University Southern California Trojans
USC Looks To Regroup At Home Against Stanford
January 18, 2011 | Men's Basketball
Jan. 18, 2011
Complete Release in PDF Format 
The USC Trojans (10-8, 2-3) will host the Stanford Cardinal (10-6, 3-2) at the Galen Center on Jan. 20 at 7:30 p.m. The game will be aired on a delayed basis on USCTrojans.com. USC has matched a season high with its third two-game losing streak.
BREAKING DOWN THE CARDINAL -- Stanford is coming off a 61-58 home loss to Washington State on Jan. 15. The Cardinal are led by junior Jeremy Green (15.5 ppg) and junior Josh Owens (12.1 ppg). USC and Stanford split the 2010 season series with each team winning a close game at home (USC 54, STAN 49 in L.A. and STAN 54, USC 53 at Stanford). The teams have split the regular season series in each of the last five seasons and USC leads the all-time series 119-118 (1 win in 2008 later vacated due to NCAA penalty).
IT'S DEJA VU AT OSU -- Just like two days earlier at Oregon, USC rallied from a big second-half deficit to get within striking distance only to fall in a close game, this time a 80-76 setback at Oregon State on Jan. 15. Nikola Vucevic scored 17 of his game-high 26 points in the second half as the Trojans rallied from 16 points behind to close within four, but they could get no closer. Oregon State shot a blistering 55.8 percent from the field and despite making seven less baskets than USC, won the game at the foul line where it was awarded 26 more attempts. USC was swept in Oregon by the Ducks and Beavers for the second consecutive season.
CALIFORNIA ON DECK -- USC will next host California (9-8, 2-3) on Jan. 22 at 8:00 p.m. The game will be aired on Fox Sports West. The Bears have been led in scoring by junior forward Harper Kamp (13.8 ppg) and in rebounds by senior center Markhuri Sanders-Frison (8.1 rpg). USC and California split the 2010 season series and USC trails in the all-time series 127-119 (1 win in 2008 later vacated due to NCAA penalty).
DEFENSE KEYS WINS -- In the losses at Oregon on Jan. 13 (42.9) and at Oregon State on Jan. 15 (55.8), USC allowed the opposition to make a combined 48.5 percent of its shots from the field (48-for-99). In the previous eight games, USC went 6-2 and held its opponents to a combined 37.3 shooting percentage with no team shooting more than 40.0 percent. During that stretch, USC held Kansas to 17.3 points below its season average, UW to 55 points in regulation, 35.5 points below its average, WSU to 56 points (21.3 points below its average) and UCLA to 52 points, (21.6 below its average). USC is 9-1 when holding its opponent to under 40 percent shooting.
Bryce Jones TO TRANSFER -- On January 18, freshman guard Bryce Jones announced he intends to transfer to another school. Jones averaged 7.6 points and 2.6 rebounds in 18 games, starting the first 10. He averaged 20.6 minutes per game and ranked second on the team in three-point baskets and steals. Said USC head coach Kevin O'Neill, "Bryce Jones has informed us of his desire to leave USC and transfer to another school. We appreciate his contributions to our program, and we wish Bryce and his family all the best. He's a talented player with a promising future." Jones issued this statement: "My family and I felt it was in my best interest to transfer, so I informed coach O'Neill of this yesterday (Jan. 17). Although my time at USC didn't go exactly how I had hoped in terms of playing time, I appreciate the experience I was offered and I wish my teammates nothing but the best in the future."
TURNOVER TURNAROUND -- USC has averaged 11.0 turnovers in the last 10 games after averaging 13.6 in the first eight contests.
MIGHTY "MO" -- Freshman point guard Maurice Jones, standing 5-7 and weighing 155 pounds, has been a tower of power for USC. He is third on the team with an average of 10.3 points per game and 18 three-pointers made, fourth with 2.9 rebounds per game and leads USC with 67 assists and 39 steals. Jones leads all Pac-10 players by averaging 36.7 minutes per game and is second in steals and third in assists. Jones has scored in double-figures nine times and has a Trojan game-high of 29 points on Nov. 15 vs. Santa Clara. He was USC's primary ball-handler the first 10 games and shares the duties now with Jio Fontan and has just two games all season with more turnovers than assists. In his last 10 games, Jones has 35 assists and 18 turnovers, while making 22 steals on defense.
