USC Basketball: Andy Enfield Claims Trojans "Outplayed Arizona In Certain Areas" During Blowout Loss

Did it matter?

USC Trojans head coach Andy Enfield was apparently trying to look on the bright side of his team's lopsided 82-67 loss against the Arizona Wildcats on Wednesday.

Per The Associated Press/The Los Angeles Times, Enfield spoke highly of the club's effort, despite USC being without starting guards Boogie Ellis and Isaiah Collier, its two best scorers.

“I was proud of our guys. They competed... they played hard,” Enfield said. “We made some mistakes, but we we outplayed Arizona in certain areas of the game and they outplayed us in certain areas of the game.”

Next up, the 8-10 Trojans will square off against the 10-7 Arizona State Sun Devils, again on the road, at 11 a.m. PT. today.

The Trojans did outshoot Arizona, marginally, going 26-of-61 from the floor (42.6%) as opposed to the Wildcats' 28-of-70 shooting (40%). USC also outflanked Arizona in free throw shooting, connecting on 77.8% of their foul shots, significantly better than Arizona's 61.5%. That said, the Wildcats got to the line significantly more. Arizona took 26 attempts, while USC took just nine.

Arizona enjoyed a 47-38 advantage in rebounding, and a 15-8 edge in steals. The club's aggressive post play really made the difference, ultimately, powering the Wildcats to all those extra foul line opportunities. 

It's clear USC is really missing its top two scorers, especially late in games. Boogie Ellis and Isaiah Collier would have really helped the Trojans compete here.