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Bronny James will remain on the bench at USC, which meets at Oregon State on Thursday. Still recovering from heart surgery, James was limited to 16 minutes per game. Additionally, his talent level compared to the Trojans’ starting five is also a factor. Although people think James will play the main 3D role, his three-point shooting rate is 30% and his shooting rate is 33.3%. Some USC writers believe James was never a prolific scorer. However, most people agree that five points a game doesn’t solve the problem.
Entering the conference round, the Trojans defeated Alabama State with a 6-5 record, snapping a three-game losing streak. While USC is projected to finish second in the Pac-12, USC has struggled mightily on the non-conference slate and will need to address some serious issues if they want to live up to expectations in March.
READ MORE: LeBron James celebrates Bronny after USC’s first game, watch highlights
Bronny James falters, JuJu Watkins soars
While James’ return was underwhelming, the real freshman success story can be found on USC’s women’s team. Juju Watkins, the No. 1 prospect in the Class of 2023, is excited to start her college career. Watkins averaged 26.8 points per game, ranking second in the country. Her contributions were a major contributor to USC’s undefeated non-conference slate. The 10-0 run included a season-opening win over the then-No. 1 team. Ohio State is ranked seventh and USC enters the conference ranked sixth nationally.
However, once Pac-12 play began, USC faced its toughest game yet. On Saturday, they face No. 2 UCLA in a game that could very well be a deciding factor in the regular-season title race. The Bruins are 11-0 and have wins over UConn, Florida State and Ohio State in the rankings. Sophomore transfer Lauren Bates has had a huge breakout season after limited playing time as a freshman at Stanford. Bates also has the nation’s highest field goal percentage, with the center shooting 77.1 percent. However, UCLA ranks second in the Pac-12 in turnover rate, which could be the key to USC’s upset this weekend.
READ MORE: Caitlin Clark reaches 3,000 career points in win over Iowa State
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