With such a tough nonconference schedule, there was always going to be growing pains. Nonetheless, USC women’s basketball‘s loss to Notre Dame last Friday is likely a game the Trojans want back — because it looked like one they should have won.
USC shot 46% from the field and 40% from three and led by as many as 11 points but turned the ball over 21 times and could only watch as Hannah Hidalgo hit the game winner in the closing seconds.
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In the process, Notre Dame laid the blueprint for how less talented teams can beat USC even when the Trojans shoot well: exploit their ball handling issues and offensive decision making and make them turn the ball over.
Now, it’s on USC to adjust. If the Trojans want to be competitive in conference play, especially against teams like Michigan and UCLA, and make a deep NCAA tournament run, they need to work on their weaknesses.
So where do they go after the Notre Dame loss? Here are five things to watch as USC returns home to Galen Center to take on Tennessee Tech:
Can USC take care of the basketball?
21 USC turnovers was the biggest story against Notre Dame. The 21st came in the biggest moment, with just a few seconds left and USC trying to get 1 last shot off. The Trojans couldn’t, as Kennedy Smith’s inbounds pass was stolen.
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USC has had big turnover issues throughout its first 5 games. The Trojans have turned the ball over 69 times — that’s 13.8 times per game. Remember, USC’s opponents in that timeframe include Portland and New Mexico State.
Some especially troubling stat lines: Jazzy Davidson leads the team with 21 turnovers, which means she’s averaging over 4 giveaways per game. Davidson, who turned the ball over 8 times against Notre Dame, has more turnovers than assists (19) on the season. Kara Dunn and Malia Samuels also have more turnovers than assists.
Kennedy Smith has the best assist to turnover ratio of any of USC’s primary ball handlers (15 assists/5 turnovers) but Smith is struggling with her own offense to open the season. Who can emerge as someone the Trojans can trust with the basketball in key moments?
Does Kara Dunn get a bigger role offensively?
Dunn had her best game of the season against Notre Dame, scoring 21 points on 8-11 shooting (4-5 from three point range).
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She is shooting around 47% from the field on the season, easily the best of anyone who has a notable offensive role for the Trojans this year. She’s also USC’s most proven scorer at the collegiate level. She averaged 15.5 points per game the last two seasons at Georgia Tech. No one else on USC’s roster has averaged even 10 over a full collegiate season.
And yet, she has taken only the fourth-most shots on the team. Everyone who has taken more shots than Dunn has a significantly worse shooting percentage.
Will that change after her excellent performance against Notre Dame? Ideally, Dunn manages to increase her scoring output while continuing to shoot the ball efficiently.
Will Malia Samuels build on a solid offensive performance?
Malia Samuels scored a season-high 9 points against Notre Dame, and her offensive aggressiveness made a big difference for USC in the first half.
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Samuels plays the role of a true pass-first point guard for USC, but given that she is a starter and one of USC’s most experienced players, I’m sure the Trojans wouldn’t mind some scoring from Samuels.
Will she start to take more shots? If she does, will they fall?
Can USC impose its will offensively?
The Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles have played excellent defense to open their season. They are 4-1 despite shooting only 39% from the field, because every opponent has scored 67 points or less (4 out of 5 opponents have scored 60 points or less) against the Golden Eagles.
If USC can take care of the basketball and take smart shots, they should be able to comfortably get back in the win column. But if Tennessee Tech dictates the pace of the game, USC could be in trouble.
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Can USC’s post players get into a groove?
Tennessee Tech doesn’t have a single player on its roster who is taller than 6’2”. USC is rarely going to have that much of a size advantage this season, so they need to take advantage.
If there’s a game where USC’s inexperienced post players could relax and get into a groove amidst a low stakes environment, this is it. If Vivian Iwuchukwu, Dayana Mendes, Gerda Raulušaityte, Yakiya Milton or Laura Williams have a big game, it could be a huge confidence builder for USC for the rest of the season.
So look for one or more of them to hopefully have their best game of the season against Tennessee Tech.
This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: 5 things to watch – USC women’s basketball Game 6 vs Tennessee Tech
