It didn’t seem like a winning recipe for success for USC on Saturday afternoon.
Starting point guard Ethan Anderson was out injured again. Star freshman Evan Mobley had just three points and no field-goal attempts. The Trojans committed 15 turnovers. And after a blistering opening eight minutes, they made just three of their final 15 attempts from three-point range.
Yet it didn’t matter. Because in a 64-46 win over Utah at Galen Center, the Trojans’ most important ingredient — their long, athletic, versatile defense — compensated for everything else.