Trojans Self-Destruct as Leaders Go Awry

Rodrick Rhodes tried to win it early, Stais Boseman late, and every other USC player who walked onto the floor at Tennessee’s Thompson-Boling Arena at some point thought he would be the man to defeat the Volunteers on Wednesday night.

So after USC lost to a team it shouldn’t have, 71-59, before a quiet 12,459, the blame was spread equally across a somber Trojan locker room, but also directed slightly at the two seniors who did little to prevent the loss.

“The two guys who are supposed to lead us, our two superstars, Rodrick and Stais, didn’t,” USC Coach Henry Bibby said. “We played as bad and as selfish as we could play.”

Rhodes and Boseman made only six of 26 shots, headlining a 16-of-58 (27.6%) shooting performance by USC and a game Bibby called “the most embarrassing I’ve ever been involved with.”

“That was the difference,” Tennessee Coach Kevin O’Neill said. “We did a wonderful job on Rhodes and Boseman. They are great players and you did something right when you hold two great players like that to six of 26.”

Boseman’s night was horrible from the start, but it got worse with 8:23 remaining and USC holding its final lead, 43-42. After a Ken Sims three-point shot put the Trojans up, Boseman got called for a reaching foul and reacted by screaming and throwing his arm in the air.

That drew a technical, his fourth foul, and Volunteer Aaron Green converted on both free throws, the beginning of a 20-6 run over the next six minutes that put the game away. Rhodes also fouled out during that period.

With Rhodes and Boseman hindered by fouls and then Rhodes sitting out, USC (4-2) looked as if it didn’t know who would score. Forward Gary Williams spent that stretch yelling at his teammates, pointing to spots where they should have been.

“We have 20 [plays] and I don’t think we ran one of them,” center David Crouse said.

Said Boseman, who scored a team-high 13 points: “I didn’t do anything tonight. Maybe I have too much on my mind. I don’t know. We just didn’t play as a team.”

USC also didn’t play good team defense. Tennessee guard Brandon Wharton scored a game-high 19, all but two after halftime, including the first eight points of the second half. Green added 15 and C.J. Black had 14. The pair made 16 of 17 free throws as the Volunteers (4-2) converted on 27 of 33 free throws.

The game was ugly, with 18 fouls called in the first seven minutes and 28 by halftime.

USC led, 26-24, but shot 21% (six of 28), including an 0-for-6 performance by Rhodes, and he was the Trojans’ leading scorer at the break after making five of six free throws.

Rhodes ended with 10 points and also continued a strange trend at Thompson-Boling Arena. In his three previous appearances while playing for Kentucky, Rhodes made one of 17 shots, meaning he is three for 27 against the Volunteers for his career at the arena.

Bibby offered this explanation: “I have no idea. You’ll have to ask Rod.”

Rhodes, who did not start because he missed the team bus back from a game against UC Irvine on Sunday, said even less, refusing to talk to reporters.

Williams, however, had an answer, saying, “It’s not very difficult [to figure out]. We didn’t execute on a very executeable team.”