USC Basketball: 2019-20 keys to beating Oregon Ducks on the road

By Andy Patton | Jan 22, 2020

LAS VEGAS, NV - MARCH 09: Nick Rakocevic #31 of the USC Trojans smiles after teammate Elijah Stewart #30 dunked against the Oregon Ducks during a semifinal game of the Pac-12 basketball tournament at T-Mobile Arena on March 9, 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Trojans won 74-54. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images) /

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LOS ANGELES, CA – DECEMBER 21: Marlon Taylor #14 of the LSU Tigers guards Daniel Utomi #4 of the USC Trojans (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images) /

Daniel Utomi and Ethan Anderson need to score

One of the reasons USC was able to survive against UCLA despite a poor performance from Okongwu was the performances of two key non-scorers – Ethan Anderson and Daniel Utomi – who had 14 and 13 points despite season averages of 4.7 and 5.4, respectively.

For USC to beat a superior Oregon team they’ll not only need Okongwu to have a big game, but Anderson and Utomi need to step on both sides of the ball.

While both Anderson and Utomi are key contributors, they have been relied upon more for their defense and, especially in Anderson’s case, their distributing skills rather than their scoring.

However, both have proven they can shoot from beyond the arc, and if they are able to stretch Oregon’s defense by hitting treys it will give Okongwu and Nick Rakocevic more room to operate in the paint.

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USC will have their hands full on Thursday against a strong Oregon squad. However, if they can get a strong game from Okongwu, frustrate Pritchard into an off-shooting night, and get additional scoring from their depth, they will put themselves in a position to win.

Improving their free throw shooting (66.4%) and limiting turnovers (15.2 per game) will be important factors as well.

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