USC Men's Basketball To Play In Inaugural Compete 4 Cause Classic

The USC men's basketball team, coming off an Elite Eight run during the 2020-21 season, will take on Oklahoma State in the inaugural Compete 4 Cause Classic to be held at the Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Okla. on Dec. 21.  The early-season doubleheader will also feature Tulsa facing North Texas in the other contest.

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.

Oklahoma State, under the leadership of head coach Mike Boynton, is coming off a 2021 campaign that included a 21-9 record, a trip to the Big 12 Championship title game and the program's first NCAA Tournament win since 2009. The Cowboys have replaced the 2021 NBA Draft first overall pick Cade Cunningham with a trio of talented transfers that is led by former five-star recruit Moussa CIsse, who helped lead Memphis to the 2021 NIT title, along with USC's transfer guard Boogie Ellis. Junior guard Avery Anderson III is the Cowboys' top returning scorer at 12.2 points per game.

The charitable component for Compete 4 Cause Classic will be rooted in service, inspiring the student-athletes to use their talent, notoriety and influence to impact the lives of people in the local community. The [a3] Initiative, in connection with U-Sports Group and the Compete 4 Cause Classic basketball platform, will greatly impact the OKC community and be a rewarding experience for the student-athletes and universities.

"We are very excited to unveil our third signature sporting event, Compete 4 Cause Classic," U-Sports Group President Rhossi Carron says. "As with all our USG events, the focus includes creating value that goes far beyond the games on the court. Our platform was constructed to highlight relevant social issues, with the idea of using the power of sports to create change in our communities and in ourselves. We look forward to utilizing the Compete 4 Cause Classic basketball platform to impact the lives of children in the state of Oklahoma."
 
Event details and ticket information for Compete 4 Cause Classic will be released at a later date. For event updates, please visit USportsGroup.com.