USC To Open Pac-12 Play Hosting Stanford
Plus Night Out | Game Notes (PDF)
The USC Trojans (4-1) will host the Stanford Cardinal (2-2) at the Galen Center on Dec. 13 at 6:30 p.m. The game will air on Fox Sports 1 with Jim Kozimor and Dave Miller calling the action. USC's women's basketball team will host UCLA at noon on Dec. 13.
THE 2020-21 TROJANS -- The USC men's basketball team has a new look for the 2020-21 season as the strong sophomore core of Ethan Anderson, Isaiah Mobley and Max Agbonkpolo is joined by eight new players which includes a consensus top three recruit in Evan Mobley and Noah Baumann who redshirted last season following his transfer from San Jose State. The 2020-21 Trojans will be a team with many interchangeable parts and feature players who can guard multiple positions. USC entered this season having won 109 games over the last five seasons, the winningest five-year stretch in school history and the 2020-21 Trojans look to continue the upward trend.
YOU WILL BE MISSED... -- The Trojans have re-loaded and are anxious to continue the program's upward surge, but there is no doubt that this edition will be a different team. Gone are All-Pac-12 and now NBA forward Onyeka Okongwu (16.2 ppg, 8.6 rpg) and a pair ot four-year players in all-time USC three-point baskets leader Jonah Mathews (13.4 ppg and 247 career 3-pointers made) and second all-time rebounder Nick Rakocevic (10.5 ppg, 923 career rebounds). In all, 8 of the 11 Trojans to score a point in the 2019-20 season are no longer on the roster. All that means is the new edition of the Trojan cagers will be called upon to replace 80.6 percent of the scoring, 76.4 percent of the rebounding and 74.7 percent of the minutes played
RECAP OF THE 2019-20 SEASON -- The 2019-20 Trojans went 22-9 and led the Pac-12 in rebounding and were among the Conference's top teams in blocks, scoring defense and defensive field goal percentage. USC seemed to be just hitting its stride heading to the postseason as winners of five of its last seven games and finishing tied for third in Pac-12 play at 11-7 before the season was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic. USC led all Pac-12 teams in Conference play in points allowed and field goal percentage defense.
USC TO OPEN PAC-12 PLAY HOSTING STANFORD -- Stanford (2-2) is coming off a 78-46 win at North Carolina A&T on Dec. 6. Oscar da Silva (17.3) and Daejon Davis (14.5) are averaging double figures in scoring. USC defeated Stanford 82-78 in overtime on Jan. 18,2020 in the only meeting between the schools last season. USC has won the last four games against the Cardinal at the Galen Center. USC is 126*-127 all-time against Stanford, with a win in 2008 vacated due to NCAA penalty (original record 127-127).
LAST SEASON'S CLASSIC - USC trailed by 21 points in the second half and came back to defeat No. 25 Stanford 82-78 in overtime on Jan. 18, 2020. USC overcame a 5-point deficit in the final 15 seconds of regulation, tying it on an Elijah Weaver three-pointer. Weaver then scored 8 of USC's 13 points in overtime.
TROJANS SHOOT DOWN UC IRVINE -- USC made a season-high 12 three-pointers and shot 50 percent from beyond the arc to defeat UC Irvine 91-56. Evan Mobley led the way with 22 points and 11 rebounds and Noah Baumann added 18 points, leading the team with four three-pointers made. USC shot 51.6 percent overall and held UC Irvine to 33.8 percent shooting.
SAN FRANCISCO ON DECK -- USC's next game will be vs. San Francisco (5-2) who is coming off a 107-62 win at Long Beach State and has a win over then No. 4 Virginia (61-60). They will play at California (Dec. 13) before facing USC on Dec. 16 at 6:00 p.m. at the Galen Center. Jamaree Bouyea (17.6), Khalil Shabazz (14.9) and Dzmitry Ryuny (11.9) are all averaging double figures in scoring. USF has averaged 12.3 makes from three-point range per game. USC is 15-5 all-time against USF, winning the last matchup 74-69 on Dec. 1, 2008.
TEAM TROJANS -- In the first five games played, USC has eight players averaging 6.2 points or more. Also, eight player are averaging at least one assist per game
MOBLEY NAMED PAC-12 FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK - USC freshman forward Evan Mobley has been the Pac-12 Freshman of the Week for the Week of Nov. 30-Dec. 6. In USC's two games at the Legends Classic in Connecticut, Mobley averaged 17.0 points and 9.0 rebounds. Against BYU on Dec. 1, he notched his first career double-double with 17 points and 11 rebounds. In the game against UConn on Dec. 3, he led USC in points (17), rebounds (7), assists (3) and blocks (4).
HOT SHOTS -- USC is shooting 49.8 percent from the field this season. USC has shot over 50 percent in all four of its wins (a combined 53.0 percent) and shot 35.8 percent in its loss to UConn.
HOT SHOTS PART DEUX -- Six of the 10 players to take at least one shot this season are shooting 50.0 percent or higher from the floor.
MAGIC MARKER -- USC defeated UC Irvine 91-56 on Dec. 8 and is now 73-4 in its last 77 games when holding the opposition to under 70 points scored dating back to Feb. 28, 2015.
IT'S MORE THAN A BOARD GAME -- USC has outrebounded the opposition 183-126 in its four wins (+11.4) and was outrebounded 42-31 (-11.0) in its loss. USC outrebounded California Baptist 48-28 on Nov. 25, including 18-9 in offensive rebounds. The 20-rebound advantage was USC's biggest in a game since outrebounding Santa Clara 52-27 (+25) on December 14, 2017. USC then outrebounded Montana 43-29 on Nov. 28, BYU 50-38 on Dec. 1 and UC Irvine 42-34 on Dec. 8.