USC Basketball: Trojans Leave No Doubts Against The Anteaters

Evan Mobley (22 points, 5 blocks) and the Trojans make it look easy on both ends of the floor.

Whoever originated the phrase “defense wins championships,” would have been elated with the Trojans 91-56 demolition over the UC Irvine Anteaters.

The way USC (4-1) dismantled their opponent on defense tonight was unfair at times. They were throwing every kind of defensive look in their direction - zone, man-to-man, full-court press - the Anteaters saw it all.

A big discussion point heading into this game was whether the Mobley brothers could slow down the frontcourt of UC Irvine (2-3). Center Brad Greene and forward Collin Welp were the two focal points all season for the Anteaters. They play a complimentary style of basketball that works really well when they're on the court together.

But the problem tonight...Brad Greene sat after picking up his second foul with just under 17 minutes left in the first half, he didn’t come back in until just under a minute left.

With Greene out, the Trojans swallowed up Welp whenever he touched the ball, forced players into sloppy turnovers, and ran shooters off the three-point line. It was a complete defensive effort by the entire team. Everyone out hustled their man and played with a ton of energy.

Even when the team was up big in the second half, they never took their foot off the gas. A big reason is because Coach Andy Enfield did a great job of keeping everyone involved on the offensive end. Every player outside of Boubacar Coulibaly scored at least five points.

The Trojans were playing a very up-tempo, yet decisive basketball game. The pressure they were putting on the rim forced Greene to pick-up those two quick fouls. Once he was out, the Trojans had even more reason to attack the paint. And the drives to the rim that were successfully cut off by the Anteaters, usually led to wide open three-point shots for Noah Baumann, who was 4-for-4 from behind the arc in the first half.

But you can’t talk about this game without mentioning Evan Mobley.

Calling his performance tonight ‘remarkable’ doesn’t even do it justice. It was like Evan Mobley was playing a different game than everybody else on the court. With his instincts, his feel for the game, and his composure - you forget you are watching a freshman and not a senior. His 22 points, 11 rebounds, 3 assists, and 5 blocks tonight were effortless. He was a huge reason Welp and Greene combined for 14 points on 7-for-22 shooting.

Mobley and the Trojans will look to continue their success when they take on Stanford (2-2) on Sunday. 

FINAL SCORE: USC:91 | UCI:56