ASU Basketball: 2019 Pac-12 Week 14 Power Rankings
By Trevor Booth
3. USC Trojans (13-9, 6-3 Pac-12) LW: 2
After three straight wins against UCLA and both the Arizona schools, the second-ranked Trojans looked primed to contend for the No. 1 spot in the Pac-12.
But in a matchup against the only undefeated team in conference play, Washington, USC struggled to show any real threat to the Huskies as they fell 75-62 in the contest.
The Trojans not only lost by double-digits in the affair, but also failed to secure the lead at all during the matchup, furthering the gap between Washington and the rest of the conference.
With the loss, USC fell to 1-6 on the season in games outside of Los Angeles.
The road struggles would be avenged slightly in the following game, as the Trojans picked up only their second victory away from the ‘City of Angels’ with a victory over the Washington State Cougars.
The game was a total opposite of the one played against the Huskies, as the Trojans led the entire game and used a 16-4 run from the tip en route to the victory.
While the two games in Washington had two entirely different results, the common denominator lied within Bennie Boatwright and Nick Rakocevic.
The upperclassmen led the team in both matchups, with the former pouring in a total of 40 points on the weekend, with 22 and 18 respectively. The latter, on the other hand, dominated both on the scoring end and on the boards with 16 points and 10 rebounds against UW and 25 and 13 against WSU.
With the performance over the Cougars, Rakocevic put himself among elite company in the Pac-12, as he has five games with 20 or more points and 10 or more rebounds, which currently leads the conference.
The Trojans will have a chance to retain a top spot among the Pac-12 as they face off against Colorado and Utah in pivotal matchups as they head toward the home stretch of conference play.
– Whitehouse