Tuesday, February 4
Evanston, Ill.
6:00 p.m.
USC
at
Northwestern
Players Mentioned
Guard
/ Men's Basketball
Forward
/ Men's Basketball
Guard
/ Men's Basketball
Forward
/ Men's Basketball
Guard
/ Men's Basketball
USC Men's Basketball Heads To Evanston To Face Wildcats
February 03, 2025 | Men's Basketball
This will be the first meeting between USC and Northwestern since 2000.
EVANSTON, Ill. – USC Men's Basketball (13-8, 5-5 Big Ten) will head back to the Midwest for the first of two games this week. The Trojans will start with the Northwestern Wildcats, who are 12-10 on the year and 3-8 in Big Ten play. These two teams have not played each other since Dec. 27, 2000, when the Trojans lost by two in Evanston.
LAST TIME OUT
The Trojans took on the hottest team in the Big Ten Conference in No. 7 Michigan State. USC took control of the game early as Desmond Claude grabbed the first four points of the game. From there, the Trojans built on their lead, going up by as many as 15 in the first half. This tough Michigan State team would not go down without a fight. The Spartans got within two of the Trojans before USC could pull away again. This resulted in USC pulling out the 70-64 win over the No. 7 Spartans.
Claude led all the Trojans in scoring as he posted 19 points to go along with six rebounds, three assists and a block. Two other Trojans earned double-digit points, and they were Wesley Yates III and Chibuzo Agbo. Yates finished the day with 15 points to go along with five rebounds and 100 percent shooting from beyond the arc, while Agbo notched 14 points, five rebounds and a steal.
SCOUTING THE WILDCATS
Rashaun Agee has come into his own in these last five games as he grabbed his first start as a Trojan against No. 7 Michigan State. He was the first Trojan to grab double-digit rebounds in a game this season as he snagged 10 against Iowa. He also scored a season-high 21 points against UCLA. He continues to be an asset for the Trojans as he is shooting at a 62.5 percent clip from the field while averaging 12.8 points and 5.6 rebounds a game. These numbers are up heavily from his numbers through the rest of the season as he is only averaging 6.9 points and 3.4 rebounds per game.
ONE-TWO PUNCH
Desmond Claude and Wesley Yates III are one of the best duos on the court for USC. In the 759 possessions these two players have had together, they have a plus-minus of 114 and an offensive rating of 118.2. They also have one of the highest field goal percentages of any duo on the team, making about 49.1 percent of their shots.
The duo of Saint Thomas and Rashaun Agee is also a dominant pairing. They have an even higher effective field goal percentage, sitting at 58 percent across 491 possessions. They also have a 118.4 and a 50.5 field goal percentage.
WHEREABOUTS
Tip-off for this game at Welsh Ryan Arena will be at 6 p.m. PT on Tuesday, Feb. 4. Fans can watch this game on the Big Ten Network or listen through the USC Game Day app.
LAST TIME OUT
The Trojans took on the hottest team in the Big Ten Conference in No. 7 Michigan State. USC took control of the game early as Desmond Claude grabbed the first four points of the game. From there, the Trojans built on their lead, going up by as many as 15 in the first half. This tough Michigan State team would not go down without a fight. The Spartans got within two of the Trojans before USC could pull away again. This resulted in USC pulling out the 70-64 win over the No. 7 Spartans.
Claude led all the Trojans in scoring as he posted 19 points to go along with six rebounds, three assists and a block. Two other Trojans earned double-digit points, and they were Wesley Yates III and Chibuzo Agbo. Yates finished the day with 15 points to go along with five rebounds and 100 percent shooting from beyond the arc, while Agbo notched 14 points, five rebounds and a steal.
SCOUTING THE WILDCATS
- Northwestern is currently 12-10 on the year while sitting at 3-8 in Big Ten play. The Wildcats are 10-3 at home this season, although they are currently on a three-game losing streak.
- The Wildcats are an aggressive, pass-heavy team. Despite leading the Big Ten in turnovers per game (9.8), Northwestern ranks fourth in the Big Ten in assist-turnover ratio (1.51), in turnover margin (4.0), and steals per game (7.8). Under Coach Chris Collins, Northwestern forced 13.8 turnovers per game and grabbed 10.9 offensive rebounds per game, which ranks in the top six in the Big Ten in each respective category.
- Junior forward Nick Martinelli leads the Big Ten in minutes per game (37.5) and total field goal attempts (329). Martinelli also ranks second out of all Big Ten players in total field goals made (157) and total points (426) this season. The Illinois native is averaging 19.4 points per game, which is the third-highest mark of any Big Ten player.
- Senior guard Brooks Barnhizer is crucial to the team's efforts as he ranks second in the Big Ten in minutes per game (36.9) and leads all conference players with nine double-doubles this season. The Indiana native ranks in the Top 10 in the Big Ten in assists per game (4.2), points per game (17.1), defensive rebounds per game (7.3), rebounds per game (8.8), total steals (39) and steals per game (2.29).
- Graduate guard Jalen Leach has run the Northwestern offense stoutly. Leach is averaging 14.7 points and 3.3 assists per game with a 1.85 assist-to-turnover ratio, which ranks in the Top 20 in the Big Ten. Graduate guard Ty Berry has proven to be a threat for the Wildcats on both ends of the floor as he makes over two three-pointers per game and averages 1.5 steals per game, which puts him in the Top 10 in the Big Ten. Graduate center Matthew Nicholson is averaging 1.2 blocks per game - the ninth-highest mark of any Big Ten player.
Rashaun Agee has come into his own in these last five games as he grabbed his first start as a Trojan against No. 7 Michigan State. He was the first Trojan to grab double-digit rebounds in a game this season as he snagged 10 against Iowa. He also scored a season-high 21 points against UCLA. He continues to be an asset for the Trojans as he is shooting at a 62.5 percent clip from the field while averaging 12.8 points and 5.6 rebounds a game. These numbers are up heavily from his numbers through the rest of the season as he is only averaging 6.9 points and 3.4 rebounds per game.
ONE-TWO PUNCH
Desmond Claude and Wesley Yates III are one of the best duos on the court for USC. In the 759 possessions these two players have had together, they have a plus-minus of 114 and an offensive rating of 118.2. They also have one of the highest field goal percentages of any duo on the team, making about 49.1 percent of their shots.
The duo of Saint Thomas and Rashaun Agee is also a dominant pairing. They have an even higher effective field goal percentage, sitting at 58 percent across 491 possessions. They also have a 118.4 and a 50.5 field goal percentage.
WHEREABOUTS
Tip-off for this game at Welsh Ryan Arena will be at 6 p.m. PT on Tuesday, Feb. 4. Fans can watch this game on the Big Ten Network or listen through the USC Game Day app.
USC Men's Basketball vs Manhattan Post Game Press Conference (11/09/25)
Sunday, November 09
USC Men's Basketball vs Manhattan Highlights | Trojans win 114-83
Sunday, November 09
USC Men's Basketball vs Cal Poly Post Game Press Conference (11/03/25)
Tuesday, November 04
USC MBB’s Jacob Cofie on His Career-High 23 Points in his Trojans Debut, First Win of Season
Monday, November 03
