LOS ANGELES -- With November upon us, the USC Trojans Men's basketball team begins its treacherous journey in hopes of punching its ticket to the dance that is March Madness. But before they could even start picking out a potential tuxedo to wear to the dance, they had to get through step one in their season opener against the Cal Poly Mustangs, and the Trojans would begin their season on a high note, cruising past the Mustangs by a 94-64 final score.
The Trojans began the game as a defensive juggernaut, swatting away Mustang players' attempts to drive into the rim, and rebounds came plentifully. Still, as the first half was winding down, the momentum slowed down while the Cal Poly offense began to resurge. Junior guard Rodney Rice had 10 points when the first half ended on 3-8 shooting, including 2 three-pointers on 5 attempts.
As the game progressed, Rice took a more hands-on role, primarily handling the ball as the Trojans moved on offense. By the end of regulation, Rice led the team with 34 minutes played and finished his season opener with 21 points on 36% shooting and 8 assists.
"That's the reason why I am here," Rice said to the media in the postgame press conference. "I'm capable of playmaking and getting my teammates the ball, where they want it and where they need it."
The standout player in the season opener for USC was first-time Trojan Jacob Cofie, who was playing his first game at the Galen Center. Cofie impressed the home crowd by recording a double-double (23 points and 10 rebounds) in 26 minutes. Despite having a slow first half, only recording 4 points on a perfect 2-2 on shooting attempts, Cofie picked up the pace in the second half and ultimately cemented the high-scoring ambush for the Trojans.
"I felt like I let the game come to me," Cofie said. "I scored off a lot of assists from Rodney and Ezra. A really good game from me."
Overall, you can not conclude how the rest of the season will pan out with just one game under your belt, and Head Coach Eric Musselman made that a point of emphasis during the postgame press conference, stating that it's going to take him five or even seven games before he can even have an established starting five that hits the court every game.
Regardless of the uncertainty that comes with a new squad, especially in year two for coach Musselman, this game set a clear path that this Trojan squad can tread lightly on as they clean up mistakes on the floor. They have another opportunity to do that on Sunday as they host the Manhattan Jaspers.