CORVALLIS, Ore.– After a disappointing loss to the Oregon Ducks on Thursday night, the Trojans aimed to end their four-game road trip on a positive note. Meanwhile, the Beavers suffered a 69-62 defeat to the Bruins on Thursday, breaking their five-game winning streak.

Here are three takeaways from the game:

Beavers attacked the Trojans’ zone defense

During the first half of the game, USC head coach Andy Enfield’s team struggled on both offense and defense. They made the same defensive mistakes they had made in past games, and couldn’t stop Oregon State’s Jordan Pope from scoring. Pope lit up the scoreboard with 10 points and 4 assists, making 2 out of 5 three-point shots. The Beavers shot 60% from behind the arc in the first half, while the Trojans only managed to hit 37.5%.

The Trojans are getting used to turnovers, while it was a major factor for both teams, they each had 14 turnovers. It was a sloppy start to the game, but considering the talent of the USC team, there is no reason why they should be allowing games to slip away from them early on. The Trojans were 8.5 point favorites going into this game, but unfortunately, they were unable to close the road trip with a much-needed win over the Beavers.

Bronny James had a perfect first half on the court, shooting 2 for 2 and adding 5 points to the scoreboard. His presence on the team brings a level of energy and quick rotations on defense, especially when they’re playing a zone defense that’s being carved by the Oregon State offense. Boogie Ellis also had an impressive first half, scoring 8 points with 2 for 3 shots from behind the arc and collecting 2 assists.

Isaiah Collier has been struggling to perform up to his potential in the last few games. Although there are moments where his future as a lottery pick becomes apparent, there are also instances where it seems like he could benefit from another year in college to fully develop his skills.

During the game against the Beavers, who are not considered a strong team, Collier had a quiet night, scoring only two points in the first half and attempting just two field goals. This is a significant drop in performance compared to his earlier games where he had been scoring more points and playing more aggressively.

It is now up to Enfield to help Collier improve his game in the upcoming home stand next week. It is crucial for Collier to get back to his previous form as he is a key player for the team and his performance can impact the team’s overall success. With Enfield’s guidance, Collier can hopefully overcome his recent struggles and continue to showcase his immense talent on the court.

Despite entering the conference play, the team failed to play as a collective. Kobe Johnson’s poor performance during the first half, shooting only 1 for 4 with 5 points, is unacceptable. It’s disappointing to see the players’ lackluster response on the court, especially after a disappointing start to the season. At half time, the Beavers were leading 39-30 and they continued to dominate the game until the end. The team needs to step up their game and show more effort if they want to turn their season around.

Slow offensive start, hurts the Trojans on defense

During the second half of the game, USC experienced some difficulties. In their first six possessions, they had four turnovers and missed two three-pointers, which were not good shot selections. On the other hand, Oregon State continued to push the tempo, and Pope scored easily. USC struggled to score in the first five minutes of the second half, and it is unclear how Coach Enfield will get his team to perform better moving forward.

Oregon State’s Tyler Bilodeau scored a game high of 26 points. He made 9 of 14 shots from the field. Additionally, Jordan Pope, with 20 points and 6 assists which ended with an 86-70 victory for the Beavers against USC. Unfortunately, the Trojans allowed the Beavers to shoot 47.1% from three in the game, while they shot 59.6% from the field. Although USC improved in securing the ball in the second half, the Beavers continued to dominate the game, taking a 23-point lead in the second half.

Vincent Iwuchukwu didn’t have the performance he expected by only scoring 2 points and 2 rebounds on one shot attempt. Joshua Morgan, the other big player on the team, had 7 points and 1 rebound, but fouled out in the second half. Collier finished the game with 7 points and 4 assists, but he did not look happy at the end of the game. He is a talented player, but he needs to remain calm and let the game come to him. He has been improving lately, especially with his turnovers, which were an issue earlier in the season. However, he needs to take more than just five field goal attempts if he wants to live up to his potential as a lottery pick.

The Trojans need to improve their rebounding and boxing out in order to prevent their opponents from gaining possession of the ball. Their two big players were only able to grab three rebounds combined, which is not good enough. There are many other issues that the team needs to address, such as their tendency to foul too much. In the last game, USC committed a total of 27 fouls, which allowed the Beavers to shoot 31 free throws in comparison to USC’s 8 attempts. These issues need to be addressed as soon as possible to improve the team’s performance.

Bronny has a career night against Oregon State

Although the Los Angeles Lakers had a tough ending to their game in Minnesota, it was not the birthday present that LeBron James had hoped for. James turned 39 on Saturday, and while his son was taking care of business in Oregon, James scored a career-high 15 points, 3 assists, and 1 rebound, playing a season-high 20 minutes.

LeBron must have been delighted to see how his son performed on his birthday. We can see James maturing on the court and gaining more confidence in his play. Coach Enfield mentioned after the loss to Oregon on Thursday that he knows James is a great shooter but hopes he can continue to improve moving forward. The talent on the court is evident, and once the minute restriction is lifted, we will see the full potential of Bronny James.

James is a promising player who is expected to join the starting lineup for the Trojans soon. Many are wondering who he will replace in the lineup, and some speculate that DJ Rodman may end up on the bench. With Collier, Johnson, Ellis, Iwuchukwu, and James on the court, the Trojans could potentially make some serious noise.

Unfortunately, the Trojans have been struggling lately and have lost five of their last six games. However, they are coming back home to play against Cal on Wednesday night at the Galen Center, which is a great opportunity for them to turn things around. This game will be James’ second home game, and fans are excited to see him play on his home court.

Interestingly, James’ father also has a game on Wednesday night against the Miami Heat at Crypto.com Arena. It’s unlikely that James’ father will be able to attend his son’s game.