By Seth Rubinroit

After falling to Villanova, 94-79, on Thanksgiving, the Trojans lost to Wake Forest, 77-63, on Black Friday at the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament in the Bahamas. Here are quick observations from the first two games:

Pe’Shon Howard Came to Play…

Howard set the tone for the Trojans, scoring a career-high 23 points against Villanova and 10 points against Wake Forest. He played aggressively, taking the ball to the basket and getting to the foul line. As well as Howard played offensively, he is still prone to making bad passes, recording three turnovers in each of the first two games in the Bahamas.

Pe’Shon Howard (Seth Rubinroit/Galen Central)

…While Omar Oraby Did Not

After averaging 13.6 points in USC’s first five games, Oraby scored 5 points against both Villanova and Wake Forest. He rarely demanded the ball in the paint, and when he was passed the ball, he repeatedly brought it down too low and turned the ball over. Fortunately for the Trojans, D.J. Haley stepped up and played hard against Villanova, scoring a season-high 10 points. Andy Enfield started Haley over Oraby in the second half against Wake Forest.

Live by the Three, Die by the Three

The Trojans could not get anything going from beyond the arc against Wake Forest, making only 1-of-13 three-point attempts in the first half and 5-of-25 for the game.

Missing in Action

Neither of USC’s two transfers from Wake Forest–Ari Stewart and J.T. Terrell–were eligible to play against their old team because of academics. The Trojans could have certainly used their perimeter scoring and depth while playing three games in three days. Terrell, a captain, expressed his remorse on Twitter:

Up Next

The Trojans will play Xavier on Saturday at 10 AM on AXS TV, allowing USC basketball fans to watch the game before departing for campus to watch the football team play UCLA at 5 PM.

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