The changes keep on coming for the USC men’s basketball team.
On Sunday afternoon, the Trojans will be playing an unexpected opponent with an unexpected point guard now that UC Santa Cruz is on the schedule and transfer point guard Kam Woods is in the lineup.
USC was originally slated to play Brown University on Sunday until the teams mutually agreed to cancel the game after the school shooting that took place on Brown’s campus.
Head coach Eric Musselman didn’t want to go into the winter break without getting in one more nonconference game – especially considering there’s a three-game Big Ten road trip to Michigan, Michigan State and Minnesota on the other side of that break.
“We talked to two of the very best schedule experts, and this was the right thing to do,” Musselman said. “We get the opportunity to compete. We get the opportunity to play. We get the opportunity to get game film. All those things and growth. That’s what happens in all of our nonconference games.”
The Trojans (11-1) will also be able to work Woods, who was added to the team at the end of the fall semester, into the rotation against the Banana Slugs (6-6), a Division III opponent against whom they should have a competitive advantage.
Woods will hold USC over at the point until true freshman Alijah Arenas is cleared to compete in games. Arenas participated in practice Friday, marking his first true practice since suffering a torn meniscus injury in late July.
“It was great to have him back with the rest of the guys,” Musselman said in a statement released by the team. “He elevated practice today. He’s got such a great basketball IQ and brings a tremendous amount of energy. It looked like he had been a part of practice for quite some time.”
Arenas was also seen running across the court and around the 3-point line prior to the Trojans’ most recent victories against Washington State and UTSA, working alongside Andre Carrera, the Trojans’ director of sports performance.
According to the press release, Arenas is expected to be playing again by mid-January.
“It feels great to be back,” Arenas said. “I’ve been longing for it. I’m not getting off the court now.”
Chad Baker-Mazara, leading USC with 21.5 points per game, has also been playing some point guard to make up for the absence of Arenas and Rodney Rice, who will miss the rest of this season due to injury.
USC relied on creativity in the post, as well. Instead of using a true center, power forwards Ezra Ausar and Jacob Cofie are providing physicality and athleticism around the net. Cofie is averaging 10.3 points, 6.7 rebounds and 2.1 blocks per game, while Ausar is chipping in 17.3 points and six rebounds while leading the NCAA in free-throw attempts (112).
Musselman sees Ausar becoming a mid-post isolation player and has compared him to Metta World Peace.
“He understands angles,” Musselman said. “He’s super aggressive. He likes contact. And when you’re an offensive player and you seek contact, that’s a good thing. And he can run. He can score in transition. There’s a lot of areas of his game that make it hard to prepare against him.”
UC SANTA CRUZ (6-6) at USC (11-1)
When: 1 p.m. Sunday
Where: Galen Center
TV/Radio: Big Ten Network/ESPN LA 710