USC Basketball: 3 reasons the Trojans will be better than UCLA in 2018-19

Veteran Presence

One of the most valuable assets in basketball, which is often overlooked when comparing two teams, is the level of experience on a roster. USC will bank on their experience when competing with UCLA, boasting five upperclassmen to the Bruins’ two. Their upperclassmen are also all key pieces to the roster, and should be on the court in high pressure situations.

USC’s veteran cast starts with senior forward Bennie Boatwright. If he is able to stay healthy, Boatwright has the capability to put up All-Pac-12 First Team numbers. Health, however, is a major concern for Boatwright, who has missed 30 total games over the last two seasons.

Bennie Boatwright will not be the only veteran leader on the roster, with big man Nick Rakocevic, point guard Derryck Thornton and sharpshooter Jonah Mathews returning to the fold.

Last season, Rakocevic was given the opportunity to start when Boatwright and Chimezie Metu were unavailable and became one of the more underrated big men in the conference. Thornton was not given many minutes last year, but his experience as a member of the 2015-16 National Championship Duke Blue Devils should be a valuable asset for a team that aims to return to the big dance. Jonah Mathews is perhaps the best catch-and-shoot threat on the Trojans’ roster and could have a much bigger role this season assuming he improves in other areas of the game.

In addition to these four key pieces, the Trojans will have redshirt-senior guard Shaqquan Aaron for one more season. Aaron has not earned a tremendous amount of minutes, but his ability to provide quality minutes off the bench has kept him in the everyday rotation

If USC is going to aim to beat UCLA and finish above them in the standings, it will start with their veteran leadership.