USC women’s basketball had to dig very deep to beat Maryland on the road one week ago. The Trojans were down by seven points midway through the fourth quarter. They were in big trouble, but they rallied for a 79-74 win to stay atop the Big Ten standings and give Maryland its first loss of the season. As the Trojans prepare for a nationally-televised game at Indiana on Sunday, they need to lean on that Maryland game and learn from it.
The reason the Maryland game was so problematic is that USC was chasing the game most of the way. The Trojans started slowly and fell behind initially. They produced several great minutes and did get a seven-point lead late in the first half, but then they allowed a quick 6-0 run. Maryland took charge in the third quarter and gained the upper hand midway through the fourth before the Trojans rallied late. For much of the night, USC was on its heels. The Trojans responded when they got punched in the mouth, but they did get punched in the mouth.
As the scene shifts to Indiana on Sunday, the Trojans need to get on top of a road game. If they fall behind, they are obviously capable of winning, but the point being made here is that they can’t keep doing that. They will be playing a dangerous game if they do. USC got on top of the UConn game in December. It did allow a big UConn run, but being up by a big margin means that when a team allows a run, it is still right there with a chance to win instead of being knocked out. USC was able to make a final surge and prevail over UConn. The great first 25 minutes USC played gave the Trojans a cushion and more margin for error.
That’s what the Trojans need against Indiana: a strong start and a healthy working margin. Make Indiana play from behind and shrink the margin for error on the opponent’s side.
The Maryland game — in which USC did not start well — needs to lead to a much stronger start for the Trojans against Indiana. Let’s see what happens.
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