5 takeaways from USC’s comfortable, stress-free win vs Cal State Bakersfield
The USC Trojans men’s basketball team moved to 2-0 on the year with an easy 85-59 home victory over Cal State Bakersfield.
Fans were lining up outside of the Galen Center to get a first-hand look at this year’s team, which was fresh off a victory over Kansas State on Monday night in Las Vegas.
Kobe Johnson missed the game with a minor injury, and Vincent Iwuchukwu didn’t play despite being a game-time decision. It made no difference as USC cruised to an easy victory over CSU Bakersfield.
Here are five takeaways from this game, and there are a lot of positives after the first two games of the season for Andy Enfield’s team.
ISAIAH COLLIER ... AGAIN
Collier led the team in scoring with 19 points on 6-11 shooting from the field. He also had five assists, four steals, and three rebounds in another all-around effort. Get used to seeing this as one of the takeaways for the Trojans; he’s that good.
DJ RODMAN TIME
DJ Rodman had an underwhelming USC debut against Kansas State with just two points on 1-5 shooting from the field. However, with Kobe Johnson missing the game against Bakersfield, Rodman broke out with 15 points and three boards, including three makes beyond the arc. The Washington State transfer showed what he can contribute.
REBOUNDING CONCERNS
Again, things will hopefully change when Vincent Iwuchukwu re-enters the lineup, but USC outrebounded a smaller Bakersfield team by only two, 28-26. The Trojans simply need to do better on the glass, especially once Pac-12 play arrives.
OZIYAH SELLERS, DO YOUR THING
Oziyah Sellers is one potential X-factor for a loaded USC team. With Iwuchukwu, Johnson, and Bronny James all absent, it was Sellers who showed his worth with 16 points on 6-9 shooting from the field. The only player to score more than him for USC was Collier.
DEPTH TESTED ... AND IT WENT WELL
With three potential starters missing the game, the USC depth was tested. But, it didn’t matter. A total of nine players saw the floor, and all nine scored at least two points with five in double digits. Boogie Ellis was the fifth-highest scorer, so that’s encouraging — the rest of his teammates stepped up. With games against UC Irvine and Brown next week, the schedule will provide Enfield valuable time to tinker with some reserves before facing Seton Hall on November 23 and Gonzaga on December 2.
