The University of Southern California Trojans have had a rather rocky start to the season. They have a poor 9-14 record and 3-9 in the conference, facing problems in offense with mediocre scoring matches. If that wasn’t enough, their two main players – guards Isaiah Collier and Boogie Ellis had to sit out of a few matches because of injuries.

The Trojans, during the commencement of the tournament, had already faced a setback to their upcoming star Bronny James. Suffice it to say that this affected them negatively.

Will Bronny James make a return against Stanford?

Bronny suffered a cardiac arrest in July and was diagnosed with a congenital heart defect. He had to miss the initial 8 games, as he was recovering and wasn’t allowed to take the court as suggested by medical experts. 

What the Trojans have lacked this season is that Bronny, who from his game was considered to be a fourth or fifth player, does not have the required tactics wrapped around his head to support his team. The young James, nevertheless, will once again get a chance to prove his mettle against the Cardinals. He might not be in the starting five, but will likely be asked to take the court when the players are rotated. 

Bronny made his college basketball debut against Long Beach State. He could only score 4 points in his debut game. His career high of 15 points came against the Oregon State Beavers, which the Trojans, nevertheless, lost. He hasn’t been successful in helping his team get going this season.

He averages 5.8 points per game in the 15 games he has played. Moreover, Bronny had taken center stage during the absence of Collier and Ellis but performed averagely well in those games. Other than that, he has 3 rebounds per match and 2.5 assists per contest.

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Other injuries on the USC roster

Isaiah Collier injured his hand while playing against Washington State, and was substituted with around 12 minutes left in the second half. The freshman was then out of the tournament for the next 6 games. During that time, the Trojans found it difficult to win matches.

USC won only one contest that too against the Oregon State Beavers. Collier then made a comeback against the California Golden Bears basketing 20 points. Unfortunately, the Trojans lost that game with a 77-83 margin in overtime.

Another injury that grabbed all eyeballs was of their guard Boogie Ellis, who is a core player for the Trojans much like Collier. While Isaiah occupied the second spot in scoring for the Trojans, Ellis continues to be placed at the first. He missed three consecutive games after reinjuring his hamstring in a contest against Washington State. It was the same game in which Collier hurt his hand.

The Trojans lost all those three games which wasn’t surprising since both of their key offensive players were missing. The 23-year-old made a comeback during the game against the UCLA Bruins, smashing 8 points in the contest. 

Fortunately for the Trojans, all three players are completely fit and have resumed their normal gameplay. They are expected to take the court against Stanford.

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