USC Men's Basketball To Play At Colorado Saturday

The USC Trojans (8-8, 2-3) will play at the Colorado Buffaloes (11-5, 2-3) at the CU Events Center in Boulder, Colo. on Jan. 13 at 7:00 p.m. PT. The game will air on ESPN2 with Dave Pasch and Bill Walton calling the action. USC's eight wins through its first 16 games is its fewest since being 6-10 to start the 2012-13 season.

HERE WE GO AGAIN -- The Trojans are starting a stretch of three consecutive road games, tonight at Colorado, Jan. 17 at Arizona and Jan. 20 at Arizona State. USC played four consecutive road games before the just-completed three-game homestand, so will be playing 7 of 10 games on the road from Dec. 17-Jan. 20.

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 COLORADO -- The Colorado Buffaloes (11-5, 2-3) are coming off an 82-78 loss at California on Jan. 10. Guard KJ Simpson leads four Colorado players averaging in double figures with a 19.9 scoring average. The Buffaloes outrebound their opponents by 8.5 rebounds per game. USC is 10-16 all-time against Colorado, but has won the last three meetings. USC swept the season series in the 2022-23 season, winning 68-61 at home on Jan. 12 and then 84-65 at Colorado on Feb. 23.

ON DECK: AT No. 8 ARIZONA -- The Arizona Wildcats (12-3, 3-1) will play at Washington State on Jan. 13 before hosting USC on Jan. 17 at 7:00 p.m. PT. Guard Caleb Love leads five Wildcats scoring in double figures with a 17.7 average. Arizona averages 92.6 points per game and has scored over 100 points four times. Arizona is 8-0 at home this season and 40-2 the last three seasons at the McKale Center. USC is 45-73 all-time against Arizona (1 win and 1 loss vacated due to NCAA penalties, original record is 46-74). USC has lost its last five games against Arizona, but won four of the previous five games against the Wildcats.

FABULOUS FRESHMAN DOWN, NOT OUT -- USC freshman point guard Isaiah Collier suffered a fracture to the second metacarpal in his right hand in the game vs. Washington State on Jan. 10 and had surgery to repair it on Jan. 11 at Keck Medical Center. It is anticipated that Collier will be out for four to six weeks. Collier had been the only Trojan to start every game this season and has averaged 15.4 points through USC's first 16 games, while averaging 2.6 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game. He is fifth in scoring average among Division I freshmen, is fifth in free throws made (57) and tied for third in total assists (66) among freshmen players. Collier has scored 246 points through USC's first 16 games, the most by a Trojan freshman since Evan Mobley totaled 262 points in the first 16 games of the 2020-21 season.

IT PUTS YOU IN A FOUL MOOD -- USC committed 21 fouls in the lost to Washington State on Jan. 10 and is 0-5 this season when committing 20 or more fouls. All five of the games with 20 or more fouls called against the Trojans have come in the last eight games.

GIVE HIM THE ROCK -- Guard Kobe Johnson has scored in double figures eight times this season and USC is 7-1 in those contests.

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 213-137 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 254-165 record.

IT STARTS WITH DEFENSE -- USC allowed Oregon State to make 59.6 percent of its shots on Dec. 30, the highest shooting percentage by a Trojan opponent since Washington made 67.3 percent of its field goals against USC on Dec. 29, 2017. USC opponents have shot 50 percent or higher from the field six times in the last two seasons, including four times this season. USC's last five opponents have made at least 45.9 percent of its field goal attempts. Last season USC allowed seven opponents in 33 games to shoot 45.9 percent or higher. Through the first 16 games this season, USC has held its opponents to 43.7 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 previous four seasons, USC held the opposition to a 42.4 shooting percentage on 2-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 per game this season. He is tied for 10th in the country with 3.40 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 51 of 112 three-point shots this season (45.5 percent, 13th in the country). Ellis has made 190 three-point baskets as a Trojan, seventh on USC's all-time three-point baskets made list. Current USC assistant coach Desmon Farmer (2001-04) is sixth on the list with 203 career three-pointers made.

THE JEKYLL AND HYDE OF THE TROJAN SEASON -- USC is 8-8 through its first 16 games, with very different numbers in the wins as opposed to the losses:

                    PPG     PA     FG%     FGD%     3P%     FT%     RPG     AST/G     F/G
8 Wins -     84.9     68.9     .491     .401 .427      .733 38.1 18.1 14.0
8 Losses -     71.0     80.8     .421     .477 .299 .679 33.6 13.3 19.8

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Players Mentioned

Isaiah Collier

Boogie Ellis

Kobe Johnson