Current Pac-12 Standings

Feb 10, 2013; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Southern California Trojans guard J.T. Terrell (20) reacts after the game against the Washington Huskies at the Galen Center. USC defeated Washington 71-60. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee/USA TODAY Sports

The USC Trojans have defeated Utah, Oregon State, Washington State, Washington, Stanford, and UCLA in conference play this season. The Trojans have lost some close games as well, including an overtime thriller to Arizona State and to, at the time red-hot, Oregon by two only points.

After losing your head coach after 17 games and playing without your leading scorer from last season, in Maurice Jones, most programs would have been left in complete disarray. Plus, let’s not forget that USC only won one conference game in the entire 2011-2012 season.

In the non-conference, USC struggled against ranked opponents and even lost in embarrassing fashion to UC Irvine, the school that Eric Wise transfered away from.  Yet, the Trojans have picked up the intensity in league play and are starting to play like the team that we all expected before the season.

After falling to Arizona by 24 points, which actually seemed closer than the game indicated, the Trojans were left for dead as a team searching for a true identity. USC will now travel to Palo Alto and Berkley this week with a chance to gain a top-four spot in the Pac-12, possibly clinching a bye in the first round of action.

How is this possible you may ask? The Trojans theoretically have the schedule in place to win the Pac-12; it’s a long shot but the combination of home games and winnable road games makes anything possible. All of this debate is of course predicated on USC continuing to play up-tempo ball like they have under Bob Cantu.

Feb 14 at Stanford                                   USC Won Previous Meeting 71-69

USC came from behind in the second half, shutting down leading-scorer Chasson Randle. The Trojans were led by 15 clutch points from Jio Fontan, including the game winner with 4 seconds remaining. Chass Bryan played a critical 24 minutes scoring 10 points off the bench for USC. The only issue of concern was that Stanford dominated the bench department, earning 43 points from their second unit.

Feb 17 at California                                USC Lost Previous Meeting 72-64

USC actually outplayed Cal for most of the game, but failed to capitalize on their chances from the free-throw line. The Trojans shot 8-18 (44%) from the charity stripe and could only muster two 3-PT in the contest. Despite their poor shooting performance, Cal was only leading by three at half, needing a nearly flawless night from Allen Crabbe (9-12) to seal the Golden Bears victory.

Feb 24 vs. UCLA                                      USC Won Previous Meeting 75-71 in OT

USC went into Pauley and played arguably their best game of the season in the first 35 minutes. When the game turned into the Shabazz Muhammad show, things got ugly for USC. Luckily for the Trojans, they found a huge matchup advantage for Eric Wise and Aaron Fuller versus the Wear twins.

Feb 27 vs. No. 7 Arizona                       USC Lost Previous Meeting 74-50 in OT

USC came out flat against Arizona, after scoring 93 against ASU and were bound to struggle from the field. Outside of that fact, not much else can be taken from this contest. A hungry Arizona squad that had just lost to UCLA combined with a poor-shooting night totally misrepresented the differences between these squads.

Mar 2 vs. ASU                                          USC Lost Previous Meeting 98-93 in OT

USC shot the lights out from the field, lead by J.T. Terrell and Jio Fontan to battle step for step with the Sun Devils. Fontan, Terrell and Wise were all stroking from the field, combining for 64 points on the night, including 12-22 from downtown. That type of performance can not be expected again, but the confidence against the Sun Devils will translate well to the home matchup in March.

Mar 6 vs. WASH                                     USC Won Previous Meeting 71-60

USC was making shots with ease in the first half against Washington while distributing the ball between eight scorers. Bob Cantu has emphasized tempo and ball pressure on offense and USC was able to attack the Huskies defense with ease for most of the game. The only concern would be the zone that Head Coach Lorenzo Romar instituted in the second-half that gave the Trojans fits.

Mar 9 vs. WSU                                         USC Won Previous Meeting 72-68

USC played a very uninspired basketball against Washington State and was lucky to escape with the victory. This is the one game that looks most perplexing because of the fact that we were at home, and had just come off a great win over UCLA. That being said, Jio Fontan and JT Terrell made the big shots in the second-half to secure the victory and continue the current winning streak.

Regular Season Prediction:

Looking at this schedule, USC could possibly win all seven of these contests. The road games are always daunting, but luckily the Trojans have fared well against all of these opponents. Some of the Trojans toughest matchups, in terms of skill sets, will be played at home.

