The USC basketball program was rattled a month ago when it was revealed that an assistant coach was involved in the FBI investigation into improper payments to recruits in a layered relationship with shoe companies, whose money was meant to steer recruits to certain schools. That was a major distraction and source of concern, but now the season is about ready to begin, and USC has one of the more loaded teams in the country.
Offseason Changes
Charles O’Bannon Jr. and Jordan Usher are high-publicity freshmen who could make important contributions to the Trojans this season, but the main feature of this team is not the actual changes to the roster, but how few there are. A number of players who were considered NBA Draft prospects instead chose to stay in school for one more year. Two of the more prominent examples of those kinds of players are Bennie Boatwright and Chimezie Metu. They realized they had to work on their games more before making the transition to the pro game. They also felt they had unfinished business at USC, a school which has not tasted a lot of basketball success in its history. This stability in the lineup should enable the Trojans to become one of the two best teams in the Pac-12 and make a real run at a very high NCAA Tournament seed in March.
Will Succeed If…
Point guard Jordan McLaughlin is on top of his game. McLaughlin had a very strong sophomore season but regressed as a junior. He wasn’t able to get to the basket with great consistency. He wasn’t able to shoot his jumper dependably. He lost the precision and the extra burst which marked his game in the 2015-2016 season. His junior year was a bust, and it’s why USC’s NCAA Tournament seed was 11 instead of the No. 8 seed it gained the year before. If McLaughlin bounces back and plays at a much higher level than what he demonstrated last season, the rest of USC’s roster should benefit. McLaughlin wil draw a lot of attention from defenses if he shows he can regularly score. That would enable other USC players to exist in one-on-one situations and own greater odds of succeeding in their own right.
Won’t Succeed If…
The three-point shooting isn’t up to par. USC has a lot of size and length, but it will need players to hit shots from the perimeter. The Trojans were not a steady team behind the arc last season, and since they have a number of guys who either like to post up or are more comfortable scoring closer to the baket, it is no easy matter for USC to develop quality three-point shooting. The team will need two players to step forward in this category when the regular season begins.
Roster
Shaqquan Aaron
Jordan Usher
Jonah Mathews
Harrison Henderson
Chimezie Metu
Derryck Thornton
Jordan McLaughlin
Devin Fleming
Charles O’Bannon Jr.
Kurt Karis
De’Anthony Melton
Bennie Boatwright
Elijah Stewart
Nick Rakocevic
Victor Uyaelunmo
Schedule & Outlook
USC has a couple of tests in non-conference play that will give us an idea of who they are. They’ll have to go to Vanderbilt on November 19th followed by a home game with No. 25 Texas A&M on November 26th. Playing Oklahoma in a neutral-site affair on December 8th won’t be a breeze either. Other than those three matchups, they really won’t have to sweat too much until they hit the Pac-12 conference play, which gets underway on Friday, December 29th when Washington visits.
Arizona is the only Pac-12 team which is clearly better than USC. The Trojans have depth and length and a commitment to defense, three enormously important ingredients for any program. USC should be able to get at least a number five seed for the NCAA Tournament, if not higher. Getting to the Sweet 16 is a big goal for this program. If it doesn’t reach the goal, it will come very close.
The 2018 March Madness futures are out. There has been plenty of news to keep up with in the offseason but keep an eye on the betting lines as they move around at Diamond Sportsbook! Get the latest college basketball betting lines right here.
