7. USC Trojans
The past 12 months at USC have been full of losses – the loss of De’Anthony Melton from a recruiting scandal, the loss of Bennie Boatwright to a season-ending knee injury, the losses of Chimezie Metu, Jordan McLaughlin and Elijah Stewart to the NBA Draft and 11 losses that denied them from a NCAA Tournament bid in March.
Through all the defeats remain a roster depleted of its once fruitful talent, and for the first time in Andy Enfield’s Los Angeles tenure, he’ll have to rebuild.
The process won’t be a complete reconfiguration, however, as Boatwright made the decision to return for his senior season. Expected to become one of the team’s primary ball handlers, Boatwright’s heavy role could see him become a candidate for Pac-12 Player of the Year.
Joining Boatwright in the frontcourt will be junior Nick Rakocevic, who thrived in the low post during increased minutes in his sophomore season. With little returning experience, he should again see steady improvement.
Outside of those two are several uncertainties. One of them is junior guard Derryck Thornton, a former five-star recruit that hasn’t shown much progress since transferring from Duke. Another is incoming freshman Kevin Porter, an under-the-radar prospect that has the potential to fill highlight reels and the box score.
Perhaps there isn’t a bigger one, however, than returning sophomore Charles O’Bannon Jr., a former McDonald’s All-American that was one of the biggest recruiting busts a season ago. Can he reach his old potential?
With so many questions and so few answers, it’s hard to predict just how USC will perform. For now, it’s safer to err on the side of caution, which is seeing them struggle before reaching the NCAA Tournament another year.
– Booth