USC Men's Basketball To Play Saint Joseph's In The 2021 Wooden Legacy Opener
The USC men's basketball team, coming off an Elite Eight run during the 2020-21 season, will face Saint Joseph's in the first round of the 14th annual Wooden Legacy to be held at the Anaheim Convention Center on Nov. 25. The game will be at 6:30 p.m. PT and will air on ESPN2. The four-team field also features 2021 NCAA Tournament teams San Diego State and Georgetown who will play later that night with the winners meeting on Nov. 26 at 8:30 p.m. PT and the other two teams playing in the third-place game at 6:00 p.m. that day. Both of the games on Nov. 26, the second day of the tournament, will air on ESPNU.
USC went 25-8 during the 2020-21 season and advanced to the NCAA Tournament Elite Eight before falling to championship finalist and then undefeated Gonzaga. The Trojans also went 15-5 in Pac-12 play to finish second, percentage points behind Oregon (14-4) who it defeated in the regular season and in the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16. Andy Enfield is the reigning Pac-12 Coach of the Year, the first Trojan head coach to win the award since George Raveling in 1992, and has guided USC to 47 wins the past two seasons, third among all teams from the six power conferences in basketball. The Trojans were ranked No. 9 in the final Coaches Poll of the season.
Georgetown, led by head coach Patrick Ewing, won the Big East Tournament to automatically qualify for the NCAA Tournament and San Diego State, under the leadership of head coach Brian Dutcher, finished the regular season ranked within the Top 25 and won it second consecutive Mountain West regular season title. Saint Joseph's won four of its last five games during the 2020-21 season and is led by head coach Billy Lange.
The four-team, two day Wooden Legacy tournament is switching to a new format this season, which had been a three-day event since its inception in 2007. USC won the inaugural Wooden Legacy tournament in 2007 by defeating San Diego, Miami (OH) and No. 19-ranked Southern Illinois 70-45 in the final.
"We are looking forward to welcoming the athletes, their families and fans to the Anaheim Convention Center Arena this Thanksgiving," said Jay Burress, President & CEO, Visit Anaheim. "It will be great to have two strong Southern California teams in USC and San Diego State competing, while bringing traditional East Coast powers, Georgetown University and Saint Joseph's University to Orange County."
Owned and operated by ESPN, all four games will air on ESPN2 or ESPNU, and available via the ESPN App. Tickets for the 14th Paycom Wooden Legacy will go on sale Friday, July 30. For exclusive offers and tournament updates visit TheWoodenLegacy.com. Fans can also follow the event on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
# # # #