Your USC Trojans dropped their fourth straight contest Saturday, falling 82-67 to the Arizona State University Sun Devils on the road (the same exact margin, incidentally, by which USC lost to the Arizona Wildcats on Wednesday).
A big element behind the Cardinal and Gold's recent bad luck is clearly the absence of the team's starting backcourt, in freshman Isaiah Collier and fifth-year All-Pac-12 guard Boogie Ellis.
ASU head coach Bobby Hurley accurately pinpointed the loss of USC's two top scorers as a big weakness worth exploiting, writes Devon Henderson of Cronkite Sports.
“[Unfortunate] for USC not having Collier and [Ellis],” Hurley said. “You have to take advantage of that.”
The Trojans' two substitutes for Collier and Ellis, sophomore Oziyah Sellers and freshman Bronny James, each scored a fairly modest seven points. Of the two, only Sellers got to the foul line, splitting his two tries there.
Collier underwent a right hand surgery last week and is expected to miss the next 3-5 weeks of action for the reeling Trojans, while Ellis is considered day-to-day with a hamstring ailment.
Obviously the Trojans are missing some major creation and playmaking in the backcourt. Although James and Sellers are totally competent, they're just a bit raw in comparison to the players they're replacing.
Next up for USC is a bout against another 8-11 Pac-12 Southern California club, the UCLA Bruins, slated for this Saturday.
More must-reads: