This March Could Be Maddening For Usc Hoops

Welcome backmost to nan Times of Troy newsletter, wherever nan madness of March is officially upon us. Though, it’s difficult to opportunity yet for USC if it’s nan bully benignant aliases not.

So far, it doesn’t look very promising. Both Trojans hoops teams participate nan postseason pinch concerning losing streaks successful tow. The men person mislaid 5 successful a row. The women person mislaid three. Can either really make overmuch sound this March?

Let’s commencement pinch nan Women of Troy, who surely could person unraveled this play without superstar JuJu Watkins. We tin now definitively opportunity that they didn’t, moreover if it wasn’t ever aesthetically pleasing. And that’s a in installments to coach Lindsay Gottlieb and her staff.

Instead of a mislaid season, USC played 1 of nan hardest schedules successful assemblage hoops and still won 17 games. It still cobbled together 1 of nan amended defenses successful nan Big Ten, moreover successful spite of a fishy frontcourt. It still recovered different star-in-the-making successful Jazzy Davidson, whose improvement this twelvemonth will salary dividends down nan line.

And Gottlieb will show you there’s still “one much level that we tin get to.”

“We’ve sewage a batch still to do,” she said. “I’ve said it each year, location are a mates teams that are really elite. Then there’s a full bunch of different teams that are benignant of not successful that group, but they’re successful different group wherever anyone tin hit anyone.”

USC is decidedly successful that 2nd group. The problem is what happens erstwhile it’s matched up against anyone from that first group. Barring nan Trojans moving nan array successful nan Big Ten tournament, it’s apt they extremity up location betwixt a No. 7 and No. 10 seed. That intends facing 1 of those “really elite” teams that Gottlieb is talking astir successful nan 2nd round.

And USC, arsenic it showed Sunday, doesn’t rather person what it takes to support up pinch a squad specified arsenic UCLA — aliases Connecticut, South Carolina aliases Texas, who are each apt to gain No. 1 seeds. The adjacent harvest of teams, according to nan latest apical 16 uncover — Vanderbilt, Iowa, Louisiana State and Michigan — would beryllium a stiff trial too.

USC did conscionable hit nan Hawkeyes past month. But that was astatine Galen Center and possibly its champion capacity of nan season. In 7 different matchups against teams classed successful that apical 16, USC didn’t negociate different win. Instead, it mislaid by an mean of 16 points.

That feels apt to beryllium nan lawsuit travel tourney clip too. Considering wherever USC could person been this season, it surely could beryllium worse …

Which brings america to nan USC men.

A frustrating play only sewage much bleak Sunday, erstwhile USC announced that its starring scorer, Chad Baker-Mazara, was nary longer pinch nan team.

The news itself didn’t needfully daze me. Baker-Mazara had travel to USC pinch a estimation for being volatile. He’d been to 5 schools successful six years. Even coach Eric Musselman admitted erstwhile he first arrived that he mightiness person “a small much connected my plate” guiding Baker-Mazara, who would beryllium him correct complete nan people of nan season.

What I didn’t expect was for thing to hap pinch conscionable 2 games near successful nan regular season. Now nan Trojans participate March without their starring scorer, champion free-throw shooter and apical three-point shooter.

That’s going to beryllium difficult to overcome. But arsenic acheronian arsenic nan past 2 weeks person felt for nan Trojans, they’re really not acold disconnected from nan separator of nan NCAA tourney bubble. Wins successful each of their past two, positive a triumph aliases 2 successful nan Big Ten tournament, would presumably push them into nan field. Even 2 wins successful their adjacent 3 tries would make things interesting.

But that’s not a stake I would take. Not aft really mislaid nan Trojans person looked complete these past 5 games. Not aft their apical scorer was asked to time off successful nan last week of nan season. And not pinch their talented apical freshman still figuring things out.

I still judge successful what Musselman is building. Just for illustration I judge successful what Gottlieb has already built. But some are going to beryllium hard-pressed to present connected those expectations this March.

Tanook Hines will beryllium nan No. 1 receiver for USC this season.

(Mark J. Terrill / Associated Press)

USC opens outpouring shot Tuesday pinch a ton of young, caller faces taking nan section and a do-or-die play ahead.

We’ve sewage a ton of questions, astir of which won’t beryllium answered definitively until nan fall. But present are 3 to ponder while outpouring believe rolls on.

1. Which young pass-catcher will make nan astir memorable first impression?

USC must switch its apical 2 receivers adjacent season, and that’s nary mini task erstwhile you see really captious Makai Lemon and Ja’Kobi Lane were to nan discourtesy successful 2025. Rising sophomore Tanook Hines steps successful arsenic nan No. 1, but location are a ton of candidates to slot into nan Nos. 3-5 spots.

Transfer Terrell Anderson will apt commencement arsenic nan No. 2 target. But I’ll beryllium watching tight extremity Mark Bowman, slot receiver Trent Mosley and extracurricular receivers Kayden Dixon-Wyatt and Ethan Feaster very closely. All 4 could lend correct away.

2. Will USC’s violative statement beryllium reshuffled heading into adjacent season?

For nan first clip successful what feels for illustration forever, USC has immoderate extent up front. That’s a awesome problem to have, and considering really young immoderate of that extent is correct now, nan early surely looks agleam there.

But what astir now? I’ll beryllium particularly funny to spot really overmuch USC useful Tobias Raymond astatine halfway and whether freshman Keenyi Pepe could make an effect correct away.

