USC Struggles Drops First Game To No. 23 Xavier, 87–77

The Trojans fall for the first time this season to a tough opponent

After upsetting No. 20 Wichita State on Thanksgiving Day, USC was hungry for another upset in Orlando. Just for a second it looked like it could be the case after freshman Bennie Boatwright, who dropped a career high 22 points last game, hit a three for an early 3–2 USC lead.

That would go on to be the last positive play of the first half.

Xavier came out firing on all cylinders, similar to how USC disposed of CSUN this past Monday. The Musketeers attacked the glass with ferocity, were hitting from all spots on the floor, and suffocating the Trojans ball movement and offense.

After Boatwright’s early three, Xavier went on a 17–0 run and later led by as many as 32 points. What made matters worse and enabled a blowout in the first half was foul trouble. USC’s young squad again struggled with how tight the game is being called this year, as Boatwright, Chimezie Metu and Elijah Stewart all collected multiple fouls.

The major difference on the floor was on the defensive side of the ball. The Trojans struggled with Xavier’s unselfish ball movement and, on the other end, were bothered by the Musketeers’ activity, intensity and length that disrupted their offense.

USC was slow on their rotations and close outs, and again fell subject to domination on the defensive glass. Xavier’s depth took full advantage of the Trojans’ foul trouble. Everything fell for Xavier, even a banked in three from Trevon Bluiett, to go up 19.

The half was quite simply a disaster, epitomized by one particular sequence from guard Katin Reinhardt. Reinhardt got called for a technical foul, showing Xavier had gotten to him, then was called for an offensive foul. On the next trip down the floor, he took, and missed, a tough fadeaway shot with plenty of time left on the clock.

USC couldn’t turn Xavier over enough to get out on the break and couldn’t get enough defensive rebounds to push the pace that way either. The Musketeers were +15 on the boards in the first half, with seven more turnovers, superior scoring and defense.

The Trojans were sloppy, slow and selfish in a first half that saw USC doubled up, 54–27, at one point. The only bright side was their nine turnovers, after posting 14 first-half turnovers against Wichita State a day prior.

That being said, USC showed tremendous character in the second half, bringing a 32-point deficit down to just 10 points in the end.

USC’s second half efforts started on the defensive end, holding Xavier to 33 second half points. Juniors Nikola Jovanovic and Julian Jacobs were bright spots as well, leading the team, as Jordan McLaughlin missed the entire second half with what the team said is a nose injury.

Jovanovic shot over 50 percent from the field and racked up 14 points, while Jacobs again affected all aspects of the game with 15 points, six assists, five rebounds, four steals, and two monster, one-handed jams.

Malik Marquetti also had by far his best game of the young season, competing on defense and bringing assertion on offense. Marquetti took advantage of Stewart’s foul troubles and his opportunity, posting nine points and three rebounds off the bench.

With so much foul trouble and only one half from McLaughlin there’s surprisingly a few positives to take. The character exhibited in that second half shows coach Andy Enfield he has a resilient group who will fight until the final whistle. It also allowed their coach to see his team without their point guard and best player in McLaughlin, and basically without Stewart as well, who fouled out early on.

At the same time, with how easily Xavier tore USC apart in the first half, it highlighted how far behind the Trojans are to the upper echelon of college hoops. This 5–1 start to the season has shown how far the program has come under Enfield, but there’s still plenty of room for improvement, which, honestly, is a good thing.

USC will get a crack at bronze on Sunday, though, as they’ll face the loser of Dayton vs. Monmouth.

You can reach Staff Reporter Max Holm here, or follow him @MaxSHHolm