USC women’s basketball shot selection becomes a key focus after March loss
The USC Trojans exist in a cutthroat Pac-12 Conference. The Oregon State team they lost to in the first round of the Pac-12 Tournament is still a top-60 team in the NET rankings.
Going up against quality competition — even in the lower tier of the conference — requires discipline, toughness, and resilience. The Trojans have shown all of these qualities, and it’s why they’re going to the NCAA Tournament.
Yet, USC had persisted in allowing some bad habits and tendencies to linger. The Trojans won twice last week against Washington and Washington State despite shooting under 30 percent in each game. The Trojans might have felt that they could shoot under 30 percent and still win every game they play.
They tempted the fates against Oregon State and paid the price, shooting 29 percent in a narrow loss.
Part of the story in this loss was the fact that Destiny Littleton made just 3 of 15 shots. Of those 15 shots, 11 were 3-pointers. She went 2 for 11 from long range. Teammate Okako Adika went 2 for 9 from 3-point land. She didn’t attempt a single 2-point shot.
That’s a lot of missed 3-pointers and a lot of 2-point shots not taken. It’s a big reason why USC scored just six points in a span of 13 1/2 minutes midway through the second half, and scored just five points in the game’s last seven minutes in a 56-48 defeat.
It’s true that shooters need to shoot. Coaches can’t smother them. Players need a certain degree of freedom: If they miss one, they should be willing and ready to shoot a few more.
Obviously, though, limits should exist.
If a player misses four consecutive 3-point shots, the next (fifth) shot needs to be a 2-point attempt which is much closer to the basket. Endless 3-point shooting without success is a recipe for disaster. USC has won so many games this season when shooting poorly that it’s understandable to think bad shooting doesn’t actually matter all that much.
The Trojans learned it does against Oregon State. They received an education on tournament basketball and the need to make every shot count.
Littleton and Adika were a combined 4 of 20 on 3-point shots. That’s a lot of empty trips down the floor.
Oregon and Washington played a first-round game earlier on Wednesday at the Pac-12 Tournament. The Ducks and Huskies, much like USC, settled for a lot of long jump shots. USC needs to be able to get into the paint — not necessarily all the way to the rim (though that would be great), but into the painted area for a 12- or 10-foot jump shot which should be converted a lot more frequently than a 3-pointer. A 12-foot shot is properly viewed as a mid-range shot. That is an underused shot within USC’s offense.
The Trojans simply have to establish more offensive efficiency. Shot selection needs to be better at the upcoming NCAA Tournament.
