USC Basketball: 5 reasons Trojans will win the 2018 NCAA Tournament
By Stuart Gill
Elijah Stewart and Jordan McLaughlin are taking the Trojans to new heights.
In their final season as Trojans, McLaughlin, and Stewart are going to go out with a bang — and that means performing in the clutch. As the season winds on and USC comes face-to-face with big moments against tough opponents, Stewart and McLaughlin are going to do everything in their power to keep their season, and careers, alive.
They combined for 25.2 points per game, Stewart averaging 30 minutes per game and McLaughin 34, but the stats don’t tell the whole story. Their play inspires energy on the Trojan bench, and they are two players who truly never quit. When Stewart failed to score in 31 minutes of action in the First Four last March, McLaughlin picked up the slack and went for 18 points to help secure the victory. And in their next game, a one-point upset of SMU, it was Stewart who hit more than half his shots for a total of 22 points while McLaughin was struggling.
The pair of guards were Enfield’s first notable USC recruits, and so far they have been able to do everything asked of them by Enfield in order to rebuild this program. They are proven assets on both ends of the floor, but their most important job this year may be one that happens off the court. If they are able to push the younger guards, like Melton, O’Bannon, and Usher, along, USC will be unstoppable.