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From: Examiner
We continue with our preseason assessment of the men's Pac-10 basketball teams, and today we take a look at USC, which we expect to finish eighth.
Washington State was picked ninth (see WSU story here), and the other conference schools will be reviewed in inverse order of predicted finish over the next few days.
At USC, the whirlwind offseason has left the Trojans almost starting from scratch. Not only did they lose three starters – wing DeMar DeRozan, center Taj Gibson and point guard Daniel Hackett – but they lost coach Tim Floyd amid allegations of NCAA violations.
They have new players in a number of key roles and will have to adjust to a new coach, Kevin O’Neill, who has been in charge just a few months. O’Neill is strictly a man-to-man coach defensively, and he prefers a half court game offensively. Those are not dramatic changes for the Trojans, who played a variety of defenses and offensive styles under Floyd.
Whatever success the Trojans have will be based on the play of guard Dwight Lewis and forward Alex Stepheson. Lewis was the team’s leading scorer last season, and he will probably improve on his 14.4 points of a season ago. Stepheson, a tough 6-9 power forward in his first season of eligibility at USC after transferring from North Carolina, will have to provide points, rebounding and a physical presence inside.
Donte Smith, who played little last season, will be the team’s starting point guard when the season opens, but Mike Gerrity, who will be eligible in December after transferring from Charlotte last year, is expected to be the Trojans point guard in conference play.
Leonard Washington, who may add some inside muscle, won’t be eligible until the next term either, because he is academically ineligible in the fall.
USC will have to get production from forwards Nikola Vucevic and Kasey Cunningham, who missed the past three seasons with knee problems, to move up in the standings.
The Trojans just don’t have the offensive weapons or the athleticism they have had the past two seasons. They are also short on experience and don’t have a proven point guard, all of which they had last season when they finished 9-9 in the conference but won the Pac-10 tournament to get an NCAA Tournament berth. Adjusting to a new coach won’t make the transition in personnel any easier.
They play their first four games at home, including the Nov. 17 opener against UC Riverside, and don't go on the road until December. That may help some, but we still picked USC to finish eighth.
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