UConn Basketball: 3 keys for 2020-21 showdown with USC Trojans

PHILADELPHIA, PA - JANUARY 18: Head coach Dan Hurley of the Connecticut Huskies reacts to his team against the Villanova Wildcats during the second half of a college basketball game at Wells Fargo Center on January 18, 2020 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Villanova defeated Connecticut 61-55. (Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images) /

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UConn Basketball James Bouknight David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports /

UConn Basketball will go head to head with USC on Thursday in Mohegan in a stiff early-season test for the Huskies, here are the keys for them to take down the Trojans.

The 2-0 UConn Basketball team will face their first real test of the 2020-2021 season with a tough matchup against USC. The Trojans moved to 3-0 earlier in the week after blowing out what many think will be a pretty good BYU team. USC won 79-53 in dominating fashion with a well-rounded team performance capped off by 19 points from Drew Peterson.

The Huskies are unbeaten after wins against CCSU and Hartford. The 69-57 win over Hartford may have left a bit of a sour taste in fans’ mouths after a rocket final 25 minutes. Offensively the Huskies were struggling to get things going in the second half and defensively the Huskies continued to put Hartford at the line with “soft” fouls.

Regardless, UConn is still 2-0 and it’s easy to see there’s a load of talent on this roster. The length and athleticism are impressive but the Huskies haven’t been able to put a full game together early on.

James Bouknight has been playing at an elite level early on and the Huskies will continue to rely on him as they move forward. Bouknight is averaging 19 points and 6 rebounds in his first two games. You’d like to see him get his teammates involved more and that will probably be the case moving forward as he forces defenses to collapse on him.

A tough task awaits, here are some things to keep an eye out for and my three keys for UConn as they take on a tough USC team.