Less seems to work more for Mayo

Thirteen has been a plucky number so far for O.J. Mayo.

The USC freshman guard has averaged 13.6 shots in the seven games his team has won.

That figure swells to 22.7 shots in the three games the Trojans have lost.

Mayo attempted a season-low six shots Monday while playing what his coach described as “maybe his best floor game of the year” during USC’s 83-54 victory over Delaware State.

“I thought he allowed the game to come to him and made them pay with the next pass,” Coach Tim Floyd said Wednesday of Mayo, whose shots were limited in part by the Hornets’ box-and-one defense designed specifically to contain him.

“He did that with a lot of poise and didn’t turn the ball over, and I thought he played maybe his best floor game of the year by passing and taking care of the ball, keeping us in play and his shot selection. He didn’t score as much, but that’s why points aren’t that important.”

Mayo finished with 12 points on five-for-six shooting to go with four assists, three rebounds, two steals and one block. He also tied a season low with only two turnovers.

“He’s so good that he’s able to affect the game even taking less shots,” sophomore guard Daniel Hackett said. “He’s a great all-around player. It makes the team better when he’s able to distribute and when he’s able to score.”

There has been no appreciable difference in Mayo’s assists during USC victories and defeats; he’s averaging 2.9 assists during victories and 3.0 during losses.

Scoring is another matter. Mayo is averaging 22.3 points in defeats and 18.4 in victories.

One NBA scout said Mayo was “almost forced to” take a lot of shots in the games the Trojans lost.

“They were struggling to score and he ends up being able to get shots and they’re tough shots, so his percentage isn’t that good,” the scout said. “But you have to give him credit because he’s able to do that for them. Otherwise they would have had a tough time scoring.”

One of the biggest concerns on a team with seven freshmen is chemistry, especially because two of the newcomers -- Mayo and forward Davon Jefferson -- arrived with superstar labels.

But junior forward Keith Wilkinson said no us-versus-them factions have developed in the locker room.

“There’s no cliques,” Wilkinson said. “There’s no two guys here, two guys there. Everyone hangs out together, everyone’s close. . . . All the guys that came in, all the freshmen, from O.J. to Marcus [Simmons] to Mamadou [Diarra], everyone’s been great.”

Hackett has helped keep the mood light by assuming the role of team clown that Nick Young held before departing for the NBA after last season.

On his 20th birthday Wednesday, Hackett joked that he would celebrate “with a nice cigar and some champagne.”

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