National Basketball Association

Pac 12: Andy Enfield's USC Trojans Slowly Becoming A Powerhouse

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 8:19 p.m. ET

Fansided, Raymond Simms/FanSided via Hoops Habit

The USC Trojans’ win over No. 8 UCLA is a small part of the team’s slow progression towards becoming a perennial powerhouse.

The USC Trojans pulled off a big upset last Wednesday in front of their home crowd. USC defeated the UCLA Bruins 86-74 on Jan. 25 at the Galen Center.

This was USC’s fourth consecutive win over UCLA. In addition to this game, USC took all three meetings (two regular season, one in the conference tournament) in the 2015-16 season. USC went 1-10 against the Bruins in the 11 meetings before the streak.

Granted, UCLA still has the better overall team this season and obviously has the more storied history. However, beating — or at least competing with — your rival is a key part to becoming a top-level basketball program.

Head coach Andy Enfield seems on-track to push USC to that level within in the Pac-12 Conference. He’s doing it with a fun, uptempo brand of basketball.

USC has a middling history in basketball, as the school mainly makes its hay in football. However, they recently had a short time where they seemed on their way to sustained relevance. That came in the late 2000s under the helm of Tim Floyd.

Floyd had a successful four-year run (2005-09) in Los Angeles. His last three years were 20-win seasons that included trips to the NCAA Tournament. The Trojans won the Pac-12 Tournament in 2009.

Four current NBA players (DeMar DeRozan, Taj Gibson, Nikola Vucevic and Nick Young) played under Floyd at USC.

That progress was halted during the 2009 offseason. Floyd was accused of giving an envelope of money to a handler of O.J. Mayo to convince Mayo to play at USC. He ended up playing the 2007-08 season in L.A., averaging a team-high 20.7 points per game.

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He would then be picked third overall in the 2008 NBA Draft.

Floyd resigned in June 2009 in the midst of the ongoing investigation. DeRozan, Gibson and Euroleaguer Daniel Hackett opted to go pro just before the resignation.

Once the investigation was complete, the Trojans imposed sanctions on themselves. They reduced their scholarships and recruiting access for two seasons, forfeited their wins from the 2007-08 season, and sat out postseason play for 2009-10.

The Trojans then hired well-traveled head coach Kevin O’Neill as a change of pace. O’Neill unfortunately couldn’t maintain Floyd’s momentum. USC made the tournament in 2010-11, but then went 6-26 in 2011-12.

O’Neill was fired midway through the 2012-13 season after a 7-10 start. The search began again for the next man to roam the Galen Center sidelines.

In came Andy Enfield. Enfield came to Los Angeles after leading Florida Gulf Coast on a historic NCAA Tournament run. His “Dunk City” squad became the eighth 15th seed to beat a No. 2 seed and were the first 15th seed to make the Sweet Sixteen.

That run was enough for then-athletic director Pat Haden to hire him in 2013.

USC’s rise has been slow developing, but Haden’s gamble of hiring Enfield seems to be paying off. Since Enfield’s first year, an 11-21 record in 2013-14, USC has improved each season.

Dec 30, 2016; Eugene, OR, USA; USC Trojans forward Chimezie Metu (4) watches as USC Trojans guard Jordan McLaughlin (11) dribbles the ball in the first half at Matthew Knight Arena. Mandatory Credit: Scott Olmos-USA TODAY Sports

USC is a lanky, athletic, uptempo team. They love to fast break, as their offensive possession length has been among the quickest in the country. According to KenPom.com, USC’s average offensive possession length was 20th, 10th, and 20th in Enfield’s first three years.

The pace has slowed down a bit with sophomore center Chimezie Metu getting more usage. However, their offensive APL is still 53rd-fastest in the country.

USC runs a spread-out offense despite their love for transition offense. USC can run the floor and attack the basket, but are especially adept at shooting threes. The Trojans ranked 20th in three-point percentage in 2015-16, shooting 38.6 percent from outside.

They’re shooting 36.8 percent from beyond the arc this year, good for 90th in Division I.

The team tends to struggle not when they can’t hit their threes, but when they don’t attempt enough. Three of USC’s four losses this season came when they put up 18 three-point attempts or fewer.

Juniors Elijah Stewart and Jordan McLaughlin have been the pillars of USC’s last three years. They are the top two active leaders in win shares over Enfield’s four seasons.