just make sure we win as many games as we can.”
Boatwright’s absence adds a degree of difficulty. Enfield said USC will alternate between big and small lineups to compensate. In Boatwright’s earlier absence, 6-foot-11 Nick Rakocevic started along with Chimezie Metu, who is also 6-11. Enfield said that is his preferred lineup, even though it probably would force USC to play more inside than on the perimeter.
USC can also play with four guards by inserting freshman point guard De’Anthony Melton, who has showed promise, and running a two-point-guard system, as the Trojans did last season. In that scenario, wing Shaqquan Aaron would play in the frontcourt, and USC would use more zone defense, McLaughlin said.
McLaughlin was confident USC could adapt.
“Our offense is not designed through one person,” he said. “It’s not an iso offense. It’s a team offense.”