This dynamic will make for an exciting three week stretch as the USC Trojans look to cement a strong seeding in the Pac-12 Conference. I see USC defeating Stanford, UCLA, ASU, Washington and WSU to finish the season. That would leave USC with a record of 11-7 in the Pac-12 with most likely a six seed coming their way.

Aaron Fuller made his biggest contribution on the night with six seconds to play, as the Trojans survived 69-68 over Oregon State. J.T. Terrell kept his composure in the final seconds, making the game-winning assist to Aaron Fuller who sunk a layup for the victory.

Bob Cantu earned his first victory as USC Men’s Basketball Head Coach, after agonizingly watching his team blow a 15-point second half lead.

The Trojans came out firing early and often, playing lights-out basketball for most of the first half. USC jumped out to a 10-4 lead behind strong shooting from its most important players. Byron Wesley led the cause scoring a season-high 19 points, including 12 crucial first half points.

Aggressive play on both sides of the court, alongside a refreshing grace of ball movement made the Trojans play much more relaxed in the first half. To cap off the exciting half of action, James Blasczyk rebounded a miss shot and put back a monster slam dunk pushing the lead to eight.

The Trojans shot 51 percent from the field in the first half and more importantly only missed one free throw.  In somewhat of a surprising move, Omar Oraby got the start for USC but played ineffectively, committing two turnovers while also coming up very small on the boards during his 15 minutes of action.

USC followed up the Blasczyk dunk on a 7-0 run to open the second half, extending their lead to 46-31 with 18 minutes to play in the game. Oregon State fire back on a 17-2 run of their own, tying the game at 48.

The Beavers switch from man into a suffocating full-court pressure wreaked havoc on the USC Trojans offense. Jio Fontan suffered the most from the pressure, committing 10 turnovers in the contest, the most in his career.

Not only was Oregon State rugged, but they began to drive to the rack and score at will. Roberto Nelson carried the Beavers offense in the second half scoring 26 points on the night, including a perfect 10-10 from the charity stripe.

The Trojans and Beavers began a grueling stretch with 3:44 to play featuring eight lead changes. Eric Wise played outstanding down the stretch for the Trojans scoring seven of his 19 total points in the final five minutes of action.

With 30 seconds to play down by one point, J.T. Terrell attempted to feed a bounce pass down low to Omar Oraby which sailed wide, turning the ball over to Oregon State. Luckily for the Trojans, Oregon State returned the favor when Wise stole the inbounds pass and scored to take the lead.

Burton played a strong game himself, scoring 16 points on 7-12 shooting from the field. The big man scored in a variety ways, including some awkward lay ups and hook shots that earned a nice laugh from the crowd.

Sophomore Guard Eric Moreland score three points in 27 minutes, way below his 10 PPG average off the bench. The typically high-flying Oregon State Beavers scored under 70 points for the second straight time, for shockingly only the second time this season.

The Trojans victory moves them into fifth place in the Pac-12 (8-11, 3-3), while the loss continues Oregon State’s grueling five-game losing streak leaving them winless in conference play (10-8, 0-5).

USC has already played better than last year but the Trojans exhibited some troubling signs down the stretch in both games that must be addressed moving forward. Not all was negative however, with some positive aspects that can be taken forward in conference play.

Here are five topics to munch on from USCs performance this week.

Defense Inconsistent

Jan. 3, 2013; Los Angeles, CA, USA; USC Trojans guard Jio Fontan (1) dribbles during the game against the Stanford Cardinal at the Galen Center. USC won 71-69. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

In a perfect summation of the Trojans season, USC exhibited flashes of greatness and flashes of poor rotation and help defense. Although the scores were very similar in both games, taking a deeper look at the box scores highlights some flaws in the Trojans defense.

Against Stanford, USC was dominant on the defensive end of the floor allowing the Cardinal to only shoot 39 percent from the field. What best exemplifies the defensive effort was a strong second half, allowing 27 points while shutting out Stanford’s second-leading scorer Chasson Randle.

Verus Cal, USC played strong first-half defense but struggled to shut down Allen Crabbe in the second half. With 19 points from Crabbe in the second half, Cal pulled away with the victory. The Bears shot 48 percent from the field, but effectively iced the game by shooting 62 percent from downtown.

