There was a distinct buzz about the crowd every time Isaiah Collier touched the ball Thursday night in his Galen Center debut. The freshman enters his career at USC with plenty of eyes on his every move. He was the No. 1-ranked recruit (Rivals) as a member of the 2024 class, so name recognition is not the concern.

Living up to what fans expect from him every night, however, will be the biggest test. Through two games, all indications are that Collier himself might end up being his own toughest challenge when it comes to his ultimate success and impact at USC.

The 6-foot-5 guard from Georgia has been stellar in his first two contests with the Trojans scoring 18 points Monday night in the season opener followed by 19 points Thursday in USC's 85-59 victory over Cal State Bakersfield in the home opener.

Collier routinely showcased his ability to knife through the defense with an extra gear not possessed by any Roadrunners defender. The end result was six made baskets on 11 attempts and a few trips to the free-throw line (6 for 7) in a game-high 34 minutes.

USC head coach Andy Enfield may find it difficult to take Collier off the court this season, but for now he's excited to see that there is still room for development from his young guard.

"If you look at turnovers, that's one thing we look at, and Isaiah needs to clean that up a little bit," Enfield said. "He got a little sloppy in the second half with three straight, but other than that he played an outstanding game. I think there's stretches of spectacular basketball. ... We're a work in progress right now, including Isaiah Collier.

"He's only a freshman, and so we can't rely on him to do everything. We have a lot of other good players on this team that have to step up and keep performing."

Scoring will not be any kind of issue this season for the freshman, and he understands that. Leading the team in turnovers (he had four against the Roadrunners) could be problematic as the season moves along. That's why Collier remains focused on staying under control not allowing his eagerness and speed to overshadow decision making as he moves through the nonconference season.

"It's just being smarter," he said. "I think that just comes from being a freshman in college. Things aren't gonna naturally happen like they did in high school. So, it's just being smarter. Making smart decisions and let it naturally happen."

He added that staying engaged on the defensive end is another element that he will have to improve as he develops this year.

That end of the floor is what put Oziyah Sellers in position to have a career night for the Trojans (2-0) Thursday. The sophomore stepped up in 25 minutes off the bench for shorthanded USC, which was without starting wing Kobe Johnson against CSUB.

Sellers finished the game with 16 points on an efficient 6 for 9 from the field to go along with four rebounds and three assists. He connected on a pair of his four attempts from 3-point range providing a spark from the perimeter for the Trojans.

However, his defense is what has him as a bigger part of the rotation early this season.

"He's gained 15 pounds of muscle in the offseason, and he's a much better basketball player than he was last year," Enfield said. "He had a good freshman year for us, played in limited minutes but helped us, but he didn't shoot the ball well. Tonight, he played very good defense and he made some shots.

"He looked like a guy that's been relied upon for a long time the way he played tonight. So, we're hoping this gives him some confidence, because we're very confident in him as a coaching staff."

Enfield did not disclose Johnson's injury, which the USC head coach said his standout guard suffered during Monday night's game against Kansas State only to play through it. At this point, it is unclear when the junior will be back on the floor but Enfield is eager to see him in action once again.

"He kept playing and played exceptionally well," Enfield said of Johnson's performance in Monday's win. "I was shocked at how well he played, especially in the second half, to have 16 points, eight rebounds and three or four steals. He's day-to-day, we just have to be precautious and the doctors will tell us and tell me when he can play."

The Trojans will not be in action again until next Tuesday when they host UC Irvine at Galen Center with tipoff set for 8 p.m.