Chevez Goodwin is the fascinating piece of USC-Miami matchup

Chevez Goodwin always gives an honest effort. He’s an easy player to love because of his work ethic and blue-collar toughness. He battles, he competes, he gives what he has.

However, Goodwin has seemingly run on empty — or close to it — in recent weeks. As USC has faced its toughest and quickest opponents, Goodwin’s lack of speed has become exposed. This is who and what he is as a basketball player. It’s not a criticism; it’s just a fact. He works in the trenches. Guarding quicker defenders is not his strong suit. He needs a slow halfcourt game in order to thrive.

This is one part of why Miami is a thorny matchup for USC in the NCAA Tournament. The Canes have speed and quickness which could make it hard for Goodwin to stay on the floor for extended minutes.

How can Goodwin make a maximum contribution to USC in this game, then? The answer might surprise you.

Goodwin is primarily on the floor for defense and rebounding. He protects the backboard and gives USC extra possessions. However, against Miami’s undersized lineup, Goodwin should be able to get a lot of post or paint touches and the opportunity to shoot plenty of hook shots in his sweet spot six to eight feet from the rim.

It could be that Goodwin needs to be an offensive star, not a defensive one, in this particular matchup for USC to win. If Goodwin can’t score and his defensive skill set is inadequate for the challenge of containing Miami’s offense, Andy Enfield will have to turn to Max Agbonkpolo or (if healthy enough to play) Reese Dixon-Waters.

Goodwin was USC’s best player in the first month of the season, before Isaiah Mobley took charge of this team. USC might need the November version of Goodwin — especially on offense — if it is going to beat Miami.

We talked about this and other topics on our one-hour preview podcast before Friday’s game: