USC bench players get learning experience heading into home stretch

The USC Trojans entered Thursday’s game against Oregon with a thinner roster than normal. Joshua Morgan is still injured, and Reese Dixon-Waters missed a game once again.

In replacement of Dixon-Waters, it was a collaborative effort against Oregon in Eugene. Malik Thomas played 16 minutes and Oziyah Sellers played 10 minutes in some much-needed run for them. It’s true that the move to play them more was brought about by necessity, not by free choice. Nevertheless, guys who didn’t get much playing time were able to see what they could do … and what they need to work on. It’s a good learning experience before the Pac-12 Tournament, when Enfield will need to steal minutes to keep his starters fresh.

Freshman forward Iaroslav Niagu played a season-high 16 minutes against Oregon, scoring two points, so Andy Enfield emptied his bench more than he had before.

Thomas and Sellers replaced Dixon-Waters, and those two combined for just 4 points on 2-8 shooting from the field. Reigning Pac-12 Freshman of the Week Tre White scored just 5 points on 2-8 shooting from the field in a poor offensive outing.

The numbers weren’t great, but it was an important experience for the young players against a tough opponent on the road. When March comes around, the Trojans will need to be able to call on anybody at any moment if they want a chance to make a run.

One bright spot was Vincent Iwuchukwu, who scored 8 points on 4-5 shooting from the field with 6 rebounds, but he played just 13 minutes.

The Trojans get a chance to bounce back against the Oregon State Beavers. They face California and Stanford after that, so the Trojans can get back on track.

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Story originally appeared on Trojans Wire