ASU Basketball: 2019 Pac-12 Week 2 Power Rankings

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LAS VEGAS, NV – MARCH 09: Jonah Mathews #2 of the USC Trojans brings the ball up the court against the Oregon Ducks during a semifinal game of the Pac-12 basketball tournament at T-Mobile Arena on March 9, 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Trojans won 74-54. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images) /

7. USC Trojans

After just missing out on the NCAA Tournament last season, USC had Jordan McLaughlin and Chimezie Metu-sized holes to fill in the offseason. Through two games, forward Nick Rakocevic and guard Kevin Porter Jr. have sealed up most of the void with a breadth of role players filling in the cracks.

Coach Andy Enfield recruited Porter as the centerpiece of his 2018 class and the freshman has lived up to the billing early in his career. In 23.5 minutes per contest, Porter is averaging 14.5 points and 4.5 rebounds per game while shooting a combined 12-of-16 from the field.

Unfortunately for the Trojans, Vanderbilt has two star freshmen of its own in guard Darius Garland and forward Simisola Shittu. Garland went for a game-high 19 points, complemented by 14 points and 15 rebounds from Shittu in a 82-78 win over USC at the Galen Center.

Though Porter has been an efficient scorer, the Trojans are still searching for ball security comparable to that of McLaughlin. Through two games, they have 25 assists against 26 turnovers. For reference, McLaughlin’s assist-to-turnover ratio as a senior was a 3.26.

USC will look to shore up its giveaways when it faces Stetson on Wednesday. Following that matchup with the Hatters, the Trojans then begin a stretch where they’ll play five NCAA Tournament teams from a year ago in seven games, beginning with Texas Tech on Nov. 19.

– Zach Pekale

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