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Five Observations From Trojans' 6th Place Finish At Maui Invitational

Jacob Freedman |
November 21, 2012 | 6:00 p.m. PST

Associate Sports Editor

J.T. Terrell finally proved he's the Trojans' most explosive scorer (Danny Lee/Neon Tommy).
J.T. Terrell finally proved he's the Trojans' most explosive scorer (Danny Lee/Neon Tommy).
Aloha means hello in Hawaiian, but it also means goodbye. Tonight, the Trojans say "aloha" for the second time to Hawaii after finishing sixth in the Maui Invitational Tournament. 

In the opening game, the Trojans were blown away from a hot-shooting Illinois squad that shot 69 percent in the first half. USC lost 94-64, and the closest the Trojans were able to cut the deficit to in the second half was 18 points. Normally a defense-focused squad, the Trojans were thrown out of their element by having to play at a Illinois' fast-paced style. The Trojans were down 9-8 five minutes into the game before the Illini went on a 13-1 run over the next four minutes and never looked back, taking a 57-26 halftime lead en route to an embarrassing blowout for the Trojans. 

Now in the losers' bracket, the Trojans rebounded the next day by winning a 59-53 overtime slugfest over Texas. The Trojans shot dreadfully from the field (a continuing trend), but went back and forth with the Longhorns for the entire second half and fended off a missed three-pointer at the regulation buzzer by Texas to send the game into overtime. In overtime, the Trojans made eight of nine free throws to seal the win. 

In today's matchup, the Trojans' cold-shooting hurt them once again, as USC fell 72-64 to Marquette in the fifth-place match to wrap up their tournament. USC shot under 40 percent from the field once again, and could never catch up to the Golden Eagles after falling behind midway through the first half. Three three-pointers by J.T. Terrell early in the second half helped the Trojans cut the deficit to one, but the consistent Golden Eagles matched every Trojan basket and let USC shoot themselves out of the game. 

The sixth-place finish is probably not what the team was looking for, but here are five observations that we saw during Maui and that will affect the Trojans down the line. 

The 7-foot-2 Omar Oraby did not play for long stretches in Maui (Danny Lee/Neon Tommy).
The 7-foot-2 Omar Oraby did not play for long stretches in Maui (Danny Lee/Neon Tommy).
1. J.T. Terrell Finally Finds His Touch

It took four games, but Terrell ended his season-long slump today against the Golden Eagles, finishing with 21 points in great part to a 5 for 9 performance from behind the three-point line. Going into the game shooting less than 30 percent from the field, Terrell showed his ability to create his own shots off the dribble as well as work in sync with point guard Jio Fontan. Terrell leads the Trojans with 13.6 points per game, and the fact that head coach Kevin O'Neill continued to give him free reign to take shots during his slump only means that Terrell will be given the green light now that it looks like his shooting accuracy has returned. 

2. Eric Wise is Mr. Reliable

He's not flashy and he's not incredible at any one skill, but the UC Irvine transfer plays bigger than his 6 foot, 6 inch size and is USC's strongest player down low. Averaging nearly 11 points and 7 rebounds per game so far, Wise has been a consistent contributor in every one of USC's five games this season and is shooting over 50 percent. While he's undersized for a power forward, Wise entered the season as USC's most under-the-radar transfer and has emerged as the Trojans' most reliable. Wise was the only Trojan to score in double digits every game in Maui, and will continue to receive a healthy dose of minutes after being the most surprising starter when the season began.

It's been a tough going shooting the ball for Jio Fontan this fall (Danny Lee/Neon Tommy).
It's been a tough going shooting the ball for Jio Fontan this fall (Danny Lee/Neon Tommy).
3. This Team Has Yet to Find an Offensive Identity

With two more-than-able seven-footers in Dewayne Dedmon and Omar Oraby, one would expect USC's offense to revolve around finding ways to get either the ball in the block. Not the case. O'Neill seems to be treating the 7 foot, 2 inch transfer from Rice like your grandmother's china vase, playing him less than 11 minutes per game for the three game in Maui, while Dedmon has yet to develop the post skills to become a reliable inside option. Point guard Jio Fontan is healthy after missing all of 2012, but still needs time in order to establish a rhythm in the offense. The result: too many passes that don't develop into successful looks and too many ugly contested shots at the end of the shot clock. That's a big part of why USC's starting backcourt is shooting a putrid 28.6 percent from the field. Growing pains are expected from a roster with just four members of USC's 10-man rotation having played for USC last year, but the 41.9 percent shooting mark and an inability to run set plays to success will need to be fixed before USC begins its Pac-12 slate. 

4. There's a Lid on the Rim for Jio Fontan

The Trojans' leader in minutes played, Fontan's already-suspect shooting abilities have take a turn for the worse so far. Fontan made just six of his 29 shots in Maui, and is making just 22 percent on the season. 22 percent is a bad success rate in baseball, let along basketball. Fontan's struggles from the field will be remedied as the Trojans become less inept on offense and find easier shots, but until they do that, his role needs to only be that of a facilitator. The abomination that was the Maui opener aside, Fontan has done well in finding his teammates. He finished with nine assists against Marquette, his most in one game as a Trojan, and is averaging 5.4 on the season. While he is still prone to bewildering passes that turn into turnovers, Fontan is the senior leader on this team and will need to keep the offense running even if he's on an Arctic-level cold streak. 

Chass Bryan (right) and Ari Stewart are part of why the Trojans' depth is massively improved from last season (Danny Lee/Neon Tommy).
Chass Bryan (right) and Ari Stewart are part of why the Trojans' depth is massively improved from last season (Danny Lee/Neon Tommy).
5. Dewayne Dedmon Is Showing Progress

I still cringe every time I see the seven-footer taking a fadeaway jump shot, but Dedmon is using his athleticism and dexterity to become more reliable on the boards. He still lacks the proper positioning to become the rebounding force his size should entail, but has looked more aware on the court. Take two clutch plays in the win over the Longhorns as an example of his improved awareness:

With the Trojans down two points with under a minute left in regulation, Dedmon blocked a Longhorns' shot, scooped up the basketball, and made an on-target fast break pass to Terrell for an easy game-tying dunk. 

In overtime with the scored tied at 51, Dedmon was fed the ball and rather than throwing a shot at the basket, paused for a split second as his defender flew in the air, then flicked in an easy shot while drawing the foul. A subpar free throw shooter (53.7 percent in 2011), Dedmon converted the three-point play to put USC up 54-51, and Texas was unable to even the game again. 

The redshirt junior still has miles to go in converting his raw ability to an NBA-level skill set, but for now is making the progress USC fans want to see in his second season for the Trojans.

Dedmon put up a dud against Marquette, ending up with more fouls (4) than points (3), showing how the redshirt junior still has miles to go in converting his raw ability to an NBA-level skill set. His bout with inconsistency is still ongoing, but for now Dedmon is looking like he can slowly begin to live up to the hype created after being featured in Sports Illustrated last year if he can stay out of foul trouble. That's a big "if."

The Trojans return to action on Sunday, hosting No. 25 San Diego State at the Galen Center at 7 p.m.

Follow more of Neon Tommy's USC Basketball Coverage here. 

Reach Associate Sports Editor Jacob Freedman here or follow him on Twitter.



 

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