Scouting report: Arizona Wildcats vs. USC Trojans

The Star's Bruce Pascoe previews game day essentials, from projected starting lineups to storylines and series history, ahead of the Arizona Wildcats' home game against USC on Thursday.

Who: USC (6-2, 1-1) at Arizona (9-1, 3-1)

Where: McKale Center

When: Thursday, 7 p.m.

TV: ESPN2

Radio: 1290-AM, 107.5-FM

Social media: @TheWildcaster on Twitter / TheWildcaster on Facebook

PROBABLE STARTERS: ARIZONA

PROBABLE STARTERS: USC

G Tahj Eaddy (6-2 senior)

G Isaiah White (6-7 senior)

F Drew Peterson (6-8 junior)

F Isaiah Mobley (6-10 sophomore)

C Evan Mobley (7-0 freshman)

HOW THEY MATCH UP

The series: Arizona leads USC 69-45 overall but has lost three of the past four games with the Trojans. USC beat the UA both times they played in 2018-19, once in Los Angeles and once in the Pac-12 Tournament, while each team won at home last season. The UA beat USC 85-80 at McKale Center on Feb. 6, when the UA’s starting freshmen trio of Nico Mannion (20), Josh Green (18) and Zeke Nnaji (18) combined for 56 points. The Trojans beat the Wildcats 57-48 in Los Angeles on Feb. 27 in Los Angeles, when USC held Arizona to just 28.1% shooting.

This season: The Wildcats are scheduled to face USC at the Galen Center on Feb. 20.

USC overview: Like Arizona, the Trojans were blitzed with offseason departures, returning just four players overall after even former starting guard Elijah Weaver opted to transfer last spring. But also like Arizona, the Trojans are holding up pretty well, thanks to the fact that coach Andy Enfield recruited an expected high-lottery pick in center Evan Mobley along with productive transfers Tahj Eaddy (Santa Clara), Drew Peterson (Rice) and Isaiah White (Utah Valley).

The Trojans have already recorded respectable wins over BYU, Montana and Utah thanks in part to what is now the nation’s 20th most efficient defense. With long, mobile brothers Evan and Isaiah Mobley protecting the rim inside — and White and Drew Peterson bothering opponents with size on the wings — the Trojans allow opponents to shoot just 38.9% inside the arc, the fourth-best defensive two-point percentage in the country, and swat away opponents’ shots 14.4% of the time — the 14th-best block percentage. They also hold opponents to just 29.4% shooting from 3 (ranking 50th).

Offensively, Evan Mobley leads the Trojans in scoring (15.0) and shoots 58.7% overall, including 5 of 17 3-point shooting when he steps outside. Eaddy (12.8), and Peterson (10.5) also average in double figures and both have helped with point-guard duties while the Trojans have been without starter Ethan Anderson because of back issues that also make him questionable this week. Both Eaddy and Peterson are averaging more than three assists per game.

The Trojans lost four games because of their COVID-19 issues last month, and then dropped their Pac-12 opener to Colorado on Dec. 31, but their defense throttled Utah on Saturday in Los Angeles. The Utes shot just 27.9%, including just 3 of 22 3-pointers, while standout forward Timmy Allen went 2 for 14 overall from the field.

The scout says

“This is the longest team we’ll play by far. I think that’s the biggest challenge offensively is playing a defense like that. (The Mobley brothers) are tough rim protectors and they’re good on the boards. It’s like their best shot is a missed shot — they crash the boards like no other team that I’ve ever seen. A lot of it is due to their size, but some of it just muscle. They’ve got guys who crash it and go after it.

“I don’t know how they’ll play us (defensively), but what gave Utah a lot of problems was when they switched everything. Their guys who were switching out on guards have such length, and if you do drive it now, you have to finish over a guy at the basket who is going to be 6-11. We’ve got to move the ball and take the shots that are presented to us.

“Once we do secure the rebound, we’ve got to get out in transition and run. I think it’s an area in our game that we can get better at and utilize guys like Dalen (Terry) and Benn (Mathurin) in transition because in those guys we’ve got two great athletes. And if we get those guys out running, maybe it opens things up for Jemarl on the perimeter as well.

“With Ethan Anderson, we always scout as if a guy is gonna play. We don’t know. We will be ready for him if he does. But without him, Tahj Eaddy has really stepped up. He’s a redshirt senior, really a combo guard, but can really shoot it. He plays under control, at a good speed, but the way he shoots the ball is really dangerous.

