USC Basketball: KenPom Ratings List Trojans As A Top 25 Team In Country
The hype surrounding this upcoming season for the USC Trojans men's basketball team is already pretty high.
On Sunday afternoon, the hype got even more pronounced with the release of hoops guru Ken Pomeroy's ratings for the start of the 2023-24 season.
Updated weekly throughout the year, this system -- built by Pomeroy -- takes into account a number of different analytics. Chief among them include offensive efficiency, defensive efficiency, and strength of schedule.
The KenPom Ratings are often used as a strong barometer to truly analyze a team properly. In this case, the preseason ratings came out -- with the USC Trojans solidly coming in at No. 21.
Only the Arizona Wildcats (No. 6) registered a higher ranking within the Pac-12. The Trojans even bested crosstown rival UCLA -- who came in at No. 26.
This might be the deepest and most talented team Andy Enfield has had to date. The backcourt of Boogie Ellis and Isaiah Collier figures to be one of the best in the country. The duo of Kobe Johnson and D.J. Rodman are two of the more prolific 3-and-D threats you'll find nationally.
From there, the frontcourt returns a ton of depth and experience -- namely in terms of Josh Morgan, Harrison Hornery, former McDonald's All-American Kijani Wright, and touted freshman Arrinten Page.
That isn't even taking into account the up-in-the-air statuses of Vince Iwuchukwu and Bronny James. Innately, these two are two of the most talented players on the team. Assuming both can come back healthy, the Trojans will be adding some serious depth to an already deep squad.
The Trojans' non-conference schedule isn't one to scoff at. Enfield crafted a slate that will test USC prior to conference play.
USC begins the non-conference schedule against Kansas State (ranked No. 25 in KemPom Ratings). The Trojans also will be facing Seton Hall, one of Iowa/Oklahoma, Gonzaga (ranked No. 5), and Auburn (ranked No. 15).
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