NIK THE QUICK...AS IN QUICKLY GETTING NOTICED -- Junior forward Nikola Vucevic was named Pac-10 Most Improved Player for the 2010 season and continues to take his game to the next level. Through the first 18 games, Vucevic leads USC with 16.4 points and 10.1 rebounds while attempting to become the first Trojan to average a double-double since Jaha Wilson averaged 14.2 points and 10.1 rebounds during the 1994-95 season. Vucevic leads the conference in total rebounds (181) and defensive rebounds (128), ranks second in minutes per game (34.9), tied for second in blocked shots (25) and third in scoring (16.4 ppg). Vucevic has demonstrated an all-around game for USC, leading the team in points, blocks and rebounds, ranking second in free throw percentage (.761) and assists (30) and ranking fourth in three-pointers made (15). Vucevic scored a game-high 26 points at Oregon State on Jan. 15, his sixth 20-point game of the season.
ESPNU FOLLOWS TROJANS -- ESPNU followed the Trojans for two days (Jan. 9 and Jan. 11) and will produce a half-hour show offering a behind-the-scenes, all-access look at the USC men's basketball program which will air for the first time on Jan. 26 at 2:30 p.m. Viewers of the show will get an inside look at head coach Kevin O'Neill and his team as they prepared for their showdown with crosstown rival UCLA and for their first conference road trip. The show takes you inside the locker room and practice, as well as provides a tour of the Galen Center, the USC campus and unique look at O'Neill's home life.
USC HITS ROAD...ROAD HITS BACK -- USC lost its Pac-10 road opener at Oregon on Jan. 13 and followed that up with a loss at Oregon state on Jan. 15, running its conference road losing streak to five games. The USC win at Tennessee on Dec. 21 snapped a six-game road losing streak dating back to last season. USC is 4-17 in its last 21 Pac-10 road games. The Trojans are in a stretch of playing five of seven games on the road, playing at Oregon (L, 68-62) and Oregon State (L, 80-76), at home vs. Stanford (Jan. 20) and California (Jan. 22), then at Arizona State (Jan. 27), Arizona (Jan. 29) and UCLA (Feb. 2). USC went 1-4 at those sites during the 2009-10 season, with the lone win being a 67-46 victory at UCLA.
CLOSE ENCOUNTERS ON THE ROAD -- Five of the six games USC has played on the road this season have been decided by 6 points or less (L by 2 at Nebraska, L by 2 at Kansas, W by 1 at Tennessee, L by 6 at Oregon and L by 4 at Oregon State).
THE LONG-RANGE CHANGE -- After making just 107 three-pointers last season, last in the conference by a significant margin, the Trojans have already made 111 shots from beyond the arc and rank fifth in that category. Donte Smith leads the way with 40 (T-4th in the conference and 3 less that last year's Trojan leader Dwight Lewis-43), followed by Bryce Jones with 20 (no longer on the team), Maurice Jones with 18, Nikola Vucevic with 15 and Jio Fontan with 9 in eight games. As a team, USC had made 35.8 percent of its three-point shots, fourth in the conference. USC hit just 29.7 percent from long-range last season.
JACKSON MAKING HIS SHOTS COUNT -- Freshman forward Garrett Jackson suffered a fractured nose in preseason practice and eventually had it reset. As a result, Jackson began his college career behind a mask, wearing protective gear until the game at Nebraska on Nov. 27. With the mask removed, Jackson went 3-for-3 from the field and scored seven points in nine minutes. It wasn't really a big change for the freshman, who after adjusting to the college game and shooting with a mask on, has been one of the Trojans' top shooters. In his first 17 collegiate games, Jackson has hit 72.2 percent of his shots from the field (26-for-36).
SIMMONS HAS BEEN DEFENSIVE STOPPER -- Senior guard Marcus Simmons has frequently been called upon in his career to guard the opponent's top scorer and on Dec. 5 vs. No. 19 Texas was asked to guard Texas' Jordan Hamilton, averaging 21.7 points and 7.0 rebounds per game. Simmons held Hamilton to 12 points on 4-for-13 shooting and limited him to four rebounds. The next game against NAU on Dec. 11, he covered Cameron Jones who was coming off a 27-point performance and had averaged 20.0 points in the previous 5 games. Simmons held Jones to 10 points on 4 of 14 shooting. He was also matched up against Tennessee's top scorer Scotty Hopson on Dec. 21 and was part of the reason he was held to just eight points. On Dec. 23 vs. Lehigh, Simmons was matched up against C.J. McCollum who was averaging 22.5 points and helped hold him to seven points. On Dec. 31 vs. WSU, was matched on the Pac-10's leading scorer Klay Thompson who finished with 17 points, but made only 6 of 18 shots. Simmons has started USC's first 18 games and averaged 5.2 points and 3.2 rebounds.
