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ESPN
Dec 28, 2023, 09:00 AM ET
EUGENE, Ore. — Bronny James will get his first taste of Pac-12 Conference play as the USC Trojans travel to face the Oregon Ducks on Thursday (ESPN2, 6 p.m. ET) before playing at the Oregon State Beavers on Saturday.
James continues to play under a minutes restriction since making his collegiate debut (with his father LeBron James and family in attendance) on Dec. 6 in an 84-79 overtime loss against Long Beach State — five months after suffering a cardiac arrest during practice.
James played his first collegiate road game in a 91-75 defeat at Auburn on Dec. 17 in front of a packed crowd that included former Tigers great Charles Barkley. The Trojans managed to snap a three-game losing streak with a 79-59 win at Alabama State on Dec. 19, giving James his first collegiate win.
James has not spoken to reporters since the Long Beach State contest, but fellow freshman guard Isaiah Collier said the trip to Alabama “was a great learning experience. We learned a lot from that game, knowing how hard we got to play, we learned from a lot of our mistakes.”
Collier said the players held a meeting to figure out their identity after the loss to Auburn amid early-season struggles. When asked what that is, Collier replied, “It’s about the show.”
With the focus turning to USC’s final run in the Pac-12 before joining the Big Ten in 2024, here are the major questions facing James and the Trojans ahead of a big conference week. — Ohm Youngmisuk
How has James looked so far? What has he shown on the court?
USC is trying to be cautious with James, who is averaging 16 minutes per game in his three appearances. James averages five points, 2.7 rebounds and one assist but is playing in three-minute stints, which doesn’t allow him time to gain any rhythm.
James continues to carve out a role as another ball handler who will defend and stay in front of his man, hit the open shot and rebound. While USC relies on starting guards Boogie Ellis and Collier for scoring, James is a pass-first guard who looks to set the offense up and move the ball for head coach Andy Enfield. The more minutes he gets, the more positive plays he can make.
Collier also wants to see James be more aggressive.
“Knowing everything he’s been through, I feel like he [has handled the] experience great,” Collier said about James and their first true road games at Auburn and Alabama State. “[James has] been around practice, learned a lot. I feel like he’s only going to get better. We told him he needs to shoot the ball more when he’s open.” — Youngmisuk
How has James managed to fit on this USC squad?
When James arrived at USC, Collier and Ellis were already expected to be the focal points. And that’s been the case this season, with Collier still atop NBA draft boards and Ellis leading the team in scoring at nearly 20 points per game.
Starting wing Kobe Johnson has become a consistent scorer along with his high-level defensive ability, while sixth man Oziyah Sellers has shown some shooting skills off the bench. Throw in Enfield’s propensity to play two bigs for long stretches, and the number of minutes available is more limited than expected.
Looking at it from James’ perspective, though, there will be more playing time. He’s a reliable secondary ball handler, can make shots from the perimeter and can likely play any one of the three perimeter positions. Given USC’s struggles toward the end of nonconference play, Enfield might not be wedded to his current rotation. — Jeff Borzello
After its nonconference struggles, can USC make a run for the Pac-12 title?
At this stage of the season, the race in the Pac-12 appears to be for second place. Arizona (ranked third on KenPom) is the best team in the conference. USC is one of five Pac-12 squads ranked in the top 60 on KenPom but the Trojans are also ranked 80th on the NET — a number that accounts for losses to UC Irvine and Long Beach State.
The Trojans have not proved they can compete with top-tier squads such as Arizona. But that’s secondary to the other concern: They’ve been vulnerable against teams with significantly less talent. That’s why it’s difficult to imagine USC winning a Pac-12 title. At this stage, it’s easier to project the Trojans as a team that will finish somewhere in the middle of the league’s standings.
Collier is a great NBA prospect, but turnover issues continue to plague him. Ellis has connected on 44% of his 3-point attempts, but the team generally has been subpar offensively. They failed to reach 100 points per 100 possessions in the losses to UC Irvine and Long Beach State.
While a turnaround in league play is possible, it’s clear USC has a lot of work to do before it can be viewed as a title contender. — Myron Medcalf
Should we expect to see James and USC dancing in March?
USC faces an uphill climb to Selection Sunday. Its nonconference performance has been spotty — decent neutral court wins over Kansas State and Seton Hall, but home losses to UC Irvine and Long Beach State — which leaves it with more of an NIT profile than an NCAA one to this point.
The Pac-12 schedule will present plenty of opportunities to change the trajectory, but the Trojans need to be ready. Five of their first eight league games are on the road, so their postseason hopes could go sideways in a hurry.
In bracketology terms, USC is 83rd on the current seed list (15 spots from the at-large cut line) with a 20-25% chance to reach the Big Dance. — Joe Lunardi
