Onyeka Okongwu and Isaiah Mobley came into Friday night’s season-opening exhibition against Villanova carrying high hopes of keying a turnaround for a Trojans team that finished 16-17 last season. By halftime, they’d barely touched the ball, with just one point and five rebounds combined, as the Trojans’ offense struggled. But as USC came alive in the second half, jump-starting its offense on the way to a 72-61 victory over the Wildcats, it was Okongwu and Mobley who quietly keyed the run. Mobley, who finished with eight points, was scoreless until midway through the second half. In the second half, Okongwu and Mobley weren’t the only freshmen who turned heads.

Source: Los Angeles Times October 19, 2019 06:00 UTC