The USC basketball team can't be found in the preseason polls, yet it's another set of rankings that have generated considerable anticipation for the start of the season Tuesday night.
The Trojans finished No. 7 in the Rivals recruiting rankings last cycle -- well higher than the school's football program, for what it's worth -- and are effectively launching a reset around those six freshmen, two graduate transfers and four key holdovers.
USC is coming off a 16-17 finish last season -- the third losing record in coach Andy Enfield's six years with the program -- but so much has changed since last March for this team, and Tuesday night against Florida A&M the Trojans will formally begin the process of seeing what all that change adds up to on the court.
"We have a lot of expectations -- us [as freshmen] and the team in general. But that doesn't faze us, doesn't faze me for sure. I'm just excited to play," star newcomer Onyeka Okongwu said Monday after practice.
Okongwu, a polished 6-foot-9 center, and 6-foot-10 forward Isaiah Mobley were both 5-star prospects and headline that talent-rich freshman class, which also features 4-star point guard Kyle Sturdivant, 4-star 6-foot-8 forward Max Agbonkpolo, 3-star point guard Ethan Anderson and eventually 4-star forward Drake London (who is presently playing a significant role for the football team).
Veteran guards Daniel Utomi (via Akron) and Quinton Adlesh (via Columbia) joined as grad transfers, and seniors Nick Rakocevic and Jonah Mathews return as starters while redshirt sophomore Charles O'Bannon Jr. and sophomore Elijah Weaver will look to play larger roles.
"We'll probably play all 11 players. We expect each guy that goes in the game to play as hard as they can, and I know they'll be some variations of minutes because we are so deep at numerous positions, but everyone deserves an opportunity," Enfield said. "... This is our deepest team, most interchangeable."
So deep that Enfield said as of Monday evening he didn't have a starting five finalized for the opener Tuesday night.
Okongwu led USC in its preseason exhibition victory over Villanova (72-61) with 15 points and 10 rebounds while Utomi also scored 15 points. USC later had a closed scrimmage against Santa Clara, winning that 72-68 while experimenting with the rotation and different lineups. Okongwu (17), Mobley (14), Anderson (10), Sturdivant (8) and Agbonkpolo (7) scored 56 of the team's points in that one.
Mobley was asked Monday how the freshmen feel about the attention and expectations that have been put on their group.
"I'd say we feed off it. A litlte pressure, but nothing over the top. All of us freshmen have played on high-level stages, we're pretty battle-tested from high school and stuff," he said. "It's not nothing new, but I think we take it as a challenge and just have fun with it."
That's the hope for this Trojans team -- that it's a fun group that not only wins but can renew interest among the fan base after the program missed the NCAA Tournament the last two seasons (and four times in Enfield's first six years).
Enfield, though, is quick to note that this season will hinge on far more than the vaunted freshman class.
"We do have a great freshman class with two grad transfers, but the four returnees are equally as important," he said. "I think early on in the season we're going to need to rely on those veterans more so than the freshman class."
There's no doubt about that. USC returns just two of its top five scorers from last season in Rakocevic (14.7 points/9.3 rebounds per game) and Mathews (12.6 PPG, 78 3-pointers). Rakocevic, the 6-foot-11 senior center, was one of 10 players selected for the Preseason All-Pac-12 First-Team. He and Bennie Boatwright, who is now trying to prove himself at the next level, were the focal points offensively for the Trojans last season.
Weaver mostly came off the bench, averaging 5.1 points and 2.4 assists, and O'Bannon redshirted after requiring surgery on his pinkie finger.
As Enfield noted, the starting lineup and rotation will be ever-evolving through the early part of the season.
It seems clear the Trojans will rely heavily on some combination of Rakocevic, Okongwu and Mobley in the front court, perhaps trotting out a big lineup with all three at times.
"We can go big, we can go small. We're very versatile so we can all play different positions," Okongwu said.
The backcourt may be a little tougher to predict. Mathews should be locked in as the primary 2-guard while it sounds like Enfield is ready to lean heavily on freshmen Sturdivant and Anderson at point guard with Weaver an option at either guard position and the 3-spot a swing position based on what kind of look the Trojans want to give opponents. Utomi shot the ball well in the exhibition against Villanova and looks like he could be another impact addition.
"Elijah's so big he can play off the ball. He'll probably play off the ball a lot this year because he's so fast and his strength is really to attack the rim," Enfield said. "The two freshmen are really true points that are exceptional with their decision-making at an early age, and we expect both of them to have to carry us at times this year because point guard play is so important."
Enfield always prides himself on USC ranking high in the conference in assists, so how those freshmen handle the role of distributor will likely determine how the minutes are split there.
As for the overall identity he wants for this team, though, Enfield not surprisingly said it starts on defense.
"I think we're still developing an identity. We know what we're trying to do, but we have to see who we can rely upon in crucial situations," Enfield said. "... Defensively we have to play with some toughness. We'll do a lot of switching because we have interchangeable parts, we can be able to guard multiple positions. And we have to get deflections and steals and block some shots so we can get out and run. Offensively, it's the same concepts where we're going to play fast, but you can only do that if you play good defense."
The time for hype and buildup is over, he added.
"We're proud of them so far, but now the lights turn on for real and we have to go produce," he said.
That's what everyone has been waiting for -- including those freshmen.
"I think we're going to turn a lot heads toward USC this year," Mobley said.
Matchup preview
Who: USC vs. Florida A&M
Where: Galen Center
When: 8 p.m. PT
TV/Radio: Pac-12 Networks/KABC-790 AM
About the Rattlers: Florida A&M went 11-18 last season and must replace leading scorer Justin Ravenel, who was the only player on the roster to average double-figure points. Kamron Reaves (8.1 PPG) and M.J. Randolph (7.4 PPG) are the top returning scorers. The Rattlers should have trouble matching up with USC's size, with just four players taller than 6-foot-5 and none taller than 6-foot-9.
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