USC Heads To NABC Hall Of Fame Classic In K.C., Plays Texas Tech Monday

The USC Trojans (2-1) will face the Texas Tech Red Raiders (3-0) in an NABC Hall of Fame Classic first-round game at the Sprint Center in Kansas City, Mo. on Nov. 19 at 6:30.p.m. (PT). The game will air on ESPN2. USC is facing TTU for the first time since 1984.

USC PUTS A LID ON THE HATTERS - USC scored the first six points of the game and never trailed in a 95-59 victory over Stetson at the Galen Center on Nov. 14. For the first time all season, the Trojans had the services of forward Bennie Boatwright and guard Elijah Weaver, both coming back from offseason surgeries. Boatwright scored 16 points on 5 of 7 shooting, including netting 4 3-pointers, while Weaver chipped in with 9 points in his collegiate debut. Nick Rakocevic had his third consecutive double-double to start the season, with 16 points and 12 rebounds. USC made 56.3 percent of its shots, while holding Stetson to 31.2 percent shooting. Ten different Trojans scored and 9 had at least one assist. Kevin Porter Jr. added 12 points, Shaqquan Aaron 10 and Jonah Mathews 9 points and he tied a career best with 7 rebounds.

BREAKING DOWN TEXAS TECH - Texas Tech is 3-0 and has won its games by an average of 33.7 points this season. The Red Raiders have held their opponents to an average of 43.0 points this season. Texas Tech is shooting over 50 percent from the field and has been led in scoring by Jarrett Culver (16.3 ppg) and Davide Moretti (11.3 ppg). Texas Tech went 27-10 last season and advanced to the NCAA Elite Eight before falling to eventual champion Villanova. The all-time series between USC and Texas Tech is tied at 1-1, with the Red Raiders winning the last meeting 63-59 in 1984.

NEBRASKA/MISSOURI STATE ON DECK - The Trojans' second-round game in the NABC Hall of Fame Classic will be against either Nebraska or Missouri State, who also play each other on Nov. 19. If USC wins on Nov. 19 it will play the winner of Nebraska/Missouri State on Nov. 20 at 6:30 p.m. (PT). If USC losses on Nov. 19, it will play the loser of the Nebraska/Missouri State game on Nov. 20 at 4:00 p.m. (PT). Nebraska is 3-0 this season and has won by an average of 48 points per game. James Palmer Jr. leads the Cornhuskers in scoring with a 21.0 average. USC is 5-5 all-time against Nebraska, having lost four straight, including the last on Dec. 3, 2012 (63-51). Missouri St. is 3-0 this season and has seven players averaging at least 7.0 points per game. USC won its only previous meeting with Missouri St. 83-75 on Dec. 22, 2016.

WESTPHAL TO THE HALL - USC great Paul Westphal will be inducted into the NABC Hall of Fame on Nov. 18. Westphal played at USC from 1970-72 and averaged 16.4 points per game, ninth-best in school history, before going on to an all-star career as both a player and coach in the NBA. While at USC, Westphal was a two-time All-Pac-8 first-team selection and was named to the 1972 Helms Athletic Fund All-America team. The 1971 Trojans went 24-2, posting the best winning percentage all-time by a USC team of 92.3 percent. He served as USC's team captain for the 1972 season and led the Trojans with a 20.3 scoring average. USC retired his No. 25 jersey on January 18, 2007 and he was inducted into the Trojan Athletic HOF on May 17, 1997.

THE MAGIC MARKER - With the 95-59 win over Stetson on Nov. 14, USC has now won 33 consecutive games in which it allows 70 points or less.

RAKOCEVIC HAS MORE DOUBLE-DOUBLES THAN IN-N-OUT - Junior forward Nick Rakocevic scored 16 points and grabbed 12 rebounds vs. Stetson on Nov. 14 to give him eight career double-doubles. Dating back to the last two games of last season, Rakocevic has five consecutive double-doubles and has averaged 17.6 points (88 total) and 15.0 rebounds (75 total) in those games. He became the first USC player to record three double-doubles to start a season since Sam Clancy did it to start the 2001-02 season. His five consecutive double-doubles are the most by a USC player since Nikola Vucevic had eight-straight during the 2011 season.

PICK 6 NETS 1,000 - If USC senior forward Bennie Boatwright can pick up six points against Texas Tech on Nov. 19, he will have reached the 1,000 career points scored plateau. He missed the first two games of the season while still coming back from offseason knee surgery, but scored 16 points in his season debut vs. Stetson on Nov. 14, giving him 994 career points. He has averaged 13.1 points in 76 career games played, despite being slowed by injuries. Boatwright averaged 13.6 points in 23 games last season, first being slowed by a foot injury and then having his season end with a knee injury. He led USC to the 2017 Diamond Head Classic title by scoring a career-high 33 points vs. New Mexico State on Dec. 25, making a career-best six three-point baskets.

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Players Mentioned

Shaqquan Aaron

Bennie Boatwright

Jonah Mathews

Kevin Porter Jr.

Nick Rakocevic

Elijah Weaver