Colorado State hangs tough but falls to USC in Phoenix

As part of the Jerry Colangelo Classic in Phoenix, AZ, Colorado State concluded its non-conference slate with a late night matchup against USC on Wednesday. 

While the Rams did challenge the Trojans and make them work for every bucket with a solid defensive effort, unfortunately it was not enough to leave with a win, as CSU really struggled to get into a consistent flow offensively. 

The Rams shot just 38% from the floor and 19% from 3-point range in the 73-64 loss, both of which were some of their worst figures of the year. And after putting together what was arguably their most impressive performance in the upset of Saint Mary’s — at least in terms of efficiency — CSU had more than three times as many turnovers this time around (13 vs. 4). 

Obviously it was disappointing to drop a winnable game against a strong national brand in USC, because it really was there for the taking. Having said that though the silver lining is that unlike what happened in Boulder, CSU did not let its offensive struggles impact how much effort the players gave on the other end of the floor. 

Despite being matched up against one of the tallest teams in the country, CSU actually managed to outscore USC in points in the paint, which is a testament to how they defended on one end and worked the ball inside on the other. And while the Rams did lose the battle on the glass, they did not allow the Trojans to rack up endless offensive rebounds and create easy second-chance opportunities. 

What ended up being the biggest disparity in the end was 3-point shooting and points off of turnovers. USC made four more threes than CSU did, which in a 9-point game is obviously big. They also did a better job of capitalizing on giveaways though. USC turned the ball over 22 times on Wednesday night but it only resulted in 16 points the other way. Conversely, CSU’s 13 turnovers ended up resulting in 17 points for USC. The Trojans simply did a better job of taking advantage of the Ram’s mistakes.

The other big factor in the loss was that CSU got 49 points out of Isaiah Stevens, Patrick Cartier and Isaiah Rivera, but the other six players that saw action combined to produce just 15 total points in 104 combined minutes on the floor. Part of that probably stemmed from having dead legs due to being short handed. But it just felt like CSU missed way more open looks than what we’re used to seeing from this group. 

After going 8-5 over the first month and a half, CSU will start the Mountain West slate with a really challenging trip to New Mexico. After playing the Lobos in the Pit, the Rams will return to Fort Collins to face Tim Miles and San Jose State at Moby Arena for the first time since he left a decade ago.