University Southern California Trojans
USC Begins Bay Area Blitz At California Thursday
February 15, 2011 | Men's Basketball
Feb. 15, 2011
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The USC Trojans (13-12, 5-7) will play at the California Golden Bears (13-12, 6-7) at Haas Pavilion in Berkeley, Calif. on Feb. 17 at 7:30 p.m.
BREAKING DOWN THE BEARS -- California (13-12, 6-7) is coming off a 75-71 loss at Washington State on Feb. 12. Junior Harper Kamp leads four Bears scoring in double figures with a 14.9 average. In Pac-10 play, Kamp, Allen Crabbe & Jorge Gutierrez rank 6-8th respectively among the conference's leading scorers. USC has lost its last three trips to Berkeley and is 3-15 in the last 18 visits to Haas Pavillion (2 G later forfeited by Cal). The Bears defeated USC 68-66 on Jan. 22 at the Galen Center, despite eight three-point baskets by Donte Smith.
TROJANS FALL TO OREGON AT HOME -- A sluggish first half in which the Trojans shot just 25.8 percent from the floor put them in a hole and they never recovered in a 61-51 loss vs. Oregon at the Galen Center on Feb. 12. Nikola Vucevic led USC with 22 points and 16 rebounds, but the rest of the team combined to shoot just 28.6 percent from the field (10-for-35). Oregon made just 41.8 percent of its shots, but kept the Trojans at bay by making 42.9 percent of its three-point baskets. USC was 3-for-19 (15.8 percent) from beyond the arc.
STANFORD ON DECK -- USC's next game will be at Stanford (13-11, 6-7) on Feb. 19 at 7:30 p.m. in Palo Alto, Calif. and will be aired on FS West. USC defeated the Cardinal 65-42 on Jan. 20 at the Galen Center. USC leads the all-time series 120-118 (with 1 win in 2008 later vacated due to NCAA penalty). Stanford is led in scoring by junior Jeremy Green who averaged 15.7 points per game, 6th in the conference. USC has lost its last eight games at Maples Pavilion.
TROJANS LEADERS OF "THE PAC" IN DEFENSE -- USC has held the opposition to 62.9 points per game, lowest of any Pac-10 team. USC also ranks second in the league in field goal defense at 41.4 percent. USC is 9-0 when it holds the opponent to less than 60 points.
FEELING THE "MOJO" -- USC freshman Maurice Jones has 57 steals this season, one away from breaking into the Pac-10 all-time top 10 in steals by a freshman (10th Gary Payton - 58, 9th Eddie House - 59). He also ranks second all-time by a USC freshman behind Errick Craven's 68.
USC NEARLY UNBEATABLE... -- ...when holding the opposition to under 40 percent shooting from the field. USC is 10-1 this season when the opposition shoots under 40 percent (only loss at Kansas - .389). Oregon State made 40.4 percent of its shots in USC's win on Feb. 10, just the third time this season the Trojans have won when allowing 40 percent or more shooting by the opposition (3-11).
USC WEATHERING THE STORM -- Despite three players leaving early to play professionally and virtually the entire recruiting class leaving before he could coach a game, USC head coach Kevin O'Neill has kept the Trojans highly competitive in 2010 and 2011. USC was in the thick of the 2010 Pac-10 title race until the final weeks of the season, despite taking a postseason ban. USC lost 4 of our Top 6 scorers from last year's 16-win team and has had to overcome the cumulative loss of 12 players in a one year span. USC was one scholarship down both last season and this, yet has gone a composite 29-26 in O'Neill's first 55 games while playing one of the tougher schedules in the country, including posting a 4-3 record vs. ranked teams. Coach O'Neill was able to bridge the gap which created a one-man sophomore scholarship class of Evan Smith (out all season due to injury), by bringing in transfers Jio Fontan this season and Aaron Fuller and Dewayne Dedmon next season. In addition, USC has a top 10-ranked 2011 recruiting class according to Hoopscooponline.com.
MIGHTY "MO" - Freshman point guard Maurice Jones, standing 5-7 and weighing 155 pounds, has been a tower of power for USC. He is fourth on the team with an average of 9.7 points per game and second with 27 three-pointers made, fourth with 2.6 rebounds per game and leads USC with 95 assists and 57 steals. Jones leads all Pac-10 players by averaging 36.3 minutes per game and is second in steals and fifth in assists. Jones has scored in double-figures 11 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 17 games, Jones has 63 assists and 31 turnovers, while making 40 steals. Jones posted a season high of 6 steals at ASU on Jan 27. Jones' 57 steals are the most by a Trojan since Errick Craven had 62 steals during the 2004 season. Jones ranked 23rd in the country and third among freshmen with an average of 2.3 steals per game entering games this week.
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 25 games, Vucevic leads USC with 16.9 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 (252) and defensive rebounds (173), ranks second in minutes per game (34.6), fourth in blocked shots (33) and fourth in scoring (16.9 ppg). Vucevic has demonstrated an all-around game for USC, leading the team in points, blocks and rebounds, ranking second in free throw percentage (.739), third in assists (41) and ranking fourth in three-pointers made (19). Vucevic has had nine 20-point games and 14 double-doubles this season.
TROJANS BOAST TOP TANDEM - 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 is tied for 10th in the country with 14 double-doubles, while Stepheson is tied for fourth in the conference with 7 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. Through games of Feb. 14, Vucevic (21) and Stepheson (T-48) were the only pair of teammates in the top 50 in rebounding.
FACING THE BEST -- USC's 2010-11 schedule features 21 of 31 games against teams which finished the 2009-10 season with a record of .500 or better. Among the nonconference highlights were games against perennial national powers: at Kansas on Dec. 18 (L, 70-68), at Tennessee on Dec. 21 (W, 65-64) and a home game vs. Texas on Dec. 5 (W, 73-56). Of USC's first 25 games, 18 of the opponents are at .500 or better for a combined record of 362-265 (.577 winning percentage) through games of Feb. 14. CBSSportsline lists the Trojans' schedule as the 49th-hardest in the country so far.
IT'S SIMPLE REALLY... - USC is 11-2 when posting a better shooting percentage than the opposition and 11-4 when getting more or as many rebounds.
WHAT A DIFFERENCE A DAY MAKES - USC is 2-7 in games played on Saturday and 1-3 in Wednesday games. The Trojans are a combined 10-2 in games played on other days of the week.
USC MAY BE TURNING THE CORNER ON THE ROAD - USC's win at ASU on Jan. 27 snapped a five-game losing streak in Pac-10 road games. The USC win at Tennessee on Dec. 21 snapped a six-game road losing streak dating back to last season.
CLOSE ENCOUNTERS ON THE ROAD -- Six of the nine 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, L by 4 at Oregon State and W by 2 at ASU).
