USC Men's Basketball Continues With Non-Conference Play Against Matadors

LOS ANGELES – The USC Men's Basketball team (7-4, 1-1 Big Ten) is ready for their second game in three days as they take on the Matadors of CSUN. The last time these two teams faced one another was in 2022 when the Trojans won by 40 at home. Tip-off will be at 7 p.m. inside the Galen Center. For those who can't make it in person, they can watch on the Big Ten Network or listen at ESPN LA 710.

LAST TIME OUT
The Trojans returned to non-conference play as they took on the Montana State Bobcats. USC picked up where they left off in Seattle as they went on a 13-0 run early in the game to give themselves a nice lead. From there, they didn't let up as they were up by 26 at the half. Even though the Bobcats picked up the pace in the second half, USC didn't allow the visitors to pull ahead as the Trojans won with a final score of 89-63.

Desmond Claude led the scoring for the third straight game as he finished with 19 points, 15 of which came in the second half. Saint Thomas was close behind with 17 points while leading the team in rebounds with seven.

SCOUTING THE MATADORS

CSUN is heading into this game with a 7-3 record, going 6-2 in non-conference play. The Matadors are coming off the most wins in 16 years last season as they finished with a 19-15 record while winning their first postseason game in 10 years with a first-round win in The Big West Championships over UC Santa Barbara.
Sophomore forward Marcus Adams Jr. is a crucial piece of the offense for the Matadors as he leads the team in scoring with 15.3 points per game. Adams Jr. is also shooting at a 53.9 percent clip from the field.
Senior forward Keonte Jones is a leader on this team as he tops the stat sheet in rebounds per game (8.4), assists per game (3.9), steals per game (2.0) and blocks per game (1.9). He is also second on the team in points, averaging 14.9 per game.
There are some other key pieces to the lineup for the Matadors. One of those is junior Scotty Washington, who is averaging 14.3 points and 3.5 rebounds per game through 10 games. There is also senior guard PJ Fuller II, who started every game for CSUN this season and is averaging 9.0 points and 3.3 assists per game.
CSUN is one of the top teams in The Big West this season. They are currently at the top of the conference standings in rebounds per game (41.5) and assists per game (16.2). Not only that, but the Matadors are holding their opponents to a 37.5 shooting percentage, the lowest in the conference. As if that wasn't enough, they are also second in The Big West when it comes to scoring as they are averaging 82.1 points per game.
CSUN is 6-2 when playing away from the Premier America Credit Union Arena this season as they have taken down some tough competitors in Cal Poly, Montana State, Montana, Denver, Utah Tech and Sacramento State.

BESTING THE BIG WEST
CSUN is the first school in The Big West that USC is playing this season. USC boasts an overall record of 90-19 against Big West institutions.

BUZO'S BUCKETS
Chibuzo Agbo is second on the team in points as he currently has 117 this season. Agbo is also crucial to the team from beyond the arc. When he makes at least one three-pointer in a game, the team has a 9-2 record. When Agbo doesn't make a three, the team is 0-2. The Trojans are also 5-1 when Agbo scores more than 10 points.

As if this wasn't enough, Agbo is also on a hot streak from the charity stripe. He has made 27 straight free throws, not missing a shot from the charity stripe since the team played UT Arlington. This has caused him to shoot at 91.9 percent from the charity stripe this season.

DES DRAWS
When it comes to making it to the free throw line, Desmond Claude has made it to the line the most on USC's team. He draws an average of 5.8 fouls per game. His best game at the charity stripe came against Washington when he made a season-high nine free throws on 11 attempts. He also went 8-for-9 against UT Arlington earlier in the season. Along with that, he has shot almost double the number of free throws as the next closest Trojan as he sits at 64 attempts this year.

BOARDS GALORE
One name continues to show up consistently as the top rebounder for the Trojans, and that name is Saint Thomas. He has now had the most rebounds or was tied for the most rebounds on the team in seven of the team's 11 games. He leads the team in this stat category with 62.

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Players Mentioned

Chibuzo Agbo

Desmond Claude

Saint Thomas