Young is missing Pruitt, shots

Lodrick Stewart may be the only USC player deprived of playing with an identical twin, but he isn’t the only Trojan suffering from separation anxiety.

Junior swingman Nick Young has endured an uneven start to the season while playing without academically ineligible guard Gabe Pruitt, his roommate and on-court compadre. Pruitt said he’s noticed that Young has been a bit tentative in the early going.

“He’s not looking like the Nick I normally see,” said Pruitt, who won’t play in the Wooden Classic against George Washington today but hopes to rejoin the Trojans on Thursday against Bethune Cookman. “He does look a little uncomfortable, a little uncertain. I mean, it’s still early, so maybe he’ll start coming out of that little shell he’s in right now.”

Young, the leading returning scorer in the Pacific 10 Conference, isn’t even the leading scorer on his team. He is averaging 15.3 points (second on the team to Stewart’s 15.9) but has twice failed to reach double figures in scoring, most recently Monday against Kansas when he had eight points on three-for-13 shooting.

“It’s real different because we’ve been playing with each other for so long and we know each other’s games and how to find each other on the court,” Young said of Pruitt. “With him out there, it’s a big factor. They don’t key on me as much.”

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USC is making its fourth appearance in the 13-year history of the Wooden Classic. Former UCLA Coach John Wooden said he’d like to see the Trojans in the event every year, and so would Ben Howland -- “as long as we don’t have to play them,” the UCLA coach added.

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USC is second in the nation in field-goal percentage defense (.323), having held all seven opponents under 40% shooting. Only Texas A&M; (.322) has held opponents to a lower percentage. The Trojans also rank third nationally in three-point defense (.239).

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TODAY

vs. George Washington, 2 p.m.,

Ch. 9, WGN

Site -- Honda Center.

Radio -- 710.

Records -- USC 5-2, George Washington 6-1.

Update -- The Trojans are seeking their first victory over a brand-name opponent, and the Colonials qualify on the heels of a 27-win season. USC Coach Tim Floyd hopes the pressure his team faced against Kansas prepared it for George Washington, which is forcing 18.9 turnovers a game. USC is averaging 19.4 turnovers and had 25 against the Jayhawks.

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ben.bolch@latimes.com