5 things to watch in USC women's basketball's game vs Saint Mary's

USC women's basketball's win against Pepperdine showed all the strengths that Trojan fans were looking for. The game displayed the attributes a team full of talented guards figured to have: great 3-point shooting, even better perimeter defense, and plenty of scoring.

The Trojans have certainly enjoyed their home games so far. A few easier games against nonconference opponents are great opportunities to work on your game, take bigger risks with less consequences, and have plenty of fun doing it.

But things are about to get tough for the Trojans again. In less than a week they have their first conference game against Washington and then their toughest non conference game of the season by far, against No. 1 UConn on December 13.

So USC's game Tuesday against Saint Mary's will need to be a great launching point for that stretch. What should USC look to accomplish? Here are five things to watch as the Trojans continue their home stand at Galen Center against the Gaels:

Kennedy Smith -- true point guard?

We've talked about it a lot at Trojans Wire -- many people expected Kennedy Smith to be one of USC's primary scorers this season and she just hasn't been an efficient point-getter yet.

But, in the absence of normal starting point guard Malia Samuels, Smith became USC's primary distributor against Pepperdine, dishing out a career-high seven assists to go with nine points, three rebounds and three steals.

If Smith continues to struggle scoring the basketball, it may be in her best interest to start playing more like a true point guard. I still think she can find her scoring groove, but it's still good to see her impact the game in a different way on offense.

Is Malia Samuels healthy?

Speaking of Samuels, Trojan fans will want to keep a close eye out to see if she plays against Saint Mary's on Tuesday.

Samuels had started all 6 of USC's games before she missed Friday's win over Pepperdine with a nagging injury.

In her absence, Londynn Jones started her first game of the season for the Trojans. Jones is one of USC's best offensive players, but Samuels is typically in the starting lineup because she is a good floor general, ball handler and defender.

How long will Samuels' injury keep her out? Can Jones play well enough to stay in the starting lineup when Samuels returns? Lots of storylines to watch and consider here.

Vivian Iwuchukwu's growth

Sophomore center Vivian Iwuchukwu said this after USC's win over Pepperdine on Friday:

"It's really good to have [Londynn Jones and Kara Dunn] in the gym. And outside of the experience, people like Kennedy… have a lot of experience from last year. They're really good outlets to go to. Whenever I have questions or whenever we're in the midst of the game, [I'm] just going to them and asking them, 'Hey, what did I do?' They are so composed in the heat of the moment and it's really easy to go to them and ask them questions like that."

Iwuchukwu has arguably the most natural talent and athleticism of any of USC's bigs but she is still very raw after she saw limited game action for the Trojans last season.

But, it's been clear on the court that she is taking advantage of the relaxed environment of some of these non conference games and really looking to take her play to the next level.

In her last two combined games, she has 20 points on 9-10 shooting in an average of 14.5 minutes per game. USC would love to have 10 points on 90% shooting in 14 minutes every single game from Iwuchukwu.

I'll be watching to see if she can build on those performances -- and I will be paying extra close attention to her interactions with USC's veterans after she let us in on just how much they have impacted her growth this season.

RIAN in the ROTATION?!

When I told Trojan fans to keep an eye on Rian Forestier's minutes against Pepperdine after she had extended game action in the second half against Tennessee Tech, I had full knowledge that take could look very silly very quickly. It was USC's biggest blowout of the season; of course even players deep on the bench were going to see some game action

But Lindsay Gottlieb proved me more right then I could have ever imagined against Pepperdine. Forestier played 11 minutes -- more than two other Trojans (Laura Williams and Yakiya Milton) who are consistently in the rotation. But even more significantly, her first playing time came...midway through the second quarter?!

Forestier has held her own when she's been out there with good three-point shooting and perimeter defense. USC has used a strength-in-numbers philosophy for much of the season, playing 10 players in its regular rotation even against the Trojans' toughest opponents.

Could Forestier make it 11?

California rivalry

St. Mary's is from Moraga, CA. The Gaels are 5-3 overall this season but have been especially good against California teams. The Gaels are 3-1 against other schools that are located in California, with their lone (narrow) loss coming on the road against Cal Berkeley.

The Trojans are 1-0 against teams from California after beating Pepperdine. Can the Trojans make it 2-0 and ruin the Gaels' trip back to Northern California? Or will Saint Mary's elevate its level of play once again and state its case as one of the best teams in California?

This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: 5 things to watch - USC women's basketball Game 8 vs Saint Mary's