USC Men's Basketball Concludes The Regular Season Against UCLA

LOS ANGELES – USC Men's Basketball (15-15, 7-12 Big Ten) will head into their final game of the regular season as they take on the UCLA Bruins for the Crosstown Showdown. When these two teams played each other earlier in the season, it was the Bruins who came out on top 82-76.

SCOUTING THE BRUINS

UCLA is coming into this game with a win after taking down Northwestern 73-69 in Evanston. They are currently sixth in the Big Ten standings, boasting a 12-7 record since conference play began. The Bruins have also put together a 14-2 record in Pauley Pavilion throughout the 2024-25 season.
The Bruins have been a defensive force this season as they rank in the Top 25 in the NCAA in scoring defense, holding their opponents to an average of 65.1 points per game. They also rank second in the Big Ten in steals, averaging 8.1 per game. They also rank 10^th nationally in turnovers margin (4.4) and 19th in forced turnovers per game (15.1).
Former Trojan Kobe Johnson has led the defensive line for the Bruins. The Wisconsin native ranks sixth among all Big Ten players in total steals (52) and steals per game (1.7). Johnson is also averaging 8.5 points and 5.9 rebounds in conference play this season. As if that wasn't enough, he also ranks eighth in the conference in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.1).
Sophomore center Aday Mara has been holding down the paint for UCLA all season long. Among Big Ten Conference players, the 7-foot-3-inch Spaniard ranks fourth in total blocks and blocks per game, averaging 1.5 blocks per game.
Junior guard Skyy Clark has also contributed heavily to the Bruins' defensive schemes. Clark ranks 12 among Big Ten players in total steals as he has snagged 29 heading into the final game of the regular season.
Junior forward Tyler Bilodeau is leading UCLA in scoring this season with 14.1 points per game. Not only that, but Bilodeau is eighth in the conference in field goal percentage, shooting at a 50.5 percent clip.

AGAINST THE HUSKIES
The Trojans played some of their best basketball of the season against Washington. They tied their highest margin of victory with 31 points while also having their best game from the charity stripe, shooting at 93.8 percent. As if that wasn't enough, they also made the most three-pointers they have had all year with 15, which is also the most they have recorded in a game since 2019.

OFFENSE ON POINT
The Trojans have moved their way up the standings on offense. They currently boast a 117.2 offensive rating, which is the 37th-best number according to KenPom.

1,000-POINT CLUB
When it comes to scoring, the Trojans have six players who have at least 1,000 career points, being one of just eight Division I institutions that have six or more players who have hit this milestone. Currently, Josh Cohen has the most career points on the team as he is at 1,810 career points while Bryce Pope is close behind with 1,639. Clark Slajchert also has 1,000 career points, sitting at 1,115. Chibuzo Agbo also hit this milestone earlier this season on his birthday against Saint Mary's as he now has 1,289 points on the season. Desmond Claude also hit this milestone as he grabbed his 1,000th point against Iowa, securing a total of 1,175 now in his career. Saint Thomas also hit 1,000 points against Washington as he now sits at 1,005 points this year. There are still two Trojans who are closing in on this milestone, and they are Matt Knowling and Rashaun Agee. Agee is just 27 points away from hitting 1,000 while Knowling is within 100.

DYNAMIC DUO
With their performances over the last few games, Rashaun Agee and Chibuzo Agbo have become one of the best duos on the team. They have the highest offensive rating of any two player combinations on the team, sitting at 118.8. They also have one of the highest shooting percentages as they have a 56.9 effective field goal percentage and a 61.2 true shooting percentage. These two stat categories are in the 94th percentile or higher according to CBB Analytics.

WHEREABOUTS
The Trojans and the Bruins will face each other in Pauley Pavilion on the campus of UCLA this Saturday, March 8, at 5 p.m. For fans who can't make it to Los Angeles, they can watch all of the action on Fox or listen through the USC Game Day app.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Chibuzo Agbo

Rashaun Agee

Desmond Claude

Josh Cohen

Kobe Johnson

Matt Knowling

Bryce Pope

Clark Slajchert

Saint Thomas