The 2011-2012 basketball season for the USC Trojans is beginning to resemble the Poseidon Adventure. The Trojans lost 74-50 at home to the Colorado Buffaloes on Thursday night at Galen Center, the ninth straight loss for USC. But the bigger news was that center Dewayne Dedmon left after just four minutes with a left knee injury, the latest in a long line of injuries this season for the Trojans.
USC has already lost four players to season-ending injuries this year, in Aaron Fuller, Jio Fontan, Evan Smith, and Curtis Washington. Dedmon, the very raw 7-foot center averaging 7.6 points and 5.4 rebounds this season, will have an MRI on his left knee on Friday. USC began play Thursday night with just seven scholarship players on the active roster, including Dedmon.
The Trojans (5-16, 0-8) shot just 32.2% on the night, including five for 25 from three-point range. Maurice Jones led USC with 13 points, though he made just four of his 15 field goal attempts and is shooting just 34.4% on the season. Byron Wesley scored 12, the only other Trojan to score in double figures.
Colorado (14-6, 6-2) had five players score in double figures, and led by as many as 29 points in the second half. The Buffaloes outscored the Trojans 30-18 in the paint. Colorado was led in scoring by a trio of players: Andre Roberson had 13 points and 10 rebounds, while Carlon Brown and Askia Booker each had 13 points and nine rebounds.
Colorado had 51 rebounds compared to just 24 for USC. The Trojans look to snap their nine-game losing streak on Saturday night against the Utah Utes in a battle of the two worst teams in the Pac-12.
For more USC basketball news and notes, be sure to read Conquest Chronicles.