The Trojans have won four out of the last five games, while UCLA is equally hot losing only one out of their last four contests. To help parse out the facts on the Bruins, Go Joe Bruin lead editor Jeffrey Poirier shares his insight on all things UCLA Basketball. Also make sure to check out our preview on Go Joe Bruin.

UCLA and USC will tip from the Galen Center Sunday at 12:30 on Fox Sports Net 

Jan. 30, 2013; Los Angeles, CA, USA; USC Trojans guard Byron Wesley (22) guards UCLA Bruins guard/forward Shabazz Muhammad (15) in the second half of the game at Pauley Pavilion. USC won 75-71 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

Reign of Troy: In the last meeting, Byron Wesley and Ari Stewart gave Shabazz Muhammad problems in the first half, resulting in a poor shooting performance. What will be Muhammad’s approach to attacking the USC defense, especially with Stewart out?

Go Joe Bruin: Shabazz ended up with 22 points in the last game, but it was on 7-of-18 field goal shooting, so there’s certainly room for improvement this time around. That game was in the midst of a slide for UCLA, which was mostly caused by selfish play on offense from the Bruins’ go-to scorers. Shabazz was the main culprit during that stretch, as he would more often than not dribble into traffic and take a difficult, off-balance shot. And given UCLA’s rebounding struggles, missed shots on short possessions proved deadly. Since then, the Bruins have played much better team basketball, which has resulted in an increase in assists and offensive efficiency. Assuming that positive trend continues, Shabazz and UCLA’s offense should fare much better against USC in the rematch.

RoT: Aaron Fuller and Eric were very efficient against UCLA’s front court, who needs to step up in the paint for the Bruins to limit the second chance points and easy baskets that USC thrived on in the last meeting?

GJB: In order for UCLA to shut down Fuller, Wise and the rest of the Trojans’ scorers, the Bruins will need to play bigger and stronger in the low post and paint. Fuller was particularly troubling in the last game, as he was 6-of-7 from the floor with four offensive rebounds. For UCLA to be successful, the Wear twins will need to protect the rim and prevent USC’s 7-footers from dictating the game. Particularly, Travis Wear will need to step up and attack the boards. He had only five rebounds in 38 minutes in the loss at Pauley Pavilion.

RoT: The Bruins have struggled this season to get production from their bench, and it places added pressure on the talented starting five. What bench player have you seen play better in the last few weeks, that will make a serious impact on Sunday?

GJB: One of the biggest issues for UCLA this season has been depth. The Bruins only have eight scholarship players, and really only play a seven man rotation because of how little freshman Tony Parker sees the court. So finding consistency and stability from a thin bench has been problematic. With that said, I think Norman Powell is the reserve with the best chance to have an impact vs. USC. Powell is extremely athletic, and actually has the highest vertical leap on the team. He is also the Bruins’ best on-ball defender and can get buckets when he attacks the basket. In the first meeting, Powell was a complete non-factor, scoring zero points on 0-of-3 shooting. A large part of the problem was that all three of his attempts were from three-point range. And while he is a pretty solid shooter from deep, he is more valuable driving the lane for higher percentage looks. Powell has been showing more confidence in recent games, so he should be able to find his shot on Sunday.

February 14, 2013; Stanford, CA, USA; USC Trojans forward Dewayne Dedmon (14) looks to the basket during the first half of the game against the Stanford Cardinal at Maples Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Bob Stanton-USA TODAY Sports

RoT: In their last few games, the Bruins have had trouble on the glass. With a much larger USC squad looming, what can the Bruins do to compete in that department? 

GJB: Rebounding ineptitude is nothing new for this UCLA team; it has been an ongoing problem for the entire season. Deficiencies on the glass contributed directly to the Bruins’ losses to Arizona State and USC, both squads with taller front courts. But the unfortunate news for UCLA fans is that the problems have persisted even against equally sized teams. So, when it comes down to it, UCLA has been getting beat on hustle plays and 50-50 balls. And if the Bruins hope to even the season series at the Galen Center, they will need to box out and rebound like they want to win.

RoT: The Bruins looked like two different teams over the weekend, dominating Stanford and getting shot of the gym by Cal. What can UCLA do early in the contest to gain confidence on the road?

GJB: Even I, an avid follower of all things UCLA athletics, can not figure out this Bruins squad sometimes. The last two road trips have been about as up-and-down as you can get. One night UCLA will look like an elite team (i.e., thrashing Arizona in Tucson), then they will turn around and play like a confused group of freshmen two days later (i.e., 18-point loss to Arizona State). In order for UCLA to gain some confidence on Sunday, the Bruins will need to bring the intensity on defense from the opening tip. In the game at Pauley vs. USC, UCLA came storming back to force an improbable overtime session because the defense kicked in late. And because the Bruins thrive in transition, solid defense always leads to productive offense for Ben Howland’s team. If UCLA comes out fired up on defense, the Bruins have a much better shot at building some momentum early on.

