USC opens NCAA tournament vs. Drake: A closer look at the matchup

USC had to wait four years to get its basketball team another shot in the NCAA tournament, and this feels like a pivotal moment for coach Andy Enfield now in his eighth year in the program.

But that is nothing compared to the Trojans' first-round opponent Saturday.

Drake advanced to the matchup with a 53-52 win over Wichita State in the First Four round on Thursday, earning its first NCAA tournament victory in exactly 50 years.

"It's been a long time and our guys knew that. It was something that getting the opportunity to be here first of all was something that these kids dream about, coaches we dream about it. And then to get a win for a program that hasn't happened in 50 years, it's really exciting. These guys have fought through so much," Drake coach Darian DeVries said.

No. 6-seed USC vs. No. 11 Drake

When: 1:30 p.m. PT Saturday

Where: Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, Ind.

TV: TNT

Drake, making its fifth NCAA tournament appearance overall and first since 2008, was picked seventh out of 10 teams in the Missouri Valley Conference preseason poll. The Bulldogs then jumped out to a 13-0 start on the season ... only to meet an abrupt halt with a three-week COVID-related shutdown.

They'd resume their momentum and get to 18-0, before the next obstacles started setting in. Leading scorer ShanQuan Hemphill (13.6 points per game) broke his foot in a Feb. 10 game vs. Northern Iowa and underwent surgery. He wouldn't play again until that game Thursday vs. Wichita State, logging just 10 minutes of action in his return. Meanwhile, third-leading scorer Roman Penn (11.2) was lost for the season in late February with a foot injury. Drake (26-4) had lost two of its final three games entering the NCAA tournament -- accounting for half of its overall losses -- while trying to adjust to those setbacks.

"We were [undefeated] and then we had to go through a three-week COVID pause, and I know other teams have had to go through similar things, but that was hard -- that was a hard thing for our guys to do. And then you lose two first-team all-league guys in Roman Penn and ShanQuan Hemphill after that, and we had to play 14 games in the last 33 days of the season. So these guys have really had to battle and fight through adversity to play their way into the tournament, so this opportunity isn't taken lightly by any of us."

With Penn out and Hemphill very limited, sophomore guard Joseph Yesufu led the way Thursday with 21 points as Drake battled a sluggish start offensively to eventually overcome a 12-point second-half deficit and put a stamp on this special season for the program.

"The biggest word is perseverance with us," he'd say afterward.

USC's story is a little different.

The Trojans (22-7) were also undervalued in the preseason, picked to finish sixth in the Pac-12 despite having one of the most ballyhooed players in the country in 7-foot freshman Evan Mobley -- a 5-star recruit and projected NBA draft lottery pick.

The question was about the supporting cast, as the Trojans returned only two players with any notable experience in sophomore forward Isaiah Mobley and sophomore point guard Ethan Anderson (plus untested sophomore guard Max Agbonkpolo). They filled out the rotation with four mid-major transfers and were not allowed to work out together this summer due to COVID restrictions, forcing all those new pieces to gel in a hurry through the preseason and season.

And, well, Trojans fans know how that all played out. Evan Mobley (16.8 points per game, 8.6 rebounds per game and 3.0 blocks per game) delivered on the lofty expectations, earning second-team All-America recognition and Pac-12 Player of the Year, Freshman of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year honors -- the first time that's happened in Pac-12 history and just the second time ever in major conference history that a player has swept all three awards (Anthony Davis, Kentucky). Grad transfer guard Tahj Eaddy (from Santa Clara) emerged as a dependable second scorer at 13.7 PPG, and then USC pieced the rest together, finding just enough most nights from the combination of Drew Peterson (from Rice), Isaiah White (Utah Valley), Isaiah Mobley and Chevez Goodwin (Wofford).

Like Drake, USC had an early-season COVID shutdown. Like the Bulldogs, the Trojans finished second in their conference, exceeding those preseason expectations.

And that's about where the similarities end.

USC will take the court Saturday with one of the country's most decorated players in the younger Mobley, who is playing his best basketball of the season after posting identical lines of 26 points, 9 rebounds and 5 blocks in the team's two Pac-12 tournament games.

In addition to the 7-footer, the Trojans will trot out 6-foot-10 Isaiah Mobley, 6-foot-9 Goodwin, 6-foot-8 Peterson, 6-foot-7 White and 6-foot-9 Agbonkpolo.

For Drake, 6-foot-10 junior starter Darnell Brodie (9 points, 10 rebounds vs. Wichita State) is the only player taller than 6-foot-6 in the rotation.

"It’s definitely the most size we’ve played all year. Statistically I was told that this is the biggest team in the country. They certainly look like it on film," DeVries said. "We’re going to have to adjust to it. Hopefully we can adjust quickly."

Said Yesufu: "We love it. We were underdogs at the beginning of the season .... so we've been carrying ourselves in a different manner."

Drake shot just 37.7 percent in that win over Wichita State, but for the season the Bulldogs rank 14th nationally in field goal percentage at 49.06. USC ranks 13th nationally in field goal percentage defense, holding opponents to 39.36-percent shooting.

Along with Yesufu (12.4 PPG), Drake also has junior guard D.J. Wilkins (10.3 PPG) and redshirt senior forward Tremell Murphy (10.3 PPG) averaging in double figures, in addition to Hemphill, who will likely be limited again. Hemphill was on a minutes limit Thursday and DeVries indicated that will be the case again for the most part.

"It’s a little sore, so we didn’t do much [Friday]. In talking to him, he feels like he could do a similar role," DeVries said. "Same idea of playing him and seeing how it’s going. I think we’ll try to play him in longer stretches, instead of playing two minutes then get him out."

USC, meanwhile, has not had any media availability since Wednesday, before it knew the opponent it would face, but the matchup is clear enough. The Trojans will try lean on their strengths -- defense, rebounding and Evan Mobley in general.

While Drake has already made school history this week and secured a successful season no matter what else happens, the Trojans have more to prove still. This is Enfield's third NCAA tournament appearance in his eight years with the program (though the Trojans would have made it last year had their been a tournament.) They were one and out in 2016 and then won a First Four game and a first-round game in 2017 before losing in the second round.

He was asked earlier this week if he felt more pressure or sense of urgency to make a run in the tournament this year.

"In the NCAA tournament, you play a very tough team no matter what round you're in. Four years ago when we won two games we played Providence and then played SMU, beat them, and then we were 30 seconds away from going to the Sweet 16. It was a one-possession game against Baylor, we had a goal-tending call I think in the last 25-30 seconds, so that's how close we were with a great group of young men," Enfield said. "They went to two straight tournaments and then in the third year came in second place in the Pac-12 for the first time in 25 years at USC and went to the championship game of the Pac-12 tournament -- unfortunately we were the first team out [of the NCAA tournament field]. ... Last year I thought we were a potential Sweet 16 team as well. We were really good last year, had a great defense and had a lot of guys with game experience. So we were excited last year to make a run [and didn't have that chance.]

"This year is a whole different team. So when you say, is there pressure to get to the second weekend? Yeah, there's pressure on every team in the tournament. That's what March Madness is all about, but this is a whole different team. We only had three guys on this team that played last year, and they didn't play three or four or five years ago when we went to the NCAA tournament. So what happened in the past has no relevance on this team. ... We're going to do our best in the first game and then we'll take it from there."