USC Men's Basketball Heads To Intuit Dome To Face Redbirds

Friday, November 14

Los Angeles, Calif.

4:30 p.m.

USC

Illinois State

Tickets

Jerry Easter II playing against Manhattan

USC Men's Basketball Heads To Intuit Dome To Face Redbirds

November 12, 2025 | Men's Basketball

Game Notes (PDF)

This game is a part of the Naismith Experian Hall Of Fame Series.

LOS ANGELES – USC Men's Basketball (2-0) is ready for its next game as the Trojans head to the Intuit Dome to face the Illinois State Redbirds as part of the Naismith Experian Hall of Fame Series. This will be the third all-time meeting between these two programs.

WHEREABOUTS
GAME #3 vs Illinois State
Friday, Nov. 14 at 4:30 p.m.
Intuit Dome | Los Angeles, Calif.
TV: Peacock

LAST TIME OUT
USC Men's Basketball set a Galen Center record in its 114-83 victory over the Manhattan Jaspers on Nov. 9. The Trojans dominated down low, scoring 62 points in the paint, double their opponent. Graduate student Chad Baker-Mazara scored a career-high 26 points on three 3-pointers and a perfect 9-9 from the free throw line. Sophomore Jacob Cofie recorded his second consecutive double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds.

SCOUTING THE REDBIRDS

Head Coach Ryan Pedon is in his fourth season with the Redbirds. His 22 wins last season were the program's best in nine years.
Illinois State is 1-1 heading into Friday's game, losing to Ohio 68-72 on Nov. 6 and beating Cornell 76-65 on Nov. 9.
In the Cornell win, freshman guard Ty'Reek Coleman posted a team-high 24 points. Three other Redbirds finished in double figures.
In the 2024-25 season, Illinois State recorded an overall record of 22-14 (.611) and finished 10-10 (.500) in Missouri Valley Conference play.
Last season, both the Trojans and the Redbirds shot at 48.2 percent from the field.
Illinois State returns nine players from last year's squad, bringing in one transfer and four freshmen.
Forward Chase Walker led the team in scoring last season, averaging 15.2 points per game and pulling down 6.2 boards per game.
The Illinois State Redbirds won the 2025 Purple College Basketball Invitational.

RECORD ALERT
USC made its mark in its second game of the season against Manhattan. The Trojans' 114 points is the most the team has scored in the Galen Center and are the fifth-most points scored in a game in program history.

ALL ABOUT COFIE
Jacob Cofie had a phenomenal opening week for the Trojans, registering back-to-back double-doubles. He is the first Trojan to do this since Evan Mobley contributed back-to-back double-doubles in the 2021 NCAA Tournament. With those performances, he is currently averaging 16.5 points and 10.0 rebounds per game.

LINE THEM UP
When comparing USC's lineups to others in the NCAA, there is one that stands out. When Rodney Rice, Jerry Easter II, Chad Baker-Mazara, Ezra Ausar and Jacob Cofie are on the floor together, they have a +131.2 net rating and 28.1 defensive rating according to CBB Analytics. This is good enough to be in the 99th percentile in these stat categories.