USC set on revamped defense, not revenge, against Washington State

LOS ANGELES — USC’s 81-71 loss at Washington State on New Year’s Day was a shock to the Trojans’ system.

For a team that prides itself on its defense, the 81 points remain tied for the most the Trojans have given up this season, and the most the Cougars have scored in Pac-12 play.

So as USC prepares for its rematch with the Cougars on Thursday night at the Galen Center, the Trojans understand there’s a chance to measure their growth over the past month.

“It’s a statement game for us, for sure,” USC center Joshua Morgan said. “Especially the way we lost, if we win this game, if we shut down the 3-point shots, it really shows us that we’re locked in and all the improvement that we’ve had hasn’t been for nothing.”

In the first game, USC allowed Washington State to make 14 of 29 attempts from 3-point range. Trojans head coach Andy Enfield, who called the game USC’s worst defensive performance of the year, felt like his team didn’t make any effort to guard the 3-point line.

But the team has made it an emphasis since then, holding opponents to 35.6% shooting across the next seven games. The Trojans (15-6, 7-3 in Pac-12) are closing out on shooters and rotating to cover the open man after screens or double-teams, something they failed to do against Washington State (10-13, 5-7) .

“It was very disappointing,” Morgan said. “That was a really big shock to us. We really needed to hone in on our 3-point defense, just defense in general. We’ve always been pretty good on two-point percentage defense but after that game we really realized we need to kick it up a notch and potentially win the Pac-12.”

That’s what Enfield wants his team focused on Thursday, not the chance to correct a previous loss in the ledger. At 7-3 in conference, USC is third in the Pac-12, one game behind first-place UCLA.

The Trojans have already played through most of the toughest games of their conference slate, playing the Bruins twice, second-place Arizona once and fourth-place Utah once. But even with an easier road ahead the next month, the Trojans can’t afford more letdown performances.