Sizing up USC's path to a potential Pac-12 basketball title

The USC basketball program hasn't claimed a Pac-12 regular-season championship since sharing the title with Washington during the 1984-85 season.

The Trojans (19-7, 8-5 Pac-12) are at least in the mix to try to change that this season as they enter the final stretch of the schedule one game behind conference co-leaders Oregon and Colorado and a half game back of Arizona State and Arizona.

The problem is USC is 0-4 against those four teams. The opportunity is that the Trojans face three of those opponents again still, starting with a visit to No. 18-ranked Colorado (20-6, 9-4) on Thursday night.

And the potential of winning this seemingly wide-open conference race is indeed very much on the minds of this team.

"We talk about it everyday," senior forward Nick Rakocevic said Tuesday. "Especially me, Jonah [Mathews] and the older guys, this is our last go-round. This is my last year here. We've came in second place twice, both in the regular season and the tournament. It's just tough when you're right there … So that's something that we definitely talk about every day -- 'We could be No. 1, we could win.'

"We talk about that every day and it's been a goal of ours since the beginning of the season, and we believe we can do it. … We have a talented enough team that we could for sure be No. 1 in the Pac-12."

That said, half the teams in the conference probably feel the same way in a season where there has not been a singularly dominant Pac-12 team.

"Everybody wants to win a conference championship. That's what we play the game for," Trojans coach Andy Enfield said. "Our players understand there's some teams ahead of us by a game right now or half a game, and we play four of those teams in our last five games. So we have an opportunity to win some games and really a chance to be there in the end."

Here is a look at the remaining paths for each of the Pac-12 contenders:

USC: at Colorado, at Utah, vs. Arizona, vs. Arizona State, vs. UCLA … Combined Pac-12 record (38-25)

UCLA: at Utah, at Colorado, vs. Arizona State, vs. Arizona, at USC ... (38-25)

Oregon: at Arizona State, at Arizona, vs. Oregon State, vs. Cal, vs. Stanford. ... (30-31)

Colorado: vs. USC, vs. UCLA, at Cal, at Stanford, at Utah ... (30-33)

Arizona State: vs. Oregon, vs. Oregon State, at UCLA, at USC, vs. Washington, vs. Washing ton State ... (37-41)

Arizona: vs. Oregon State, vs. Oregon, at USC, at UCLA, vs. Washington State, vs. Washington. ... (37-41)

Thus, the Trojans have the toughest remaining path among the top contenders, and how realistic their Pac-12 title chances are should come into better clarity with each mounting game.

Interestingly, the last time USC took on Colorado, back on Feb. 1, it had a chance to claim sole possession of first place in the standings. And despite losing that game, 78-57 at home, and then dropping the next two on the road at Arizona and Arizona State, the Trojans again ready for the Buffaloes within reach of the top of the standings.

Those championship goals might feel a lot different come Thursday night -- one way or the other.

As to how the Trojans expect to pull off a much different outcome against these same Buffaloes on the road after such a one-sided defeat against them at home?

"I think just going in there with a new mindset. Them coming in there just whooping us at home in front of our fans, I think that humbled us. It humbled us and it showed us this is going to get ugly if we don't perform, if we don't step up to the plate. It was just a more humbling experience than I think anything else," Rakocevic said. "We came into the game, didn't have really great energy. So this time going into the game, we need to have that from the jump -- just the motivation off of what they did to us here. From the start we need to be in just a different mindset."

Especially if they want to maintain those championship hopes.

After missing the last two games due to a concussion, freshman forward Onyeka Okongwu -- USC's leading scorer (16.4 PPG) and rebounder (8.9 RPG) -- seems to have a good chance to play Thursday night.

But Enfield wasn't ready to make any final decision while speaking Tuesday after practice, in which Okongwu remained limited to non-contact work but seemed plenty active nonetheless.

"Still day to day. He didn't practice today -- contact -- yet. So we're hoping he'll be ready, but it's not a guarantee," Enfield said.

Okongwu, for his part, indicated that he's eager to return to action.

"It was my first concussion in a while, so I'm just happy to be able to get back on the court and help my team win," he said. "... I'm good now, just a little tired, a little fatigued."

Okongwu also clarified when the concussion occurred in that Arizona State game two weekends ago.

"I think it was the first play or second play of the game. Ethan [Anderson] threw me a pass, dude hit me in the head. I think that's how I got it, but I'm not sure," he said.

Okongwu finished that game, scoring just 5 points and grabbing 6 rebounds in 27 minutes.