Thursday, January 2
Pullman, Wash.
7:30 PM
USC
at
Washington State
Players Mentioned
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/ Men's Basketball
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/ Men's Basketball
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/ Men's Basketball
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Photo by: John McGillen/USC Athletics
USC Opens Pac-12 Play At Washington State Thursday
December 31, 2019 | Men's Basketball, Features
The USC Trojans (11-2, 0-0) will play at the Washington State Cougars (9-4, 0-0) at Beasley Coliseum in Pullman, Wash. on Jan. 2 at 7:30 p.m. to open Pac-12 play. The game will air on the Pac-12 Network with Greg Heister and Eldridge Recasner calling the action. USC has won its last five games and has had two five game winning streaks this season, the third time this decade with two such streaks in a season (2016 & 2017). Only 12 teams in the country have fewer losses than USC so far this season. USC is 3-7 in its last 10 Pac-12 road openers, but has won 3 of its last four.
NONCONFERENCE RECAP -- USC went 11-2 in the nonconference, the third time under Andy Enfield with 11 or more wins in nonconference play (13-0 in 2017 and 11-2 in 2016). Prior to that, USC had not won 11 nonconference games since the 1976 season. USC played 9 teams that are .500 or better and eight of its opponents have won eight or more games. USC went 2-0 in road games and 3-1 in neutral site games.
BREAKING DOWN WSU -- Washington State (9-4, 0-0) has won six consecutive games and is coming off a 65-50 home win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Dec. 29. WSU is led in scoring by sophomore guard CJ Elleby at 20.1 points per game. USC won 93-84 at WSU last season to run its winning streak to six games against the Cougars. USC leads the all-time series 75-48.
USC DEFEATS ENFIELD'S FORMER TEAM FGCU -- Nick Rakocevic posted a double-double of 19 points and 13 rebounds to lead USC to a 71-58 win over Florida Gulf Coast on Dec. 29, the same school Andy Enfield began his head coaching career at and led to the 2013 Sweet 16. USC got off to a slow start, trailing 7-1 nearly three minutes into the game, before a Jonah Mathews 3-pointer ignited an 11-0 run to take the lead for good. The Trojans led 35-31 at halftime while shooting 42.9 percent from the field, but made 50 percent of its shots after the break to pull away. Daniel Utomi made three 3-pointers and finished with 13 points and Mathews added 10 points. Max Agbonkpolo scored eight points off the bench and Isaiah Mobley scored eight points and grabbed seven rebounds in a start for leading scorer Onyeka Okongwu, who missed the game with a sprained right ankle.
WASHINGTON ON DECK -- The Washington Huskies (10-3, 0-0) will host UCLA on Jan. 2 before facing USC in Seattle, Wash. on Jan. 5 at 7 p.m. Freshmen Isaiah Stewart (19.2) and Jaden McDaniels (14.3) lead four Huskies averaging double-figures in scoring. Washington defeated USC 75-62 at home last season and 78-75 in the second round of the Pac-12 Championships. Washington has won its last three games against USC and leads the all-time series 74-72 (2 USC wins vacated due to NCAA penalty, original record 74-74).
A ROAD LESS TRAVELED -- USC is 2-0 on the road this season, after going 2-9 on the road during the 2018-19 season. In six of the last 11 seasons, USC won 2 or less road games for an overall record of 34-90 (27.4 percent). USC finished over .500 on the road (6-5) during the 2017 and 2018 seasons, the only two seasons in the past 11 with a winning road record.
10 FOR 10 -- All 10 available basketball scholarship players on USC's team have had at least one 10-point scoring game this season.
CAN I ASSIST YOU WITH THAT -- Freshman point guard Ethan Anderson had a season-best 12 assists vs. Long Beach State on Dec. 15 and has 28 assists in his last four games. His 12 assist game vs. LBSU is tied for the most assists in one game by any freshman this season. His 72 assists this season are fourth among all freshman and tied for 34th among all players.
TROJANS FINDING THEIR MARK --- USC has made 47.7 percent of its shots in the last five games (142-for-298). In its first eight games, USC made 43.3 percent of its shots (210-for-485). USC is also heating up from three-point range making 39.3 percent (42-for-107) of its shot in the last five games, after shooting 32.2 percent (48-for-149) from beyond the arc in the first eight games.
OKONGWU NEAR THE TOP OF THE CLASS -- Through his first 12 career games, Okongwu is averaging 17.7 points, 9.0 rebounds and 3.17 blocks per game, while shooting 62.4 percent from the field. His 38 total blocks already rank seventh on USC's all-time freshman blocks list. Among all freshmen nationally through Dec. 30, he ranks second in total blocks (38) and blocks per game (3.17), third in field goal percentage (62.4 percent), tied for third in total field goals made (83), fourth in points per game (17.7), tied for fourth in double-doubles (5) and rebounds per game (9.0), fifth in offensive rebounds per game (3.17), tied for sixth in total rebounds (108) and eighth in total points (212).
