USC Men's Basketball To Host Oregon State In Pac-12 Home Opener Sunday

The USC Trojans (5-3) are hosting the Oregon State Beavers (4-4) at the Galen Center at 4:00 p.m. The game will air on the Pac-12 Network with Jordan Kent and Don MacLean calling the action. USC is attempting to begin conference play 2-0 for the third time since 2011. USC is honoring and presenting gifts to 600-800 elementary school students today who successfully completed the Readers of Troy reading program. In addition, the first 1,000 students to the game will receive a voucher for a T-shirt hoodie.

USC'S STELLAR STRETCH -- USC won a school-record 73 games over the last three seasons (22 in 2020, 25 in 2021 and 26 in 2022). The previous school record for wins in three consecutive seasons was 71 (2016-18). The three consecutive seasons of 20+ wins also equals the school record for most consecutive 20-win seasons set from 2016-18.

WINNING WAYS -- USC's 73 total wins the previous three seasons tied for the third most among all Power 6 basketball programs, trailing only the last two NCAA champions Kansas (83) and Baylor (81). Also, USC's 160 wins the previous seven seasons ranked 13th among all Power 6 conference teams.

ENFIELD LEADING THE WAY -- USC head coach Andy Enfield is in his 10th season at USC and has compiled an 188-121 record. His wins total ranks fourth on USC's all-time wins list, trailing only Sam Barry (260), Forrest Twogood (251) and Bob Boyd (216). Including his two seasons as the head coach at FGCU (2012-13), Enfield has compiled a 229-149 record as a head coach.

FACING OREGON STATE -- The Oregon State Beavers (4-4) are coming off a 66-65 home win over Washington on Dec. 1, snapping a 4-game skid. Oregon State won its first three games, before losing its next four games to Portland State (79-66), Duke (54-51), Florida (81-68) and then Portland State again (83-71). Freshman guard Jordan Pope leads three Beavers scoring in double figures with a 14.6 average. USC defeated Oregon State 81-71 in Los Angeles and then 94-91 in double-overtime in Corvallis, Ore. last season and has won 10 of its last 13 games against the Beavers. USC leads the all-time series with Oregon State 77-66 (2 USC wins vacated due to NCAA penalty, original record 79-66).

CS FULLERTON ON DECK -- USC's next game will be vs. the CS Fullerton Titans (4-4) on Dec. 7 at 8 p.m. The Titans lost their last game 69-62 at Seattle on Nov. 30 and have played only three home games this season. Senior guard Jalen Harris leads four Titans scoring in double figures with a 15.7 average. USC leads the all-time series with CS Fullerton 6-0, winning the last meeting 84-42 on Nov. 10, 2017.

DECEMBER DANCE -- USC has gone 14-2 during the month of December the last three seasons, which helped lead to two NCAA Tournament appearances and a 22-9 season which ended with the cancellation of the tournament due to Covid-19. USC won all 6 games last December.

IT STARTS WITH DEFENSE -- USC held California to 27.7 percent shooting, the lowest by an opponent since holding Stanford to a 25.4 shooting percentage on March 3, 2021. USC has held 6 of its 8 opponents this season to 37.5 percent shooting or less. USC held 22 of its 34 opponents during the 2021-22 season to under 40 percent shooting. USC held the opposition to a 39.0 shooting percentage during the season, 14th in the country. USC is holding its opponents to a 36.9 shooting percentage this season, 23rd in the country.

MORGAN HOSTING BLOCK PARTY -- USC has 52 blocks in the first eight games of the 2022-23 season, led by Joshua Morgan's 29 blocks. USC is averaging 6.5 blocks per game, tied for 5th in the country. Morgan's 29 blocks this season ranks second in the country. Morgan had 7 blocks vs. FGCU on Nov. 7 which tied him for fifth on USC's all-time single game blocks list. He matched that total with 7 blocks at Cal on Nov. 30. His 29 blocks this season surpass his total from last season (28) and match the total by Isaiah Mobley who led the 2021-22 team with 29 blocks.

ELLIS BUILDING OFF LAST SEASON - Guard Boogie Ellis averaged 12.5 points last season, second among the Trojans and most among the returning players. Ellis also led USC with 56 three-point baskets made and with 27 steals. Ellis had a .789 free throw percentage (71-for-89) which ranked 10th in the Pac-12. Ellis is averaging 16.5 points this season and leads the Trojans with 18 three-pointers made. He was the only Trojan to score in double figures in the first seven games this season, before scoring 6 at Cal. He also has a team-leading 30 free throws made and is second on the team with 11 steals. Ellis has made 43.9 percent of his three-point attempts this season (18-for-41). Ellis is one of five Power 6 players averaging 16.5 or more points that has made 16 or more 3-pointers and has 10 or more steals.

IN THE SPIRIT OF THE HOLIDAYS, PETERSON IS GIVING TO ALL -- Guard Drew Peterson leads USC and is second among Pac-12 players with 51 assists, which ranks tied for ninth nationally. Peterson is the only player nationally averaging at least 14.0 points, 8.0 rebounds and 6.0 assists per game this season. Peterson is averaging 14.9 points, 8.0 rebounds and 6.4 assists per game. His 3 double-doubles this season are tied for 21st in the country.

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Players Mentioned

Boogie Ellis

Isaiah Mobley

Joshua Morgan

Drew Peterson