Can USC Trojans Rely on Isaiah Collier for an NCAA Title?

The University of Southern California Trojans freshman Isaiah Collier failed by a large margin as the Long Beach State trumped them by a 79-84 tally. The USC have thus lost 4 out of their 9 games and are in dire straits. One thing that hasn’t turned out as expected for them has been Collier, who, despite being their mainstay, has lost out on massive opportunities.  

Collier is a crucial player for them and his stats speak the same story as he is always given a chance at the forefront. A more detailed scrutiny will make it evident the kind of gameplay Andy Enfield expects of Collier and how he is still struggling to adjust to the college level.

What is Collier’s role?

Collier stands at the second place in terms of scoring in the USC lineup, averaging 17 points in 9 games. He leads the Trojans in terms of assists with 4.2 assists per game. The Georgia-born is tied with his teammate Boogie Ellis when it comes to steals at the third spot.

Collier has nabbed 1.6 steals per game. He holds a central position at the USC Trojans and that can be gauged from the fact that he was given enough freedom and relied on so much that he occupies the 6th position in the Pac-12 in terms of scoring.

The freshman point guard with a field goal of 52.2% is posited at the eighth position in the Pac-12 players’ list. His free throw percentage, however, is a lot less than his contemporaries.

Collier is positioned on the 21st spot with a 67.2% free throw percentage. This makes for a disdainful number considering the responsibilities he has been entrusted with. His assists also tell a sad story since he stands at the ninth position in the Pac-12 conference with 4.2 assists per contest.

Hence, it is quite evident that Collier has been given the best opportunities to grow his game and prove his mettle to the basketball world. He has rather as a player and also as a tactician failed to deliver when the situation demands the most.

His choking tendencies

Collier failed to basket any of the five three-pointer attempts he made against Long Beach State. He also had quite an ordinary 5-for-15 field goal tally and a 5-for-12 free throw attempt.

Taking cognizance of the current Trojans lineup, Collier has to step up and be the main assist maker. He only gave 5 assists during the entire game. Despite an average of 30.6 minutes per game, in none of the games has he come up with double figures in terms of assists.

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The Trojans lost the contest to the Beach State by a margin of 79-84 in the overtime. And this wasn’t the first instance of Collier choking. Collier also had a horrendous outing against the Gonzaga Bulldogs in which they were defeated, 76-89. He attempted just one three-pointer during the entire game and missed it.

The 6-foot-5-inch point guard had a miserable 6-for-14 field goal stat and a 2-for-6 field goal tally. Thus, he let down his team by not capitalizing on the chances. The problem with the USC is that they are giving Collier an open space to perform, whereas he is disappointing Enfield by not utilizing them to their best.

The other game where Collier failed was when he could only drop 6 out of the 18 field goal attempts he made against the UC Irvine Anteaters. The 2023 Naismith Prep Player of the Year also failed in his three-pointers, binning none in his two attempts.

Though he smashed 23 points, it was the incomplete chances that proved fatal for his team. The USC lost the game by a crucial 60-70 margin. He also gave just a solitary assist in that entire game. Since USC already has Ellis as the prime scorer, Collier will have to play the role of a second fiddle. He would have to generate assists that convert into points and also be the prime player when he gets an opportunity in the lay-ups.

But to everyone’s discontent, he has brought a lot of anti-climaxes to the subdued USC journey. The Galen Center team’s campaign has been mired in complications and they have a horrible 5-4 record, something that no one expected of them.

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If the USC are to win, they will either have to push Collier or soon find a replacement for him.