MATHEWS & RAKOCEVIC SHARING SENIOR SUCCESS - USC senior guard Jonah Mathews (1,135 career points) and senior forward Nick Rakocevic (1,128 career points) both surpassed 1,000 career points scored in the game vs. South Dakota State on Nov. 12. They became the 41st and 42nd Trojans to register 1,000 or more career points in a USC uniform and became the first pair of Trojans to accomplish the feat in the same game since Don Carfino and Purvis Miller vs. Oregon in 1980. Rakocevic also has 777 career rebounds which ranks 8th on USC's all-time list and 10th among active players. He now has 25 career double-doubles which ranks T-14th among active players. Mathews has made 208 career three-point baskets, fifth on USC's all-time list and tied for 38th among active players.
NONCONFERENCE RECAP -- USC went 11-2 in the nonconference, the third time under Andy Enfield with 11 or more wins in nonconference play (13-0 in 2017 and 11-2 in 2016). Prior to that, USC had not won 11 nonconference games since the 1976 season. USC played 9 teams that are .500 or better and eight of its opponents have won eight or more games. USC went 2-0 in road games and 3-1 in neutral site games.
BREAKING DOWN WSU -- Washington State (9-4, 0-0) has won six consecutive games and is coming off a 65-50 home win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Dec. 29. WSU is led in scoring by sophomore guard CJ Elleby at 20.1 points per game. USC won 93-84 at WSU last season to run its winning streak to six games against the Cougars. USC leads the all-time series 75-48.
USC DEFEATS ENFIELD'S FORMER TEAM FGCU -- Nick Rakocevic posted a double-double of 19 points and 13 rebounds to lead USC to a 71-58 win over Florida Gulf Coast on Dec. 29, the same school Andy Enfield began his head coaching career at and led to the 2013 Sweet 16. USC got off to a slow start, trailing 7-1 nearly three minutes into the game, before a Jonah Mathews 3-pointer ignited an 11-0 run to take the lead for good. The Trojans led 35-31 at halftime while shooting 42.9 percent from the field, but made 50 percent of its shots after the break to pull away. Daniel Utomi made three 3-pointers and finished with 13 points and Mathews added 10 points. Max Agbonkpolo scored eight points off the bench and Isaiah Mobley scored eight points and grabbed seven rebounds in a start for leading scorer Onyeka Okongwu, who missed the game with a sprained right ankle.
WASHINGTON ON DECK -- The Washington Huskies (10-3, 0-0) will host UCLA on Jan. 2 before facing USC in Seattle, Wash. on Jan. 5 at 7 p.m. Freshmen Isaiah Stewart (19.2) and Jaden McDaniels (14.3) lead four Huskies averaging double-figures in scoring. Washington defeated USC 75-62 at home last season and 78-75 in the second round of the Pac-12 Championships. Washington has won its last three games against USC and leads the all-time series 74-72 (2 USC wins vacated due to NCAA penalty, original record 74-74).
A ROAD LESS TRAVELED -- USC is 2-0 on the road this season, after going 2-9 on the road during the 2018-19 season. In six of the last 11 seasons, USC won 2 or less road games for an overall record of 34-90 (27.4 percent). USC finished over .500 on the road (6-5) during the 2017 and 2018 seasons, the only two seasons in the past 11 with a winning road record.
10 FOR 10 -- All 10 available basketball scholarship players on USC's team have had at least one 10-point scoring game this season.
CAN I ASSIST YOU WITH THAT -- Freshman point guard Ethan Anderson had a season-best 12 assists vs. Long Beach State on Dec. 15 and has 28 assists in his last four games. His 12 assist game vs. LBSU is tied for the most assists in one game by any freshman this season. His 72 assists this season are fourth among all freshman and tied for 34th among all players.
TROJANS FINDING THEIR MARK --- USC has made 47.7 percent of its shots in the last five games (142-for-298). In its first eight games, USC made 43.3 percent of its shots (210-for-485). USC is also heating up from three-point range making 39.3 percent (42-for-107) of its shot in the last five games, after shooting 32.2 percent (48-for-149) from beyond the arc in the first eight games.
OKONGWU NEAR THE TOP OF THE CLASS -- Through his first 12 career games, Okongwu is averaging 17.7 points, 9.0 rebounds and 3.17 blocks per game, while shooting 62.4 percent from the field. His 38 total blocks already rank seventh on USC's all-time freshman blocks list. Among all freshmen nationally through Dec. 30, he ranks second in total blocks (38) and blocks per game (3.17), third in field goal percentage (62.4 percent), tied for third in total field goals made (83), fourth in points per game (17.7), tied for fourth in double-doubles (5) and rebounds per game (9.0), fifth in offensive rebounds per game (3.17), tied for sixth in total rebounds (108) and eighth in total points (212).
MATHEWS & RAKOCEVIC SHARING SENIOR SUCCESS - USC senior guard Jonah Mathews (1,135 career points) and senior forward Nick Rakocevic (1,128 career points) both surpassed 1,000 career points scored in the game vs. South Dakota State on Nov. 12. They became the 41st and 42nd Trojans to register 1,000 or more career points in a USC uniform and became the first pair of Trojans to accomplish the feat in the same game since Don Carfino and Purvis Miller vs. Oregon in 1980. Rakocevic also has 777 career rebounds which ranks 8th on USC's all-time list and 10th among active players. He now has 25 career double-doubles which ranks T-14th among active players. Mathews has made 208 career three-point baskets, fifth on USC's all-time list and tied for 38th among active players.
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