CALIFORNIA AT USC
When: 7 p.m. Wednesday
Where: Galen Center
TV/radio: Pac-12 Network/790 AM
Records: USC 6-7, 0-2 in Pac-12; Cal 4-9, 0-2 in Pac-12
USC’s latest result: It only gets worse. USC’s season continued to slip away in early goings on Saturday at Oregon State, continuing a 1-5 stretch with an 86-70 loss to the Beavers in which the Trojans’ perimeter and interior defense was walloped and they committed an eye-popping 20 turnovers and 27 fouls. The numbers – and the eye test – reek of undisciplined play and unrefined rotations, and the fanbase is quickly turning up the temperature underneath head coach Andy Enfield. Boogie Ellis continued a strong start with 20 points on 4-of-7 shooting from deep and freshman Bronny James had a mini-breakout with a season-high 15 points, but Isaiah Collier and Kobe Johnson were net offensive negatives with 10 combined turnovers. The Trojans desperately need a win. And fast.
Cal’s latest result: Be fooled at your own risk. The Golden Bears will almost certainly finish near the bottom of a mid-heavy Pac-12, and carry just a 4-9 record on their shoulders heading into the Galen Center – but their latest loss, a 71-69 defeat to Arizona State, exacerbated a certain weighing of the cosmic scales that simply hasn’t gone Cal’s way. Eight of their nine losses have come by 10 points or less. Four have come by three points or less. They’ve taken a strong Butler team to double overtime and San Diego State (11-2) to overtime. Cal 6-foot-7 junior guard Jaylon Tyson is a tough matchup for anyone, coming off a 20-point, nine-rebound, five-assist, six-steal game against Arizona State. The way USC has been playing, this is no cakewalk.
Matchup to watch: If there’s ever been an opportunity for some of USC’s shot-makers to finally reach a groove, here it is. California has the highest defensive rating in the Pac-12 at 109.8 – highest, by the way, means not good when it comes to defensive rating – and there’s an opportunity for Trojans like Ellis, Isaiah Collier and Johnson to mismatch-hunt and generate one-on-one chances to attack 5-foot-10 Cal guard Jalen Cone. The key matchup here is Ellis, Collier, Johnson and James’ ability to break down and dissect a porous Golden Bears defense. If the Trojans can take care of the ball, currently leading the Pac-12 in turnovers per game, it’ll give their perimeter players a chance to find a rhythm provided a generous helping of possessions.
USC trend to watch: There’s no embellishment here, no clickbait: James, for good stretches against Oregon State, looked like USC’s best player. It can’t be overstated how incredible of a turnaround this is, considering his heart failed all of five months ago during a summer workout. But James, truly, looks almost ready to be released from minute-restriction shackles, going 6 for 11 and scoring 15 points against the Beavers. He adds clear defensive juice and low-maintenance transition playmaking to a Trojans team in desperate need of it. With Johnson struggling (now down to 38% from the floor and 26.5% from three), it’s worth wondering if James might slide into the starting lineup sooner rather than later.