Evan Mobley kept waiting and waiting for an opportunity to assert his dominance in his first taste of Pac-12 play. Entry passes were denied. Work around the basket was thwarted. Mistakes were made.
The star freshman had spent the previous month quietly establishing himself as the centerpiece of USC’s offense. But as conference play began against Colorado on New Year’s Eve, here was an opportunity for Mobley to establish himself on his biggest stage yet.
Like most opportunities for USC on Thursday night, that one also slipped away. In the star freshman’s quietest performance of the season, Mobley and the rest of the Trojans missed their chance to establish a foothold at the start of conference play in a frustrating 72-62 loss.