Here’s a capsule-sized preview of the USC basketball season, which starts Saturday vs. UC Irvine:
Upside: This is probably the deepest, most experienced team Tim Floyd has fielded since coming to USC in 2005. Juniors Taj Gibson (10.8 ppg, 7.8 rpg), Dwight Lewis (10.8 ppg) and Daniel Hackett (8.6 ppg, 3.2 apg) form the foundation. Gibson led the Pac-10 in blocked shots last season (2.55 bpg), Lewis has bulked up and Hackett is injury-free after missing four games in ‘07-08. Freshman DeMar DeRozan will start and is expected to make an immediate impact. Other newcomers (F Leonard Washington, G Donte Smith, F Marcus Johnson) and veterans returning from injury (G Marcus Simmons, F Kasey Cunningham) provide the depth USC lacked a year ago.
Concerns: Did we mention injuries? They decimated the roster in ‘07-08, and the fact that almost half the team sat out the Nov. 3 exhibition game because of minor ailments was something of an ominous sign. USC still is awaiting word from the NCAA on the eligibility of power forward Alex Stepheson, who transferred from North Carolina to be closer to his ill father. It could take Floyd some time to figure out who the Trojans’ go-to guy will be in crunch time now that O.J. Mayo is with the Memphis Grizzlies.
Outcome: USC has enough talent and experience to make a run at the Pac-10 title after finishing tied for third each of the past two regular seasons. The Trojans are a virtual lock for their third consecutive NCAA Tournament berth, and they could match the ‘06-07 team’s run to the Sweet 16 if they stay healthy and DeRozan is as good as advertised.
More from the USC blog:
- USC football: Overcrowding in the backfield?
- USC football: McKnight, Moala return to practice
- USC football: About those penalties
- USC football: The Mark and Sark poll
- USC football: Ellison out against Stanford
