USC Men's Basketball Announces 2021-22 Nonconference Schedule And Pac-12 Pairings

LOS ANGELES — USC's 2021-22 men's basketball team once again will take on an ambitious schedule as it is set to play a potential 11 games against teams which made the NCAA Tournament last season, including six against teams which advanced to the Sweet 16, it was announced by head coach Andy Enfield today (Aug. 19).  Fans can purchase or renew season tickets now by going to USCTrojans.com.

The Trojans have a 47-17 record the past two seasons which ranks third among all of the schools in the six power basketball conferences, the SEC, ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, ACC and Pac-12.

USC, which went 25-8 last season and reached the NCAA Elite Eight, will open the 2021-22 season at home hosting CSUN at the Galen Center on Nov. 9.  The Trojans have 11 returning players and five newcomers who will be making their USC debut, including junior transfer Boogie Ellis, the AAC Co-Sixth Man of the Year.

The Trojans will then embark on a two-game road trip back East, first playing at Temple on Nov. 13 and then at Florida Gulf Coast on Nov. 16, where USC head coach Andy Enfield began his head coaching career.  Enfield guided FGCU to the Sweet 16 in 2013, the first 15-seed to ever advance that far in the tournament.

USC will return to the Galen Center to face Dixie State on Nov. 22, before heading down to Anaheim to compete in the Wooden Legacy to be held at the Anaheim Convention Center on Nov. 25 and 26.  First, USC will play Saint Joseph's on Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 25, then will play either Georgetown or San Diego State on Nov. 26.  Georgetown won the Big East Tournament to automatically qualify for the NCAA Tournament and San Diego State 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.  

USC will open Pac-12 play with a pair of contests before Christmas, hosting Utah on Dec. 1 and then traveling to Washington State for a game on Dec. 4.

The Trojans will then play three consecutive home games, hosting Eastern Kentucky on Dec. 7, Long Beach State on Dec. 12 and UC Irvine on Dec. 15.

USC will play in the third annual Jerry Colangelo Classic to be held at the Footprint Center in Phoenix, Ariz. on Dec. 18.  There will be four stand-alone games during the day with USC facing Georgia Tech and former Trojans Jordan Usher and Kyle Sturdivant in the second contest.  The Yellow Jackets also played in the 2020-21 NCAA Tournament.

The Trojans will then travel to Oklahoma City, Okla. to play in the inaugural Compete 4 Cause Classic to be held at the Paycom Center on Dec. 21.  USC will play Oklahoma State as part of a doubleheader. Oklahoma State 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 remainder of the schedule is the always challenging Pac-12 Conference slate. USC went 15-5 in Pac-12 play during the 2020-21 season to finish second, percentage points behind Oregon (14-4) which USC defeated both in the regular season and in the NCAA Tournament.  The specific dates and times of the games are yet to be determined, but the weekly parings are set.

The Trojans will kickoff the first full week of conference games by hosting Arizona and Arizona State the week of Dec. 29-Jan. 2.  USC will travel to the Arizona schools the week of Feb. 2-6.  USC swept the Arizona road trip in the 2020-21 season for the first time since the 1984-85 season.

Next up will be a trip to the Bay Area with USC playing at California and Stanford the Week of Jan. 5-9.  The Northern California schools will visit the Galen Center the week of Jan. 26-30.

The Trojans will host two 2021 NCAA Tournament teams in Oregon and Oregon State the week of Jan. 12-16, both of which advanced to the Sweet 16 along with USC.  The Trojans will travel up to Oregon to face the Ducks and the Beavers the week of Feb. 23-27.

The Trojans will head to the mountains to play at Colorado and Utah the week of Jan. 19-23.  It will be the only game against Colorado which made the 2020-21 NCAA Tournament and it will be the second game against Utah, as USC will host the school on Dec. 1.

USC will host crosstown rival UCLA during the week of Feb. 9-13 and will closeout the regular season at UCLA the week of March 2-5.  USC has won its last four games against UCLA.  The Bruins also made the 2021 NCAA Tournament.

The Washington schools will travel to Los Angeles to face the Trojans the week of Feb. 16-20.  USC faces Washington just one time this season, while the Trojans make the trip to Washington State for the Dec. 4 game.

The Pac-12 Tournament will once again be held in Las Vegas, Nev. at the T-Mobile Arena from March 9-12