Opponents are having trouble taking best shots

They’re unranked and yet their motto could be, “We’re No. 1!”

USC leads the nation in field-goal-percentage defense (.325) after another lockdown effort against Bethune-Cookman on Thursday in which the Trojans held the Wildcats to 29.2% shooting.

USC (7-2) has held nine opponents under 40% shooting. Last season, the Trojans held 10 opponents under that threshold. Opponents are making 26% of their three-point shots.

“Right now, our identity is trying to play good defense, and that’s what we’re doing every night,” senior center Abdoulaye N’diaye said.

Coach Tim Floyd said his team had shut down opponents by getting back in transition and improving its defensive rebounding behind the play of freshman forward Taj Gibson, whose 61 defensive rebounds are nearly twice the number of next-closest teammate Nick Young, who has 34.

“A year ago we were giving up easy second-chance opportunity points, which we’re not giving up this year,” Floyd said. “Taj has a lot to do with it.”

After reviewing film of the Trojans’ 88-36 victory over Bethune-Cookman, Floyd said he also saw significant progress on offense, which until now had lagged far behind the defense. For the first time this season, USC had more assists, 21, than turnovers, 12.

“We’re still trying to figure out what we want to do on offense and what kind of identity we want to have,” freshman guard Kevin Galloway said. “But defense, we already know the concept and we’ve been locked into that since day one. That hasn’t changed since the first practice.”

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Bethune-Cookman Coach Clifford Reed Jr.’s Wildcats have lost to Oregon State by 23 points, Oregon by 28 and USC by 52. So which team impressed him most?

“I think Oregon is the most talented,” Reed said. “USC is the toughest mentally and physically ... and they play tougher, harder than the other two guys for sure.”

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Young limped out of the Galen Center on Friday afternoon with a bag of ice taped to his calf, which he said had been bothering him recently. But he added that he’d participated in practice and expected to be fine for the Trojans’ home game against Charleston Southern on Sunday.

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ben.bolch@latimes.com