USC Men's Basketball Comes Home To Galen Center To Face Penn State

LOS ANGELES – The USC Men's Basketball team (13-10, 5-7 Big Ten) will return to the Galen Center to kick off a two-game home stand against the Penn State Nittany Lions. These two teams have only played each other twice before, with the Nittany Lions winning both times.

LAST TIME OUT
The Trojans wrapped up their time in the Midwest against a tough team in No. 7 Purdue. USC hung tight with the Boilermakers for the first three minutes of the game, even holding onto the lead during that stretch. It didn't take long for Purdue to heat up as they took the lead and never let it go. Despite the Trojans' efforts, they weren't able to make a comeback as they fell 90-72 to the Boilermakers.

Three freshmen had career nights inside Mackey Arena. Leading the way was freshman Wesley Yates III, who contributed 30 points. He is the seventh freshman in program history to contribute at least 30 points in a game. Also having standout performances were Isaiah Elohim and Jalen Shelley. Elohim contributed 11 points while shooting at 100 percent from the field while Shelley added on 10 points and a team-high six rebounds and four blocks.

SCOUTING THE NITTANY LIONS

Penn State has been a force to be reckoned with in terms of its defensive schemes on the perimeter. The Nittany Lions average 8.3 steals and force 14.6 turnovers per game - which both rank second in the Big Ten Conference behind UCLA. Penn State has also been aggressive on the offensive side of the ball as they attempt 22.4 free throws per game. The Nittany Lions have five players who average double-digit scoring in 2024-25: graduate guard Ace Baldwin Jr., junior forward Yanic Konan Niederhauser, senior guard Nick Kern Jr., senior forward Zach Hicks, and senior guard Puff Johnson.
Baldwin Jr. has been leading the Nittany Lions on offense this season as he is averaging 13.7 points and 7.3 assists per contest - the second-highest mark in the Big Ten. The VCU transfer also leads all Big Ten players in free throw percentage, shooting at 93.4 percent from the charity stripe. If that wasn't enough, the Baltimore native is also averaging nearly two steals per contest - which ranks top three in the Big Ten.
Niederhauser leads the Big Ten in blocks per game (2.1) and total blocks (46) in 2024-25. Along with scoring 12.7 points per game, the 7-foot forward ranks in the Top 20 in the Big Ten for offensive rebounds (2.0) and defensive rebounds (4.2) per contest. The Swiss international is also in the Top 20 in the Big Ten for total rebounds per game (6.2).
Hicks has proven to be an outside offensive threat for the Nittany Lions this season. The Temple transfer ranks second in the Big Ten in three-pointers made per game (2.42) and total made threes (58) per game. Hicks attempted 141 three-pointers in 2024-25, the fifth-highest mark in the Big Ten. Kern Jr. has also contributed heavily to Penn State's program this season as he averages 12.6 points and 5.3 rebounds per game. The 6-foot-6 senior leads the Nittany Lions in three-point efficiency - shooting around 41 percent from behind the arc.

JUMP, JUMP, JUMP
USC is great when it comes to winning the jump ball, especially during Big Ten play. Overall, they have won the jump ball in nine of the team's 12 Big Ten games and won 14 of their 23 this season.

DOUBLE THE POINTS, DOUBLE THE FUN
Throughout this season, 12 of the 14 players who saw time in a game this year have contributed double-digit points in at least one game this season. Desmond Claude and Wesley Yates III are tied for the most double-digit performances this season as they each have 16. Chibuzo Agbo is the next closest with 12.

STARTING FIVE
Head Coach Eric Musselman showcased a new starting lineup for the ninth time this season with Clark Slajchert, Saint Thomas, Wesley Yates III, Chibuzo Agbo and Rashaun Agee. Thomas is the only Trojan to start in every game for USC.

WHEREABOUTS
This game will tip off at 6 p.m. inside the Galen Center on Tuesday, Feb. 11. For those who can't make it to Los Angeles, they can watch on the Big Ten Network or listen through the USC Game Day app.

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Players Mentioned

Chibuzo Agbo

Rashaun Agee

Desmond Claude

Isaiah Elohim

Jalen Shelley

Clark Slajchert

Saint Thomas

Wesley Yates III