USC Men's Basketball Will Wrap Up East Coast Stint At Rutgers

PISCATAWAY, N.J. – The USC Men's Basketball team (14-12, 6-9 Big Ten) will return to the court on the East Coast, this time in the state of New Jersey as they take on Rutgers inside of Jersey Mike's Arena. These two teams have only played each other once before, and the Trojans have come out on top on both occasions. This is the first time these two teams will meet on Rutgers' campus.

LAST TIME OUT
The Trojans kicked off this series of away games in College Park, Maryland, where they took on the No. 20 Maryland Terrapins. It was a hot start for the home team as they went up by 11 before USC could even get on the scoreboard. That didn't keep the Trojans down. USC fought to close the hole between them and the Terrapins numerous times during this game, getting within as little as three points. Despite getting that close, the Trojans couldn't find a way to take control of the game as they dropped this road game 88-71.

Wesley Yates III led the Trojans in scoring for the third time in four games as he racked up 21 points to go along with a steal and a block. Kevin Patton Jr. and Saint Thomas rounded out the double-digit scoring for USC as they contributed 11 and 10 points, respectively. Jalen Shelley also had a great night on defense as he grabbed a team-high eight boards.

SCOUTING THE SCARLET KNIGHTS

Rutgers comes into Sunday's matchup against the Trojans with a 13-14 overall record and a 6-10 record in the Big Ten. They sit one spot behind USC in the Big Ten Conference standings. The Scarlet Knights have the lowest winning percentage of any Big Ten program this season as it sits at 48.1 percent.
The Scarlet Knights have struggled to impose on both ends of the floor. The Scarlet Knights rank second to last in the Big Ten in assists per game, sitting at 12.9 per game, and points allowed per game as their opponents score an average of 75.9 points per game. Rutgers has also struggled at shooting the ball this season. As a team, they are shooting at 44.4 percent from the field.
Two dominant freshmen have led the Scarlet Knights this season, and one of them is guard Dylan Harper. Harper is the fourth highest-scoring freshman in the nation this season. He is averaging 19.2 points and a team-high 4.0 assists per contest. He scored 30-plus points on three occasions and scored 20-plus in 14 different games. The New Jersey native is also one of two players in the Big Ten to put up a triple-double this season, securing 16 points, 11 rebounds and 12 assists against Columbia during non-conference play.
Forward Ace Bailey is just behind Harper in scoring, averaging 18.6 points per game in 2024-25. This makes him the fifth highest-scoring freshman in the country as he is averaging 18.2 points per game. He has scored in double-digits in all but three games of his collegiate career - including a career-high 39 points against Indiana on Jan. 2. On a team-high 33 minutes per night, Bailey is averaging 7.4 rebounds per game - the ninth-highest mark in the Big Ten.

ONE-TWO PUNCH
Desmond Claude and Chibuzo Agbo are one of the best duos on the court for USC. In the 1,094 possessions these two players have had together, they have a plus-minus of 155 and an offensive rating of 117.6. They also have one of the highest field goal percentages of any duo on the team, making about 49.0 percent of their shots, which is in the 92nd percentile in the NCAA. When neither of these players are on the court, the team's offensive rating drops to 98.2, which is in the 10th percentile.

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 13 of the team's 15 Big Ten games and won 18 of their 26 this season.

WHEREABOUTS
This game will take place inside Jersey Mike's Arena on the campus of Rutgers University on Sunday, Feb. 23, with tipoff at 3 p.m. Fans that can't make it to Piscataway can watch all the action on FS1 or listen through ESPN LA 710.

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Players Mentioned

Chibuzo Agbo

Desmond Claude

Kevin Patton Jr.

Jalen Shelley

Saint Thomas

Wesley Yates III