“Drew Peterson is a high-IQ basketball player. He’ll play some backup one, and when he does that, we’re at a huge disadvantage. He’s aggressive, he looks for his shot. He’s smart, crashes the glasses well. Isaiah White is really a power forward playing small forward. He’s strong, physical, really more of a driver, but he’s another one that crashes the glass and gives you problems.”

KEY PLAYER: USC

Evan Mobley

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Anyone who has glanced briefly at a 2021 mock NBA drafts has probably heard of this guy, because he’s usually one of the top three or four listed. Unusually athletic and skilled for his 7-foot size, Mobley is an effective shot blocker, a productive rebounder and an agile scorer inside who can also step out to 3-point range.

KEY PLAYERS: Arizona

Bennedict Mathurin

Mathurin turned a challenge into an advantage at Washington State, earning the Pac-12’s Freshman of the Week award in large part because of how productive he was in getting past the Cougars’ big men when forced to play power forward. But the long and skilled Trojans are expected to make it rough on Mathurin and basically anybody who tries to get to the basket.

SIDELINES

Nightmare comes true

While appearing virtually on Pac-12 media day on Nov. 12, USC coach Andy Enfield indicated he was already having panic attacks of a sort.

“I sit around sometimes late at night, and wake up in the middle of the night, thinking, ‘Well, what happens if one person gets it?’” Enfield said. “Does that mean we’re done as a program for 14 days?”

Yep, pretty much exactly. The Trojans actually went three weeks between games on Dec. 8 and Dec. 29 because of their own COVID-19 issues, getting only two real practices in before their first game back.

During a Dec. 22 appearance on USC’s “Trojans Live,” Enfield said the team was then “allowed to only practice with one guy and a coach on the floor, and just try to keep them in shape.”

Meanwhile, in another twist typical of this season, Loyola Marymount backed out of the Dec. 29 game because of its own COVID issues, forcing the Trojans to substitute them with Santa Clara, which has been kicked out of its home county because of a health order.

All that, for this?

Because he was able to graduate early from St. Bernard High School in Playa Del Rey, California — and because there was no telling if his senior season would just be delayed until the spring or canceled altogether – guard Reese Waters enrolled early at USC and suited up.

Initially, for nothing.

“He had his first official college practice on a Saturday, and we had a walkthrough prior to our Stanford game on Sunday,” Enfield said on “Trojans Live.” “And then the next day we got shut down for two weeks. What a way to welcome him to college basketball.”

Waters finally made his debut in the Santa Clara game, making his first shot as a collegian, a three-pointer while finishing with five points and a rebound in five minutes played.

Because of the Trojans’ depth at guard he may not get a much bigger role this season but Waters gives them long term upside.

Ranked No. 60 overall in the high school class of 2021 by 247 Sports, Waters averaged 17.0 points, 10.0 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 2.0 steals per game last season for St. Bernard.

Postponement alert

As if Arizona didn’t know it already — having had seven games moved or canceled during the first month of the season – the Wildcats also have a potential roadblock ahead of them after Oregon State’s decision Tuesday to pause basketball activities.

The Wildcats are scheduled to play at OSU on Jan. 14, just after a one-week pause might end, though it is not clear how long the Beavers will need. An OSU spokesman said the Jan. 14 game is still possible but that everything is up in the air at this point.

That’s pretty much the way UA coach Sean Miller is looking at it.

“We really have to just operate one day at a time because as you know, things can change tomorrow on game day between us or USC,” Miller said. “We’re just trying to encourage our players to follow the COVID protocols that we have to work hard and make sure they’re being honest and we’re communicating with them on and off the court.”

The Wildcats already played three Pac-12 games last week because Colorado had to postpone their Dec. 2 game at McKale, and it’s possible that the Pac-12 could ask them if they are willing to do it again if a team such as OSU needs to reschedule.

Arizona does have extra open time the week of Jan. 18, when it is only scheduled to face ASU as of now, or Miller indicated it might be willing to play three in a week again if the circumstances were right. Miller also said the UA might also add in a final allowable nonconference game, since its Dec. 21 game with San Diego was canceled.

“As long as it’s safe for our players,” Miller said. “You have to keep their health and well-being in the forefront of your mind physically as well. Playing Thursdays and Saturdays in the Pac-12 is quite a task.

“But as long as it doesn’t put us in harm’s way, we want to play games.”

Numbers game

1

USC’s ranking in average height, as weighted by minutes played per Kenpom, with the average Trojan 6-foot-6.3 inches.

5.9

Average shots USC blocks per game.

11

Arizona’s ranking in offensive rebounding percentage, with the Wildcats collecting their misses 37.9% of the time.