University Southern California Trojans
USC Announces 2011-12 Men's Basketball Schedule
July 13, 2011 | Men's Basketball
July 13, 2011
The USC men's basketball team is undertaking a very competitive schedule for the 2011-12 basketball season highlighted by home games against perennial national power Kansas, 22-game winner New Mexico and 2011 NCAA Tournament team Georgia, as well as road games against last year's tournament teams UNLV and San Diego State and a potential neutral site game vs. early preseason No. 1 North Carolina in the Las Vegas Invitational, it was announced today (July 13) by USC men's basketball head coach Kevin O'Neill.
"There won't be a more challenging schedule top to bottom in the country," said O'Neill. "We will really be tested. Our team lost four starters from last season, but we are confident our team will be very competitive no matter who we play.
USC will play 22 of 31 scheduled games against opponents who posted a .500 or better record last season, including 16 games vs. opponents which won 20 or more games last season. Eleven of USC's opponents finished the season ranked in the RPI top 50 and received votes in the final AP poll. Eight of USC's opponents were top 10 seeds in the 2010-11 NCAA Tournament and four of those teams advanced to the final eight.
USC is coming off a 19-15 campaign and a trip to the NCAA Tournament where it lost 59-46 in the first round to eventual NCAA semifinalist VCU. The Trojans also tied for fourth in the competitive Pac-10 Conference and advanced to the conference tournament semifinals.
USC will open the season vs. CS Northridge at the Galen Center on Nov. 11. USC has opened the season twice vs. the Matadors, winning to start the 2000 season and losing the opener in 2006. USC has a 4-1 all-time record vs. CS Northridge.
USC's second game will be at home on Nov. 14 vs. the newest member of the Big Ten conference Nebraska. The Cornhusters were 19-13 last season, including winning 60-58 at home vs. USC.
The Trojans first road game will be on Nov. 17 in San Diego where they will take on the San Diego State Aztecs who are coming off a season in which they posted a 34-3 record, won the Mountain West Conference and advanced to the Round of 16 in the NCAA Tournament before falling to eventual NCAA champion Connecticut.
USC then returns home for a pair of games on Nov. 19 vs. Cal Poly and Nov. 22 vs. Morgan State as part of the Las Vegas Invitational. USC will then travel to Las Vegas, Nev. for the final two games in the Las Vegas Invitational which will be held at the Orleans Arena. The first game will be on Nov. 25 vs. UNLV which advanced to the NCAA Tournament last season and finished with a 24-9 record. The second game will be on Nov. 26 vs. either potential preseason No. 1 North Carolina or SEC power South Carolina.
The Trojans then will play games at UC Riverside on Nov. 30 and at Minnesota on Dec. 3, before closing out the nonconferce portion of the schedule with four home games. USC will host New Mexico on Dec. 10, Georgia on Dec. 17, TCU on Dec. 19 and the final game before Pac-12 Conference play begins will be vs. Kansas on Dec. 22. USC fell 70-68 to the Jayhawks in Lawrence, Kan. last season, to narrowly miss snapping Kansas' 64-game home winning streak.
USC will open the first Pac-12 season playing at California on Dec. 29 and at Stanford on Dec. 31. They then will return the Galen Center to face Arizona State on Jan. 5 and Arizona on January 8.
The Trojans will host crosstown rival UCLA at the Galen Center on January 15 and then will face the Bruins on the road at the Sports Arena on Feb. 15. USC split the season series with the Bruins last season and has won four of the last five games against UCLA.
USC will face four teams only one time during the 2011-12 Pac-12 slate, playing at Oregon on Jan. 19 and at Oregon State on Jan. 21, while hosting the conference's newest members Colorado on Jan. 26 and Utah on Jan. 28.
USC's remaining Pac-12 road games will be at Washington State on Feb. 2, at Washington on Feb. 4, at Arizona on Feb. 23 and at Arizona State on Feb. 25.
The Trojans' final home games will be vs. California on Feb. 9, vs. Stanford on Feb. 12 before closing out the regular season at the Galen Center by facing Washington on March 1 and Washington State on March 3.
The Pac-12 Conference Tournament will take place at Staples Center in Los Angeles, March 7-10.
