Andy Enfield after defeat to UCLA: 'No one likes to lose'

It hasn’t been the best campaign for Andy Enfield and the USC Trojans throughout the 2023-2024 college basketball season.

That point was driven home more on Saturday night, when the UCLA Bruins waltzed into the Galen Center and took care of business in front of 10,300 people. It send the Trojans to 8-12 on the season, as USC lost a winnable game against one of their bitter rivals.

Afterwards, Enfield took some time to reflect on where his team stands at the moment, believing their moxie will help get them through some tough times moving forward.

“Well I think you always feel pressure when you lose, no one likes to lose,” Enfield stated. “Our players don’t like it, the coaches don’t like it and the fans don’t like it. So it’s yeah, there’s pressure to win every game you play. Certainly, when you have some adversity, it makes it a little harder, and you’ve got to fight through that.

“I’ve been doing this a long time, since 1994. That’s 29, 30 years ago. So I’ve been in this game off and on a long time. I’ve seen five-game losing streaks, I’ve seen five-game winning streaks. We’ve had a lot of those here. We’ve had winning streaks. When things don’t go your way, you’ve got to try to figure it out and keep improving. That’s why we love our team, because they keep a positive attitude, and they’re trying to get better.

Alas, it won’t get much easier for USC in the coming days. Their next game comes against the Oregon Ducks on Thursday, and Dana Altman’s squad isn’t happy after folding against the Arizona Wildcats over the weekend. Both the Ducks and the Trojans will be battling it out for a much needed win.

The Trojans will need all they can get from their stars in that one, including guard Boogie Ellis. While he’s been impressive this season, amassing 18.1 points and 4.1 rebounds per game throughout the year, the stats haven’t translated to wins, at least not yet.

Still, it seems as it Enfield is confident in his bunch, and their willingness to improve moving forward. The NCAA Tournament may be a ways away, but the Trojans aren’t doing themselves any favors at the moment.

Time will tell if Andy Enfield and the USC Trojans can get their season back on track over the next couple of weeks. The USC leader is confident it’s possible, now the Trojans players just have to bring it to life.