Trojans Hang Hoops Season On 147 Pounder

(CBS) -- USC basketball will rise or fall based on the success of a 5-foot-7, 148 pound point guard, Maurice Jones.

The sophomore admits he isn't as heavy as the listed 155 in the media guide, but as coach Kevin O'Neill told the OC Register on Friday, " If Mo gets hurt, we can't even really play the game. Don't come to the games. It'll be ugly. Don't show up. "

If Mo does get hurt, he certainly won't be the first Trojan this season to be sidelined, USC has been decimated by injuries, mainly in August when Jio Fontan tore his ACL in a team sponsored exhibition tour in Brazil.

Fontan is gone, which means the point guard position will be Jones, with freshman Alexis Moore as the primary backup.

While USC has plenty of questions to answer, the media has pegged the Trojans to finish in seventh place in the conference, a result that would require another strong effort in the conference tournament for hopes at another ncaa tournament berth.  

Last year, the Trojans made the NCAA tournament, as a play-in against eventual Final Four team VCU.

The Trojans open their season on November 11th against Northridge at the Galen Center.