Poeltl the Pro
Utah's superstar sophomore, Jakob Poeltl, was unstoppable against the Trojans, scoring 29 points to match his in-conference career high, and adding 13 rebounds. In his third straight double-double, the forward was 1-of-13 from the field. According to head coach Andy Enfield, the Trojans' aim was to keep the ball out of his hands as much as possible and prevent him from getting rebounds. But the projected lottery pick bested the Trojans' efforts on both ends of the court, finishing with six offensive boards, four assists and four steals.
"He's a pro if I've ever seen one," said USC point guard Julian Jacobs. "He absolutely dominated us. We didn't have an answer for him. Defensively, his length disrupts so many shots. And on the offensive end he had his way with us. It was the Jakob Poeltl show."
The Streak Has Been Snapped
Before Sunday, the Trojans were 15-0 on their home court, an impressive streak that was snapped in their loss to the Utes. Both Jacobs and Enfield blamed another slow start for the loss, including 10 turnovers in the first half alone and a shooting percentage of 31.2 in the game's opening 10 and a half minutes. While three players in Cardinal & Gold finished in double-digits - Jacobs (17), Jordan McLaughlin (20) and Bennie Boatwright (17) - all seven other active players scored just 15 points combined, and ultimately the team's effort was just not enough. It was the fifth consecutive game in which USC scored below their season average in total points. According the Enfield, the game was lost in the paint, where Utah outscored USC, 38-28, including 13 second-chance points. Still, the Trojans never gave up, breaking open a 14-3 run to cut the Utes' lead to just five with 15:51 remaining. In the end however, the comeback effort was thwarted.
"We've never had to coach effort with this team," said Enfield. "Now execution usually wins games, but hey, they're 19-8. We're not going to get down on our players. We have two big road games coming up this week and then we have two home games to finish the Pac-12 season. We have a chance to win a few more games."
Finish Strong
Just four regular season games remain on USC's schedule, and every one counts as the Trojans pursue an NCAA Tournament bid for the first time in five years. With an overall record of 19-8 and an 8-6 mark in conference play, USC is currently fifth in the Pac-12, one game behind Cal which it faces next weekend in Berkeley. First, the Trojans visit Palo Alto to take on Stanford on Thursday at 8 p.m. PT before their clash with the Bears on Sunday at 5 p.m. PT. They will look to shake their recent road struggles in the Bay Area in what Enfield and his team is already describing as a must-win weekend.
"We have to come out in the first half with energy. We've got to stop playing catch up, especially if we want to go to the [NCAA] Tournament," said a frustrated Jacobs after the game. "We feel like these are must-win games for us on the road. We have to win these games if we want to make the Tournament."
Here are the SnappyTV highlights from Sunday's game...
