Injury and illness are ailing the struggling Trojans heading into a three-game road stretch, starting with the Buffaloes on Saturday
When: 7 p.m. Saturday
Where: CU Events Center, Boulder, Colorado
TV/Radio: ESPN2/790 AM
Records: USC 8-8, 2-3 in Pac-12; Colorado 11-5, 2-3 in Pac-12
Notable injuries: USC: OUT: PG Isaiah Collier (hand); QUESTIONABLE: C Joshua Morgan (upper respiratory infection); PROBABLE: SG Boogie Ellis (hamstring); COLORADO: QUESTIONABLE: G Julian Hammond III (back).
USC latest result: For two years, Joshua Morgan has thrived in the shadows of USC’s paint defensively, the only true consistent defender among the Trojans’ bigs rarely getting his flowers as he rarely looks at the rim on the offensive end most nights. But take him out of the equation and USC has consistently crumpled on the back-line – none more the case than Wednesday night against Washington State at the Galen Center, where the Trojans dropped to 8-8 with a 72-64 loss in which they simply couldn’t stop the Cougars’ Isaac Jones from bullying his way to the rim. Morgan was out with an upper respiratory infection, and the lack of resistance from USC’s other bigs was “frustrating,” coach Andy Enfield said postgame. If Morgan’s still sick heading to Colorado, USC will have a tough time warding off penetration for a Buffs team that has feasted inside.
Colorado latest result: Cal’s Jaylon Tyson went off for 23 points when the Golden Bears came to the Galen Center on Jan. 3, and Colorado got a taste of what the 6-foot-7 shifty forward can do Wednesday, as Tyson dropped 30 points on 10-of-15 shooting to lead Cal to a 82-78 win over the Buffs. And Cal largely beat Colorado by launching 3-pointers (14 of 30) and taking care of the ball (11 assists, 5 turnovers), an offensive recipe that the best version of this USC team can replicate – but it’ll be tough to find consistency with some inconsistencies in health.
USC trend to watch: The Trojans were bruised and battered against Washington State, with Morgan already out, Collier exiting in the second half with a hand contusion and Boogie Ellis coming in off three days of rest and visibly limping around on a less-than-sound hamstring. And on Thursday, their outlook only got worse: Collier will be out at least a month with that hand injury, placing even more burden on an already-weary Ellis’ shoulders and necessitating more offensive juice from other rotational perimeter players that haven’t shown much punch. Kobe Johnson will need to provide more than the 3-of-10, nine-point night he had against Washington State, while Oziyah Sellers will need to create some offense in likely extended minutes. And then, there’s one obvious name. …
Matchup to watch: Bronny James vs. himself. OK, this might be silly, but to explain: James has shown flashes of offensive juice in his first eight games of college basketball, but he’s also been passive with his shot at times and gone 0 for 7 from the floor in his last two contests. The goose egg wasn’t the problem; against Stanford, faced with multiple catch-and-shoot opportunities in an 0-for-4 night overall, James pump-faked, drove and moved the ball instead of launching a triple. Quality instincts, to be sure, and an example of the IQ and unselfishness he’s repeatedly praised for around USC – but with Collier out, the Trojans will need more assertiveness from James on the offensive end, particularly against a Colorado team that can get 15-plus points from a variety of names up and down the roster.
