(Photo: Max Zepeda/WCSN)
In front of over 5,000 students, which was the biggest student crowd in Arizona State men’s basketball history (15-4, 6-2 Pac-12), the Sun Devils impressed for 35 minutes, leading for a majority of the game, but ultimately came up short against No. 5 UCLA.
A huge 16-2 run from the Bruins over the last six minutes took the lead from ASU and extended the final score to an unrepresentative 12-point loss. Now, the Sun Devils must shift their focus away from the Bruins and toward the USC Trojans (13-6, 5-3 Pac-12).
The Trojans are coming off a 15-point loss against Arizona in Tucson but have played impressive basketball so far this season. With a 9-1 record and impressive wins over Utah and Auburn, USC has been dominant at the Galen Center. However, away from Galen, the Trojans have struggled, as five of their six losses have come on the road.
As a team, the Trojans are similar to their rivals at UCLA. The two rivals are hesitant to shoot the 3, both ranking bottom three in the Pac-12 for 3-pointers attempted. The reluctance to shoot 3s has put UCLA and USC at the top of the Pac-12 in field goal percentage with 47.6 percent and 45.4 percent, respectively.
With these similarities, the Trojans were able to match up well with the Bruins when they met for the first time this season. USC played one of its best games all season but came up just two points short at the Pauley Pavilion in early January.
With the departure of forward Isaiah Mobley to the NBA Draft, the Trojans needed to find a way to replace 14 points, eight rebounds, and three assists per game.
Stepping up with the best season of his college career to date is senior guard Boogie Ellis. After transferring from Memphis before last season, Ellis was an immediate impact player for the Trojans, coming in second to only Mobley in points per game with 12.5.
So far this season, Ellis has upped his scoring to 15.4 points per game which is good for seventh in the Pac-12. Alongside his increase in scoring, the San Diego native has added a solid 3.4 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game. On the defensive side of the ball, Ellis has made strides by doubling his steals per game this year. His jump from 0.8 steals to 1.6 has launched Ellis to fifth in the Pac-12 in steals per game.
Joining Ellis in the backcourt is senior guard Drew Peterson. The Illinois native has been the Trojans’ second leading scorer with 13.7 points per game, but Peterson’s biggest impact has come elsewhere. With 6.5 rebounds per game, Peterson has been the Trojans’ leading rebounder. Most of his impact on the glass comes on the defensive side, as his 5.5 defensive rebounds per game put him in the company of names like Arizona’s Oumar Ballo and Azuolas Tubelis.
Peterson has excelled in turning his defensive rebounds into points for his teammates on the other end of the floor. The 2021-22 first-team all-Pac-12 is fourth in the conference in assists per game with 4.8, a tenth of an assist behind ASU guard Frankie Collins.
With the Sun Devils coming off an emotional rollercoaster game against UCLA, ASU will look to settle down with a win at home over the Trojans. Sitting in second place in the Pac-12 right now, a loss to USC will put the Sun Devils in a backlog of teams in the middle of the conference that all have three losses.
