USC men’s basketball begins a very important week in Hawaii at the Maui Invitational. Monday’s opener is against Boise State. The Broncos, like the Trojans, have a lot to prove. Trojans Wire’s Ethan Inman previewed this game and made note of a horrific Boise State loss earlier in the season:
“Boise State is not a very good team. The Broncos know what it’s like to lose a game everyone expected you to win; they lost to Division II Hawaii Pacific to open the season. Their trip to Hawaii is certainly going to bring up some bad memories. The Broncos also went down to the wire with 1-4 Big Sky team Montana State. But they are coming off their best win, a 62-59 triumph over Wichita State. So at least they’re getting better.
“Again, this is a mediocre Mountain West team at best. USC is a team that is striving to compete in the Big Ten. Can they play like it?”
The Mountain West has had a terrible start to the season, much like Boise State. Yet, three weeks into the season, teams and conferences which struggle often begin to figure things out and improve. USC needs to be the team which improves and does not let its opponent gain confidence. USC played poorly against Troy and has to be a lot better to win this game on Monday afternoon.
Follow along as Feast Week — the truckload of holiday hoops and daytime afternoon basketball — begins for USC in Hawaii:
Splashing on the island
USC 58, Boise State 57 — 3:27, 2nd half
USC keeps pumping in 3-pointers when it needs them, but it will need to make free throws and get something going to the rim to win this.
Razor-close
ESPN’s Shulman notes that the last 11 minutes of this game have been played within a one-score margin (three points) on both sides. It’s basically a tie, but someone will win (and lose). Being 6 of 12 at the foul line looms large for USC.
Rice scores thrice
USC 53, Boise State 52 — 7:22, 2nd half
Rodney Rice hits a 3 to give the Trojans the lead back. The defense is slightly better, but free throws remain a problem.
Free throws
USC is 5 of 10 at the line in a game which is currently tied. USC simply cannot solve its longstanding free throw problem. The players change but the struggle remains the same.
Boise State 49, USC 47 — 11:14, 2nd half
It’s gut-check time for the Trojans, who have been outplayed since the 16-minute mark of the first half.
ESPN2 commentators weigh in
ESPN’s longtime college basketball broadcast team of Dan Shulman (play-by-play) and Jay Bilas (commentary) are emphasizing the point that Boise State is getting what it wants more comfortably than USC is. The Trojans need to change this dynamic.
USC 43, Boise State 43 — 15:23, 2nd half
USC is tied despite shooting markedly better from 3-point range. What does that tell you? The Trojans have to start dominating the paint and the foul line.
Halftime — USC 34, Boise State 32
Too many turnovers, not enough rebounds, and inconsistent energy. USC has plenty to work on in the second half. Perimeter shooting is why the Trojans have a two-point lead, but Eric Musselman needs his guys to lock in on the boards and stop the ball on defense.
USC 29, Boise State 28 — 2:59, 1st half
Sure enough, USC goes cold from 3-point range and the game immediately turns. This reinforces the point that USC needs to be sharper and tougher in other areas of this game. Boise State has had better energy for most of these first 17 minutes. USC has to raise the intensity to the standard it displayed in the opening four minutes.
USC 27, Boise State 20 — 6:43, 1st half
USC leads by seven in spite of subpar rebounding because it is 4-7 on 3-pointers while Boise State is 1-11.
Need to be hungrier
The Trojans are getting outhustled on the glass. Their early energy has faded. They need to remain locked in against a hungry opponent which is working really hard. Jordan Marsh with two early 3-pointers, but this effort needs to be more consistent.
USC 17, Boise State 10 — 11:45, 1st half
USC played three really bad minutes in that last four-minute segment, but the fourth minute was back to the good stuff: running in transition, Jordan Marsh nailing a 3-pointer before the Boise State defense got set, and deterring the Broncos at the rim. USC did commit a lot of turnovers in that ugly three-minute stretch. Ball security has to be taken seriously.
USC 11, Boise State 4 — 15:43, 1st half
Excellent start for USC. Energy is where it should be (high), shooting is accurate, and the stars — Rodney Rice and Chad Baker-Mazara — are sharp. Now let’s see if the Trojans can sustain this.
This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: USC men’s basketball vs Boise State in Maui opener – live updates
Reporting by Matt Zemek, Trojans Wire / Trojans Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
