USC basketball overwhelms BYU with size in impressive rout

USC basketball looked dominant under the basket against BYU

If USC was somewhat unconvincing in the first two games of the season, they were anything but on Tuesday against BYU.

The Trojans battled the previously undefeated Cougars at the Roman Legends Classic and demolished them in short order.

USC led by as much as 27 points while dominating in the paint to grab the —— win and a spot in Thursday’s final against Uconn.

USC basketball looked like everything fans hoped they could be in 2020-21

BYU just couldn’t cope with USC’s presence under the basket with Isaiah and Evan Mobley setting the tone. The former had 11 points, 11 rebounds and a steal. His brother put hip 17 points and added 11 rebounds and two blocks.

It wasn’t either of the Mobley’s who led USC in scoring though. Transfer Drew Peterson continued to show why his eligibility waiver could make such a difference for the Trojans this season. He had 19 points while hitting 7-of-10 from the field and adding five rebounds and two assists.

An additional offensive weapon on Tahj Eaddy, who put up 16 points and four assists, helped the Trojans build an insurmountable lead. USC shot 53 percent from the field.

It helped that BYU was not able to do the damage from the three-point line that California Baptist did in the season opener. The Cougars were just 5-of-30 beyond the arc. Credit USC’s better energy on defense for a least part of that average, though it was a poor shooting night across the board for BYU. They shot 25.4 percent overall.

When shots were missed, USC took advantage. .They outrebounded BYU 49-34 and had 19 second-chance points to BYU’s zero.

The Trojans and Cougars traded runs in the early going, but USC took advantage of an eight-minute cold stretch by BYU to score the final 10 points of the first half. Their performance carried over into the second period as they pulled away.