USC Basketball: Trojans to enter Pac 12 play undefeated?

USC basketball currently has an unblemished record thanks to wins over Texas A&M, SMU and BYU.

The USC Trojans stand at 8-0 after an impressive 91-84 win over BYU on Saturday. With Pac 12 play beginning at the end of December, the Trojans are poised to begin conference play without a single loss on their record.

The Trojans have started this season strong. They’re still unranked though, staring right outside the top 25. This team hasn’t won a game against any of the top teams in the nation. However, that doesn’t matter too much at this point in the year. The USC Trojans just want to win as many games as possible before the rigorous Pac 12 play begins.

The Trojans have a few quality wins. So far they beat a Texas A&M squad that is among the best teams in the SEC. They’ve also constructed wins against SMU and BYU. Come Selection Sunday these wins will mean something, and increase the Trojans’ chances of making the Big Dance.

Guard play has been the main reason for this team’s success. Jordan McLaughlin had a great game against BYU, scoring 24 points, grabbing six rebounds and dishing out four assists. He’s one of the best guards in the nation at attacking the rim.

Sophomore guard Shaqquan Aaron is also having a big early season, averaging 12.4 points and five rebounds a game.

Head coach Andy Enfield has changed this team into a much faster unit. The Trojans can run with anybody on the fast break and score with a majority of their opponents.

What has really been impressive though is their defense. USC has a total of 44 blocks and 64 steals through their first eight games. Opponents have only shot 38 percent from the floor and 28 percent from long range against them.

Pac 12 basketball begins for USC on December 28 against Oregon State. The Trojans have four games against low ranked opponents before squaring off with the Beavers at the end of the month. Pepperdine, Troy, Cornell and Missouri State don’t pose too much of a challenge, so the USC Trojans should enter Pac 12 play ranked 20th or higher and an undefeated record of 12-0.