RoT: Do you feel like the Bruins have cemented a bid to the NCAA tournament, and if not, what do they need to accomplish before the end of this season.

GJB: At 19-7 with five regular season games to play, I think UCLA is a safe bet for the NCAA Tournament. The only way I see the Bruins missing out on the Big Dance is if they suffer an epic collapse, losing three of the next five games and bowing out of the Pac-12 Tourney in the first round. That seems unlikely, but crazier things have happened. Ultimately, I think UCLA ends up getting seeded in the 6-8 range.

]]> http://reignoftroy.com/2013/02/23/usc-vs-ucla-mens-basketball-qa-with-go-joe-bruin/feed/ 0 http://reignoftroy.com/2013/02/12/usc-basketball-where-trojans-will-rank-come-pac-12-tournament-time/ http://reignoftroy.com/2013/02/12/usc-basketball-where-trojans-will-rank-come-pac-12-tournament-time/#comments Tue, 12 Feb 2013 17:55:35 +0000 Evan Budrovich http://reignoftroy.com/?p=22658 The USC Trojans have won three straight games and now sit in unchartered territory, only two games out of first place in the Pac-12 Conference. Here is an updated look at how the USC Trojans (11-13, 5-5) fare in terms of overall standings. Current Pac-12 Standings Pac-12 W-L GB PCT W-L PCT STRK Oregon 8-3 [...]

USC Basketball: Where Trojans Will Rank Come Pac-12 Tournament Time - Reign of Troy - Reign of Troy - A USC Trojans Site - News, Blogs, Opinion and more.

The USC Trojans have won three straight games and now sit in unchartered territory, only two games out of first place in the Pac-12 Conference. Here is an updated look at how the USC Trojans (11-13, 5-5) fare in terms of overall standings.

Current Pac-12 Standings

Pac-12	W-L	GB	PCT	W-L	PCT	STRK
Oregon	8-3	–	.727	19-5	.792	W1
UCLA	8-3	–	.727	18-6	.750	W2
Arizona	8-3	–	.727	20-3	.870	L1
Arizona State	7-4	1	.636	18-6	.750	L1
Colorado	6-5	2	.545	16-7	.696	W2
Stanford	6-5	2	.545	15-9	.625	W1
California	6-5	2	.545	14-9	.609	W1
USC	6-5	2	.545	11-13	.458	W3
Washington	5-6	3	.455	13-11	.542	L2
Washington State	2-9	6	.182	11-13	.458	L4
Oregon State	2-9	6	.182	12-12	.500	L1
Utah	2-9	6	.182	10-13	.435	L2

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.

The Trojans have battled about as much controversy as any team in the conference in the process of reviving their stock in the conference.

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.

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Shabazz is going to be a game changing player across town for UCLA, but for as riveting as his play has been against high school and AAU opponents, he’s not the savior of UCLA hoops. And, more importantly, he wouldn’t have been USC’s savior either.

Need proof? Look to none other than O.J. Mayo and DeMar DeRozan, who were two very good Trojans but combined for a 1-2 record in the NCAA Tournament and left the Trojans without a solid footing after their one-and-done years.

Yes, the O.J. Mayo scandal cost the Trojans a chance at taking advantage of the brief success of the two Trojan superstars, but it’s not an explanation for USC’s Class of 2009, which saw the Trojans sign just one player, the two-star Evan Smith.

Smith signed his letter of intent before Tim Floyd resigned in June of 2009, so the Trojans went from back-to-back years with top recruits, to winning a Pac-10 title, to signing one two-star recruit. Yes, that happened. Elite programs would have never let that happen.

When you look at all of the success the Trojans had in the last decade plus, they did it without elite talent giving USC a lopsided roster. The 2001 team got to the Elite Eight with Brian Scalabrine, Brandon Granville, David Bluthenthal, Sam Clancy, Desmond Farmer, the Craven twins and even Rory O’Neill. That team had incredible depth, when you compare it to this past season. Then again, USC has more running backs than healthy basketball players, but that’s beside the point.

The 2007 Trojans that had North Carolina on the ropes in the Sweet Sixteen had a powerful trio of Nick Young, Lodrick Stewart, Gabe Pruitt, and Taj Gibson, among others. Again, they had depth.

So the point is, that having one star one-and-done player has yet to turn around any program and take them to the national title, or making a program like USC, relevant on the national stage for a prolonged period. Kentucky does it with whole teams full of one-and-dones, while USC has only got lucky with two players, in back-to-back years, striking out since.

With the return of Jio Fontan and incoming transfer J.T. Terrell, the team that Kevin O’Neill has assembled for 2012-13 is easily the most talented team he’ll have at USC, considering that the Trojans have settled with a smattering of good players, than going for one or two future NBA prospects. Will they win a national title? No. But, they’ll have a solid team, depth and experience. And you know what? That wins games, just ask Roy Williams.