USC Men's Basketball To Play At Alabama State Tuesday

The USC Trojans (5-5) will play at the Alabama State Hornets (4-5) at Dunn-Oliver Acadome in Montgomery, Ala. on Dec. 19 at 4:00 p.m. PT. The game will air on ESPN+ with Matt Pederson and Ken Moore calling the action. USC has lost its last three games and has lost three consecutive regular season games for the first time since Feb. 1-8, 2020 (vs. Colorado, at Arizona, at Arizona State). USC has not lost four consecutive regular season games since Feb. 2-March 9, 2019 (vs. Oregon State, at UCLA, at Utah, at Colorado).

THE GONE GUYS -- USC is in the midst play playing four consecutive road games: at Auburn on Dec. 17 (L), at Alabama State on Dec. 19, at Oregon on Dec. 28 and at Oregon State on Dec. 30. The stretch is the first time USC has played four consecutive road games since the 2002 season (at San Diego, LMU, Washington and WSU). If you go back to the Rady Children's Invitational in San Diego, USC is in a stretch of playing 7 of 9 games away from the Galen Center. USC is also playing only five home games in its first 13 games for the first time since also playing just five home games in the first 13 games of the 2005 season.

USC'S STELLAR STRETCH -- USC won a school-record 95 games over the previous four seasons (22 in 2020, 25 in 2021, 26 in 2022 and 22 in 2023). The four consecutive seasons of 20+ wins sets a school record for most consecutive 20-win seasons, breaking the mark of three consecutive seasons with 20 or more wins from 2016-18. USC's 95 total wins the last four seasons was tied for sixth-most among all Power 6 basketball programs, trailing only Kansas (111), Baylor (104), Arizona (99), UCLA (99) and Duke (97).

FACING ALABAMA STATE -- The Alabama State Hornets (4-5) are coming off a 74-56 loss at LSU on Dec. 13. Alabama State is hosting USC as part of the Pac-12-SWAC Legacy Series which began last season. USC defeated Alabama State 96-58 at the Galen Center on Nov. 10, 2022 in the first-ever meeting in basketball between the two schools. The two schools toured The Legacy Museum in Montgomery, Ala. on Monday.

ON DECK: OREGON -- The Oregon Ducks (7-3) are coming off an 83-63 loss vs. Syracuse in Sioux Falls, S.D. on Dec. 17 and will host Kent State on Dec. 21 before facing USC at home on Dec. 28 to begin conference play. Jermaine Couisnard is the only Duck to start all 10 games and he is averaging 11.7 points per game, one of six Ducks to average double figures in scoring. USC lost its only game against Oregon last season (78-60 at Oregon) and is 67-60 all-time against the Ducks.

ENFIELD MOVING UP THE USC ALL-TIME COACHING WINS LIST -- USC head coach Andy Enfield is in his 11th season at USC and has compiled an 210-134 record. He picked up his 200th win on Feb. 4, 2023 vs. Washington. Enfield's win 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 251-162 record.

IT STARTS WITH DEFENSE -- USC allowed Gonzaga to shoot 52.3 percent from the floor on Dec. 2, just the fourth game in the last two seasons an opponent has made 50 percent or more of its field goals against the Trojan defense. Through the first 10 games this season, USC has held its opponents to 42.2 percent shooting. USC held its opponents to a 39.3 shooting percentage last season, 8th in the country. Over the last four seasons, USC's defense held the opposition to 38.9 FG percentage, third in the country, tops among teams in the six basketball power conferences. Also over the last four seasons, USC held the opposition to a 42.4 shooting percentage on two-point field goals, best in the country.

ELLIS SHOOTING TO THE TOP - Fifth-year guard Boogie Ellis is averaging 21.4 points, 14th in the country this season. He is fifth in the country with 3.78 makes from three-point range per game, netting a career-high 8 vs. Eastern Washington on Nov. 29. The 8 three-pointers made tied him for fourth on USC's all-time list for three-pointers made in a game. He has made 34 of 74 three-point shots this season (45.9 percent). Ellis has made 173 three-point baskets as a Trojan, 10th on USC's all-time three-point baskets made list, three behind Harold Miner (1990-92) who is ninth on the list and made 176 in his USC career.

THE SKY IS NOT FALLING... -- A quick look at USC through 10 games last season compared to this season produces some surprising results. USC was 7-3 last season at this point (and finished 22-11), but most statistical categories are the same or better this season, except for opponent shooting percentage. USC held its opponents to 36.9 percent shooting last season through 10 games, as opposed to 42.2 percent this season. USC made 45.3 percent of its shots last season, the same as this season. USC had 139 turnovers through 10 games last season, the same total as this season. USC has 142 assists this season and had 139 assists at this point last season. USC has averaged 37.4 rebounds this season, compared to 36.9 per game last year through 10 games. USC is shooting 34.6 percent from 3-point range this season, as opposed to 30.6 percent at this point last season. USC is also making 71.8 percent of its FTs through 10 games, compared to 69.7 percent at this point last season.

NOT A DECEMBER TO REMEMBER -- With the loss at Auburn on Dec. 17, USC fell to 0-3 in December this season. Prior to this season, USC had won 12 consecutive games in the month of December, 6-0 in each of the last two seasons.

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Players Mentioned

Boogie Ellis