University Southern California Trojans
No. 21/No. 25 USC Plays At Oregon On Thursday
January 18, 2016 | Men's Basketball
The No. 21/No. 25 USC Trojans (15-3, 4-1) will play at the Oregon Ducks (14-4, 3-2) at Matthew Knight Arena in Eugene, Ore. on Jan. 21 at 6:00 p.m. The game will air on the Pac-12 Network, Pac-12 Los Angeles and Pac-12 Oregon with Rich Cellini and Mike Montgomery calling the action. The last time a Trojan team started a season 15-3 was the 1991-92 season. That team started the season 17-3. USC's 4-1 start in conference play is its best since opening Pac-10 play 5-0 in the 2001-02 season. USC is ranked in the AP top 25 (No. 21) for the first time since being No. 19 on Nov. 17, 2008.
BREAKING DOWN THE DUCKS - Oregon is coming off a 91-87 loss at Colorado on Jan. 17, but has won seven of its last nine games. Oregon is a perfect 11-0 at home this season. Sophomore Dillon Brooks leads four Ducks in double figures with a 15.8 scoring average. USC leads the all-time series 60-52 with two wins vacated in 2008, but has lost 10 consecutive games to Oregon. USC last defeated Oregon 80-66 at home on March 5, 2009 and last won in Eugene on Jan. 2, 2009, 83-62.
TROJANS SNAP UCLA'S 12-GAME PAC-12 HOME WINNING STREAK -- Jordan McLaughlin scored a season-best 23 points and Chimezie Metu added a career-high 21 points to lead USC to an 89-75 win at Pauley Pavilion on Jan. 13. The win snapped a six-game losing streak to the Bruins and ended UCLA's 12-game Pac-12 home game winning streak. USC used a 13-0 run midway through the first half to take control and rode an 18-point lead into halftime. The Bruins would get no closer than nine points in the second half. USC's outscored UCLA 32-2 on bench points.
IT TAKES A TEAM -- USC has six players averaging 10.6 or more points and eight players have averaged 3.2 rebounds or more in the first 18 games. Seven different Trojans have scored at least 19 points in a game this season. USC has four players with at least 32 three-point baskets this season. Last season, USC had only three players all season make 16 or more three-pointers. USC had five players score in double figures vs. Monmouth on Nov. 16, the first time it had accomplished the feat since five scored in double figures in a 78-62 win vs. Boston College on Dec. 8, 2013. USC then had six players score 10 or more points vs. Cal Poly on Dec. 17, the first time accomplishing that feat since Dec. 28, 2004 vs. Southern. USC also had five players reach double-figures in points vs. Lafayette, at Washington St., at Washington and vs. Arizona.
OREGON STATE ON DECK – USC will next play at Oregon State (11-5, 2-3) on Jan. 24 at noon. USC and OSU split the 2014-15 series, with both teams winning at home. USC leads in the all-time series 67-62, which reflects two wins vacated by the Trojans from the 2008 season. The Beavers are 9-2 at home this season and are led in scoring and rebounding by senior guard Gary Payton II (17.3 ppg/8.3 rpg). Oregon State will host UCLA on Jan. 22 before facing USC.
SC STANDS FOR SLAM CITY - USC has registered 71 dunks in the first 18 games, compared to its opponents' 28. Chimezie Metu, who leads USC with 28 dunks, had three at UCLA on Jan. 13 and has at least one in nine of the last 10 games. Julian Jacobs, who led USC in dunks last season with 19, is second on the team with 20.
THREE AT LAST, THREE AT LAST... - USC has made 155 three-point baskets this season, tops among Pac-12 teams and tied for 49th in the country through games of Jan. 17. USC has finished 11th or 12th among Pac-12 teams in three-pointers made the last four seasons. USC has made six or more three-pointers in 15 of the 18 games and six times has netted 12 or more, with a season-best 13 makes vs. CSUN on Nov. 23 and vs. Lafayette on Dec. 23. On the year, USC is averaging 41.1 percent from beyond the arc (13th in the country), while its opponents are shooting 31.3 percent from long-range. Last season USC made a total of 170 three-pointers for an average of 5.3 makes per game.
SIX-SHOOTING STEWART - Sophomore guard Elijah Stewart has averaged 14.7 points (87 total) in USC's last six games, twice matching his career high of 27 points. He has made 52.8 percent of his shots in the six games (28-for-53), including making 69.2 percent of this three-point attempts (18-for-26). In the five Pac-12 games, he is second in the conference with a 70.6 shooting percent from beyond the arc (12-for-17).
FOUR FROM DEEP ON THE FLOOR - Bennie Boatwright (35), Elijah Stewart (34), Jordan McLaughlin (34) and Katin Reinhardt (32) all rank in the top 15 among Pac-12 players in three-point baskets made. No other conference team has more that two players in the top 15. USC has four players with 30 or more makes for the first time since the 2001-02 season (Brandon Granville-56, David Bluthenthal-62, Errick Craven-34 and Desmon Farmer-35). That was the only time the Trojans had four players with 35 or more made shots from beyond the arc since the three-point shot went into effect beginning with the 1986-87 season.
EN GUARDE! -- USC's four primary guards Julian Jacobs, Jordan McLaughlin, Katin Reinhardt and Elijah Stewart have combined to average 46.9 points (845 total), 15.1 rebounds (271 total) and 12.7 assists (228 total) per game. The also are shooting 45.7 percent (301-for-658) from the floor, 42.2 percent from three-point range (108-for-256).
POWERPOINT PRESENTATION - USC has scored 1522 points in the first 18 games of the season, its most to start a season since scoring 1598 in the first 18 games of the 1975 season. USC has scored 90 or more points seven times, including 100 or more points four times. USC had not reached the century mark in scoring in a game since the 2002 season. USC's four games with 100 or more points ties the 1975 team for the most 100-point games in a single-season by a Trojan team. USC's 84.6 points per game average ranks 11th in the country through games of Jan. 17. USC averaged 67.0 points last season.
