USC Hosts No. 19/No. 20 Texas At Galen Sunday
December 02, 2010 | Men's Basketball
Dec. 2, 2010
LOS ANGELES -- The USC Trojans (4-4) will play the No. 19/No. 20 Texas Longhorns (6-1) at the Galen Center on Dec. 5 at 7:30 p.m. The game will air on Fox Sports Net with Barry Tompkins and Marcus Johnson calling the action.
BREAKING DOWN TEXAS -- The Longhorns are 6-1 and are coming off a 76-55 win vs. Lamar at home on Dec. 1. This is Texas' first true road game of the season. Texas has been led in scoring by sophomore Jordan Hamilton from Los Angeles, who is averaging 21.7 points per game, tops among sophomores in the country as of Nov. 30. Texas is averaging 78.6 points per game with its lone setback a 68-66 loss to Pittsburgh in New York, N.Y. and has outscored the opposition by an average of 17.7 points per game. The all-time series is tied 5-5, with Texas winning at home last season 69-50. The game is part of the Big 12/Pac-10 Hardwood Series.
TROJANS FALL AT TCU -- TCU finished the first half on a 10-2 run after the Trojans had taken a one-point lead, then the Horned Frogs scored the first seven points of the second half and USC got no closer than eight points in a 81-69 loss in Fort Worth, Texas on Nov. 29. USC was outshot 50.8 percent to 45.0 percent and was beaten on the boards for just the second time this season, being edged 40-33. The loss dropped USC to 0-2 on the road this season and to a combined 2-11 on the road the last two seasons.
NAU ON DECK -- USC will host Northern Arizona at the Galen Center on Dec. 11 at 7:30 p.m. The game will be carried live by Fox Sports West. NAU is 5-2 and will host Bethany and Texas-Pan American before facing the Trojans. Cameron Jones, Eric Platt and Gabe Rogers are all averging in double-figures in scoring. The Lumberjacks lost their first two games of the season, but have won five consecutive games. NAU went 14-14 last season and finished fifth in the Big Sky Conference. They return four starters and nine lettermen from that team.
YOU THOUGHT THAT WAS TOUGH... -- As if playing 8 games in 17 days to start the season wasn't tough enough, USC's next four games are against opponents with a combined 23-3 record: Texas (6-1), NAU (5-2), Kansas (6-0) and Tennessee (6-0).
SUDDEN IMPACT -- In the first eight games USC has relied heavily on freshmen with guards Maurice Jones playing 306 and Bryce Jones playing 247 out of a possible 320 minutes. In eight games, the two Jones and fellow freshman Garrett Jackson have combined to score 44.4 percent of USC's points (247 of 556) and play 41.3 percent of the team's minutes. The Joneses also have 57.6 percent of USC's assists (53 of 92) and 48.9 percent of its 3-point baskets (22 of 45).
I'VE STILL GOT ONE HAND -- Redshirt senior Alex Stepheson scored six points, had three blocks and grabbed 13 rebounds in the season opener vs. UC Irvine on Nov. 13, but also suffered a fracture in his left hand. Since then he wears a cast between games and a brace during games. He had an X-ray on Monday Nov. 22 which showed he is healing well and since scored 12 points and had 11 rebounds, a block and 2 steals in 29 minutes vs. CSUF on Nov. 24 and had a season-high 14 points, 9 rebounds, a block and a steal in 39 minutes at Nebraska on Nov. 27. He followed that up with 14 points and 10 rebounds in the loss at TCU on Nov. 29, his eighth career double-double.
THE YO-YO SEASON -- USC has alternated winning two and losing two games all season. The Trojans are coming off consecutive losses at Nebraska and TCU.
