USC Closes Out Road Swing and 2023 At Oregon State Saturday

The USC Trojans (6-6, 0-1) will play at the Oregon State Beavers (8-4, 0-1) at Gill Coliseum in Corvallis, Ore. on Dec. 30 at 7:00 p.m. The game will air on the Pac-12 Network with Ben Creighton and Ernie Kent calling the action. USC lost its Pac-12 opener at Oregon on Dec. 28 and has not begun conference play 0-2 since losing at Utah and at Colorado in the 2015 season. The last time USC was 6-6 through its first 12 games was the 2019 season.

HOME IN SIGHT -- USC is playing its final game of four consecutive road games: at Auburn on Dec. 17 (L), at Alabama State on Dec. 19 (W), at Oregon on Dec. 28 (L) 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).

LEADERS OF THE PAC -- The Trojans have a 54-25 record in Pac-12 games the last five seasons and are the only school to finish in the top three of the conference in each of the last four seasons. USC's win total in Pac-12 games in that stretch is second to UCLA's 59.

FACING OREGON STATE -- The Oregon State Beavers (8-4, 0-1) are coming off a 69-62 home loss vs. UCLA on Dec. 28. Oregon State has won five of its last six games and is 8-1 at home this season. Jordan Pope leads Oregon State with a 16.6 scoring average. USC split its two games with OSU last season, winning 63-62 at home and falling 61-58 in Corvallis. USC has won 11 of its last 15 games against the Beavers. Four of the last six games against Oregon State have been decided by three points or less (2-2).

ON DECK: CALIFORNIA -- The California Golden Bears (4-7) will host Arizona on Dec. 29 and Arizona State on Dec. 31, before traveling to Los Angeles to face USC on Jan. 3 at 7:00 p.m. Jaylon Tyson lead Cal is scoring with a 19.4 points per game average. USC is 132-136 all-time against the Bears (1 win vacated due to NCAA penalty, original record 133-136), USC has won its last 10 games against California, with the last loss being a 74-73 setback in the 2017 season.

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 211-135 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 252-163 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 12 games this season, USC has held its opponents to 41.6 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 TOWARDS THE TOP - Fifth-year guard Boogie Ellis was held to two points a Alabama State on Dec. 19 as he left the game with a left hip contusion and scored 11 points at Oregon on Dec. 28, but still has averaged 18.7 points. He is 13th in the country with 3.36 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 37 of 86 three-point shots this season (43.0 percent). Ellis has made 176 three-point baskets as a Trojan, tied for ninth on USC's all-time three-point baskets made list with Harold Miner (1990-92). Gabe Pruitt (2005-07) is eighth on the list with 179 three-pointers made.

IT MAKES SENSE... -- The following is a break down of the Trojans in its six wins vs. its six losses this season.

                      PPG     PPGA     FG%     3-PT%     FT%     FG Def     REB     Assist     TO
6 Wins:         84.0     66.3 48.7 41.0 75.0 37.4 40.0 98 79
6 Losses:     72.3     81.3 41.4 28.6 68.2 46.2 36.5 80 84

TROJANS READY FOR A CALENDAR CHANGE -- USC entered the month of December having won 12 consecutive December games over the last two seasons, but has gone 1-4 this this month. USC's opponents have averaged 81.0 points in the five games. USC has played one home game, three road games and one neutral site game this month.

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Players Mentioned

Boogie Ellis