USC Basketball: Stats Reveal Trojans' Mediocre Start Better Than Record Suggests

A silver lining on a tough start.

A 6-5 start for USC has begun to raise eyebrows about this team's long-term potential.

Is Andy Enfield the answer? Is Isaiah Collier a top-5 draft pick? Is Bronny James even capable of producing? 

These are all valid questions, but statistically speaking, their rocky start is less of a concern that it may seem, especially when drawing to historical comparisons. 

Here's a bit from usctrojans.com regarding a comparison from the 2022-2023 season to this one: 

A quick look at USC through 10 games last season compared to this season produces some surprising results. USC was 7-3 last season at this point (and finished 22-11), but most statistical categories are the same or better this season, except for opponent shooting percentage. USC held its opponents to 36.9 percent shooting last season through 10 games, as opposed to 42.2 percent this season. USC made 45.3 percent of its shots last season, the same as this season. USC had 139 turnovers through 10 games last season, the same total as this season. USC has 142 assists this season and had 139 assists at this point last season. USC has averaged 37.4 rebounds this season, compared to 36.9 per game last year through 10 games. USC is shooting 34.6 percent from 3-point range this season, as opposed to 30.6 percent at this point last season. USC is also making 71.8 percent of its FTs through 10 games, compared to 69.7 percent at this point last season.

To that end, it's clear that aggregately, the Trojans have been performing fairly well, especially given their increased competition level relative to this point last season.

Through 10 contests last year, the only ranked team USC played was Tennessee (L, by 7), while this season, they've faced off with Oklahoma and Gonzaga, as well as 7-4 Seton Hall and 8-2 Auburn squads. 

If the numbers look good but the record doesn't, much of their struggles can likely be attributed to the timeliness of their scoring, turnovers, missed free throws, etc. 

For example, USC blew a huge lead to Long Beach State, in which the Trojans shot much better from the field in the first half than the second, and so while on the whole they shot 40.6% from the field, that figure wasn't distributed evenly across both halves. 

Going forward, it'll be important to get a gauge on how USC performs heading into conference play, as the Pac-12 is as competitive as it has ever been. No. 4-ranked Arizona highlights the pack, and on top of them, Utah, Colorado, Washington State, Washington, Oregon, and Oregon State all possess noticeably better records. UCLA too remains in the fold, as in spite of their own struggles, Mick Cronin's squad is perpetually a tough beat. 

Let's see if Enfield and co. can turn it around.