Devils in Detail
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ASU Basketball: 2019 Pac-12 Week 4 Power Rankings

By Trevor Booth

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - NOVEMBER 21: Head coach Bobby Hurley of the Arizona State Sun Devils looks on during the second half of the championship game against the Utah State Aggies in the MGM Resorts Main Event basketball tournament at T-Mobile Arena on November 21, 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Arizona State won 87-82. (Photo by David Becker/Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - NOVEMBER 21: Head coach Bobby Hurley of the Arizona State Sun Devils looks on during the second half of the championship game against the Utah State Aggies in the MGM Resorts Main Event basketball tournament at T-Mobile Arena on November 21, 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Arizona State won 87-82. (Photo by David Becker/Getty Images) /
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LOS ANGELES, CA – FEBRUARY 03: Head coach Andy Enfield of the USC Trojans yells from the bench during the game against the UCLA Bruins at Pauley Pavilion on February 3, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA – FEBRUARY 03: Head coach Andy Enfield of the USC Trojans yells from the bench during the game against the UCLA Bruins at Pauley Pavilion on February 3, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images) /

T-9: USC Trojans

While the Pac-12 has been below average as a whole in non-conference play, individually, USC could end up being one of the more polished teams late in the season.

The Trojans salvaged a third-place finish at the NABC Hall of Fame Classic with a 19-point win over Missouri State. In its return to Los Angeles, USC handled CSU Bakersfield 90-75 behind five players in double figures, led by a combined 43 points from junior Jonah Mathews and senior Bennie Boatwright.

Going forward, the key for USC is finding a medium between exciting and consistent.

The Trojans play fast and have a bevy of highly-capable scorers, averaging 84.7 points per game. In addition to Boatwright and Mathews, coach Andy Enfield has freshman guard Kevin Porter and senior forward Nick Rakocevic as strong secondary options.

In each of their four wins, the Trojans shot no worse than 52 percent. By comparison at least four players have finished with double-digit scoring efforts in such contests.

But in losses to Vanderbilt and Texas Tech, USC has made less than half of its shots, converting on 39 and 44 percent respectively.

However, with Enfield at the helm, it seems more a matter of when, not if, the Trojans put everything together and become a contender in the conference.

The upcoming week is a good test in finding balance, beginning with Long Beach State before a three-game stretch against Nevada, TCU and Oklahoma.

– Pekale 

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