ASU Basketball: 2019 Pac-12 Week 11 Power Rankings
By Trevor Booth
9. USC Trojans (9-8, 2-2 Pac-12) LW: 8
In a tumultuous start to the season, USC saw progress a week ago. The Trojans swept the Bay Area schools and sat at first place in the Pac-12.
The following games weren’t as favorable. Just like UCLA, the Trojans traveled to the Pacific Northwest for contests against Oregon and Oregon State. Both games added to USC’s loss column.
On the same night UCLA and Oregon were in overtime, USC and Oregon State also needed more than regulation to settle their matchup. Despite a neck-and-neck game, the Beavers ultimately prevailed 79-74.
After exchanging basket for basket, an Ethan Thompson three-pointer proved critical and nudged Oregon State to victory.
In spite of the loss, Bennie Boatwright was brilliant. A senior forward, Boatwright scored a career-high 37 points in defeat.
Though Boatwright was exceptional and the Trojans committed just eight turnovers, much of the game’s competitiveness was a product of Tres Tinkle’s absence. As Oregon State’s premier scorer, Tinkle is averaging 20 points per game along with 8.4 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game.
A game later, it wasn’t as pretty. Oregon cruised to an 81-60 victory at Matthew Knight Arena, fueled by an incredible performance from the field.
The Ducks shot 55.8 percent from the floor while making 54.2 percent of threes on 13-of-24 shooting. Additionally, the Trojans were killed on the glass, losing the rebound margin 35 to 24.
It’s worth nothing that freshman guard Kevin Porter Jr. was suspended for the game and is out indefinitely. Prior to Sunday, Porter Jr. averaged 10.7 points in seven appearances.
Jonah Mathews was USC’s leading scorer with 15 points, and it was a slow effort offensively. The bench scored just eight points, and only three players finished in double figures.
The Trojans, now 9-8, look to stay above .500 this week. Their lone game is when they host cross-town rival UCLA.