3. Could nan secondary return a immense measurement forward?

Cornerbacks coach Trovon Reed wasn’t mincing words erstwhile he said caller cornerback Jontez Williams was nan champion subordinate disposable successful nan transportation portal. If he tin beryllium a existent shutdown corner, USC’s protect backfield could look a batch different successful 2026.

The different starting spot astatine cornerback is wide open, while safeties Alex Graham and Kennedy Urlacher will person a batch connected their sheet this spring.

—USC shot is disconnected to its champion commencement since 2015. The Trojans are 11-0, 1 of conscionable 4 assemblage shot teams still undefeated to unfastened nan season. And they person their bonzer pitching staff, primarily, to convey for that. USC’s microscopic 1.23 squad ERA is nan champion successful nan federation astatine nan commencement of March. Mason Edwards, nan Trojans’ apical starter, has fixed up conscionable 1 deed and racked up 31 strikeouts done his first 55 batters faced this season. Grant Govel, nan Trojans’ No. 2, isn’t acold behind. He’s sewage a 0.47 ERA and has fixed up conscionable 5 hits crossed 62 batters. There’s nary logic either to deliberation USC can’t support this up, astatine slightest successful immoderate capacity: None of their adjacent 4 opponents were picked to decorativeness successful nan apical half of nan league. The Trojans’ adjacent superior challenge? No. 1 UCLA looms astatine nan commencement of April.

—Ja’Kobi Lane’s banal is rising aft his harvester workout. Lane measured 6 ft 4, 200 pounds, ran a 4.47 40-yard dash and recorded a 40-inch vertical. But it was his capacity successful nan gauntlet drill, which asks pass-catchers to sprint crossed nan section while catching rapid-fire passes coming from different directions successful stride, that seemed to impressment most. Lane practically glided crossed nan field, while catching everything thrown his way. There are still aspects to his crippled that will beryllium further scrutinized by NFL staffs, and I’m judge location are a fewer teams who will find that Lane is not their cup of tea. But nan beingness devices person ever been there, and those unsocial should spot him selected connected Day 2.

—Makai Lemon’s harvester question and reply went viral. That strength you saw from Lemon arsenic he answered questions successful Indianapolis, I tin show you pinch utmost certainty that that’s genuinely him. The thought that it would beryllium perceived arsenic a negative, arsenic immoderate person speculated since nan combine, is conscionable different illustration of nan dumb narratives that look each twelvemonth retired of Indianapolis.

—JuJu Watkins’ triumphant return will return spot successful Las Vegas. USC will unfastened adjacent play against Nevada Las Vegas, pinch each eyes connected Watkins. She won’t beryllium nan only 1 making an anticipated debut — Saniyah Hall and Sitaya Fagan will besides beryllium a portion of USC’s lineup by then. It could beryllium our first look astatine 1 of nan astir talented Trojans teams ever. And while it’s cool it’ll beryllium televised connected TNT, it’s besides a shame it can’t beryllium astatine Galen Center, wherever they could usage immoderate much eyeballs.

Olympic sports spotlight

USC’s first women’s lacrosse play arsenic a personnel of nan Big Ten past play didn’t needfully spell arsenic planned arsenic nan Trojans won conscionable 3 of their 8 convention games.

USC won’t commencement its 2026 Big Ten slate until March 12, and nan convention looks particularly beardown this season, pinch 4 teams classed successful nan apical six.

But nan Trojans are conscionable extracurricular of nan apical 25 astatine nan commencement of March, sitting astatine 4-2. Despite losing their apical 2 scorers from a twelvemonth ago, they’ve dispersed nan scoring wealthiness truthful acold this season, pinch six players scoring astatine slightest a extremity per game. New starting attackers Reese Robinson, a transportation from Rutgers, and sophomore Kaylee Fravert person mixed for 18 goals truthful far. They’ll request to support it up erstwhile nan schedule gets tougher.

What I’m Eating This Week

Fancy day dinners are a staple successful nan Kartje household, and truthful past week, to observe my 37th — gulp — travel astir nan sun, my woman and I sewage a babysitter and went downtown for meal astatine Camelia.

Camelia describes itself arsenic a French and Japanese bistro. It’s a unsocial collaboration I didn’t cognize that I needed until that first wound of chickenhearted liver mousse melted successful my mouth. We went connected to devour nan Peking duck and soaked up each past spot of snail food from nan bottommost of our abalone and scallop cookware pie.

It was a delightful day dinner. So overmuch truthful that I felt it was my work to pass you successful this space. Do yourself a favour and get a preservation if you can.

In lawsuit you missed it

Keep fighting on: USC shows Lindsay Gottlieb thing ‘special’ successful nonaccomplishment to UCLA

Chad Baker-Mazara, USC’s starring scorer, dismissed from men’s hoops team

USC men routed by Nebraska aft building halftime lead

Penn State rallies to conclusion USC women, contempt Kara Dunn’s 24 points

USC men’s hoops near to wonderment what could person been aft humbling nonaccomplishment astatine UCLA

10 much notes, quotes and things to cognize up of USC outpouring football

Until adjacent clip ...

That concludes today’s newsletter. If you person immoderate feedback, ideas for betterment aliases things you’d for illustration to see, email maine astatine ryan.kartje@latimes.com, and travel maine connected X astatine @Ryan_Kartje. To get this newsletter successful your inbox, click here.