For USC to improve defensively, effort must be present on a nightly basis. Fans witnessed the best and worst of the Trojans defensive effort in their Pac-12 season opener.

One of the major goals defensively for USC is to allow less than 35 points per half, something the team did in two of the four halves this weekend. On a positive note, USC shut down Stanfords Randle and Cal Justin Cobbs.

Containing opposing guards will be key for USC to survive a strong Pac-12 slate. But, the biggest goal moving forward will be to keep opposing teams in the 60-point range.

Chass Bryan Welcome to the Pac-12

January 5, 2013; Los Angeles, CA, USA; California Golden Bears guard Justin Cobbs (1) defends against Southern California Trojans guard Chass Bryan (13) during the second half at Galen Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

When Byran Welsey left in the second half against Stanford, freshmen guard Chass Bryan delivered. With 10 pivotal points on 5-6 shooting from the field, Bryan sparked the Trojans comeback victory.

Following that 24 minute performance, coach Kevin O’Neil rewarded Bryan with 18 minutes against Cal. Bryan scored four points, but missed on a pivotal opportunity to swing the game in USCs favor.

USC was traling by four when Bryan stole the ball and was driving to the rack for an open layup. Then out of seemingly nowhere, Justin Cobbs rejected the shot and pushes the ball for Cal leading to a scored basket. Unfortunately, that four-point swing will detract from Bryan’s outstanding play in the last two games.

Bryan has responded positively to his increased role, especially when he and Jio Fontan play the dual guard positions. When coach Kevin O’Neil plays both of them, the Trojans become much more electric on offense and the pace of the game picks up for the better.

Wise Is Smartest Option for USC Offense

Eric Wise has thrived in his new role at the small forward position. Now averaging 11.7 points per game on 51-percent shooting, Wise has become the leading scorer and most capable option for USC.

In two Pac-12 games, Wise attempted and made the most shots for the Trojans. Against Stanford, Wise was efficient shooting 50-percent from the field and 66-percent from downtown.

When USC fell behind agains Cal, Wise became the lead scoring option firing up 14 shots. Coming into the season as an afterthought, Wise has overtaken JT Terrell and Omar Oraby as the most important transfer.

Wise can score from anywhere on the court, especially when he uses strength to back down smaller defenders at the small forward positon. With a little more work on his 18-to-20 foot jumper, Wise will begin averaging over 15-points per contest.

More Relaxed Kevin O’Neil 

January 5, 2013; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Southern California Trojans head coach Kevin O

Dewayne Dedmon has played inspired minutes over the last three games, recording his first career double-double yesterday versus Cal. Omar Oraby is starting to pass out of traps better and Jio Fontan is taking control of the team with his veteran leadership.

O’Neill continues to bench JT Terrell but the Trojans new starter, Aaron Fuller, has capitalized on the opportunity. Fuller is averaging is averaging seven points per game in his last three contests, and is playing with constant tenacity.

Although the lineup continues to fluctuate, O’Neill is starting to get the best effort from his previously underperforming roster. This type of effort will get other coaches attention, best noted by head coach Mike Montgomery’s thoughts from last night.

Balanced Scoring

Last season, the bulk of USCs offense would rely on Maurice Jones to score in isolation. This season however, the Trojans have received a balanced scoring effort by moving the basketball.

Against both Cal and Stanford four players scored in double figures. Last night: Dedmon, Wise, Fontan, Wesley carried the Trojans offense combining for 48 of 64 points. Against Stanford: Wise, Fontan, Dedmon and Bryan all scored in double figures sparking the second-half 38-point output.

In Pac-12 play, USC has improved their scoring average posting 67 points per game which is seven over their season average. The Trojans rough non-conference schedule is starting to pay dividends for USC, who has now faced three elite-level team in Minnesota, New Mexico and SDSU. This type of competition has prepared USC for the toughness and athleticism Pac-12 teams will present this season.

Up Next… Rocky Mountain High

USC will travel to Colorado and Utah for a two-game road-trip this week.The Trojans will enter an incredible enviornment at the Coors Event Center in Boulder Colorado against a hungry Buffalo team that was robbed of a victory against No. 3 ranked Arizona Wildcats.

The Utah Utes although weak on paper have a talented center in Jason Washburn, who is averaging 18 points and 14 rebounds in Pac-12 play. This is also a team that lost to red-hot Arizona State in OT, and took Arizona to the wire.