SENIOR SHARP-SHOOTER SMITH -- Senior guard Donte Smith scored 14 consecutive points for USC in the second half of the victory over NAU on Dec. 11 after the Lumberjacks had cut the lead to three points. In Smith's second-half barrage was four three-pointers and a layup which put the game away. Smith scored a career-high 22 points in the game and made a career-best five three-pointers. He followed that up with 20 points in 20 minutes at Kansas on Dec. 18, also making five three-pointers and hitting six of eight shots overall. He was held to six points at Tennessee, but hit a big three-pointer at the end of the game. Smith is coming off the bench and averaging 9.7 points for USC, fifth-best on the team. He leads the team lead with 40 three-pointers made and leads the team with a 83.3 percent success rate from the free throw line. His pair of free throws with 10 seconds left clinched USC's 60-56 win vs. WSU on Dec. 31. He hit his first 5 shots at Oregon on Jan. 13, but then missed his final seven attempts and finished with a team-high 13 points.
STEPHESON SHOWS TWO HANDS BETTER THAN ONE -- Senior Alex Stepheson scored six points, had three blocks and grabbed 13 rebounds in the season opener vs. UC Irvine on Nov. 13, but also suffered a fracture in his left hand. From that point until the game vs. UCLA on Jan. 9, he wore brace during games and for awhile a cast between games. In his first game having the use of both hands on Jan. 9, Stepheson had 13 points and a career-high 16 rebounds and followed that up with 9 points and 8 rebounds at Oregon on Jan. 13. He really adapted after the first five games of the season and has averaged 11.6 points (151 total) and 9.9 rebounds (129 total) in the 13 games while hitting 58.6 percent of his shots (65-for-111). He has had a double-double in 6 of the last 13 games.
THE FONTAN FACTOR -- After sitting out nearly a season and a half following his transfer to USC from Fordham, guard Jio Fontan hasn't missed a beat, averaging 13.1 points, 3.1 assists and 1.1 steals in his first eight games. During the eight games, he ranks tied for first on the team in assists (25), second in points (105), third in three-pointers made (9), fourth in minutes (264) and second in steals (9). USC has gone 4-4 in those games with all four losses by six points or less.
DRIVEN BY DEFENSE -- USC has held 79 teams to 60 points or less in the last six seasons (183 games), including eight this season. The Trojans have held 11 teams this season (9-2) to 40 percent or less shooting from the field, 17 last season (13-4) and have held 97 teams (77-20) under 40 percent shooting in the last six seasons. USC held Sac. State to 23.0 percent shooting on Dec. 8, 2009 the lowest percentage by a Trojan opponent since LMU shot 22.4 percent from the field on Dec. 9, 1998. USC held it opponents in the 2009-10 season to a 38.4 shooting percentage, best in the Pac-10. USC's opponent low this season is 31.5 percent by Lehigh on Dec. 23.
DOUBLE TROUBLE -- Forwards Nikola Vucevic and Alex Stepheson have teamed up to give the Trojans a strong presence in the paint, both offensively and defensively. Vucevic leads the Pac-10 and enters this week tied for 6th in the country with 11 double-doubles, while Stepheson is tied for second in the conference with 6 double-doubles. The tandem also ranks No. 1 and No. 2 in the Pac-10 in rebounding with Vucevic grabbing 10.1 and Stepheson 8.8 rebounds per game.
CLEANING THE GLASS -- USC has won the battle of the boards in 11 of 18 games this season and has outrebounded the opposition 624-589. USC was outrebounded by Oregon 34-31 on Jan. 13, including surrendering 14 offensive rebounds for the third time this season. USC has been beaten on the boards in five of the last eight games, however, for a deficit of 256-280 rebounds (-3.0 per game).
TEAM TROJAN -- Six of the players in USC's eight-man rotation have had a game with at least 15 points scored and the other two have had 12 points in a game. Six different Trojans have led the team or tied for game-high honors in assists, steals, scoring and blocks.
TROJANS IN THE IN CROWD -- USC has played before an average of 9,960 fans in its last three games, including sellouts at home vs. UCLA (10,258) and at Oregon (12,364). USC has now played five of its last eight games before crowds of 7,000 or more fans.
