One of the beautiful thing about college basketball is that following a loss, there isn't a whole lot of time, as players and fans alike, to sit around and think about it. Following an atrocious 20-point beatdown at home at the hands of Rider, USC's largest margin of defeat ever at Galen Center, Kevin O'Neill and company will get an opportunity to get back in the win column, as they travel to Springfield, Mas., as a part of the Hall of Fame Tip-Off Classic.
And in many respects for a team that will be playing its fourth game in eight days, it's another game that could easily end in a loss, as the Trojans face an undefeated, experienced Bradley team. Per USCTrojans.com:
Bradley is 3-0 after home wins over Texas A&M-Kingsville (66-55), Northern Illinois (66-63) and LMU (59-57). Bradley returns nine lettermen and four starters from a team that went 16-15 and tied for fifth in the Missouri Valley Conference a year ago.
USC had its fair share of difficulties against a Rider team that also returned four starters and effectively utilized a zone defense, and the same could hold true today.
But possibly the most pressing issue for a youthful Trojan team will be stamina, after playing three home games in a span of five days with a shortened seven-man rotation. In all three games, freshman PG Maurice Jones played all 120 minutes, while other players played for similarly long periods of time.
Energy could be the primary issue, yet again.
As for viewing today's game, it's going to be tricky. Once again, the game is not televised, and because of the football game against Oregon State, it will not be aired on 710 ESPN Radio here in Los Angeles. However, feel free to follow it, as I will, on Gametracker.
FIGHT ON!