University Southern California Trojans
USC Looks To Bounce Back At Oregon State Sunday
January 22, 2016 | Men's Basketball
The No. 21/No. 25 USC Trojans (15-4, 4-2) will play at the Oregon State Beavers (11-6, 2-4) in Corvallis, Ore. on Jan. 24 at noon. The game will air on the Pac-12 Network, Pac-12 Los Angeles and Pac-12 Oregon with Rich Cellini and Steve Lavin calling the action. The last time a Trojan team started a season 15-4 was the 2001-02 season. That team was 16-4 through its first 20 games. USC is ranked in the AP top 25 (No. 21) for the first time since being No. 19 on Nov. 17, 2008. USC's top 5 scorers are averaging between 12.2-12.9 points.
BREAKING DOWN THE BEAVERS - Oregon State is coming off an 82-73 home loss to UCLA on Jan. 20. They have lost three straight games, but are 9-3 at home this season. 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 Trojans have lost their last six games at Gill Coliseum, with five of the six games being decided by six points or less, including two overtime contests. The Beavers are led in scoring and rebounding by senior guard Gary Payton II (17.2 ppg/8.0 rpg).
TROJANS FALL AT OREGON -- In their first game as a ranked team since November of 2008, the Trojans struggled with their shooting and fell 89-81 at Oregon on Jan. 21. The Trojans shot 43.9 percent in the game, including 28.6 percent from three-point range and were outscored 43-30 on points in the paint. USC trailed by as many as 15 points in the second half and rallied to cut it to seven points late in the game, but could get no closer. Bennie Boatwright had a career-high 23 points and 12 rebounds for his first career double-double.
WASHINGTON STATE ON DECK – USC will next host Washington State (9-9, 1-5) at the Galen Center on Jan. 28 at 7:30 p.m. The Cougars will host Colorado on Jan. 23 before traveling to Los Angeles. USC defeated WSU 90-77 in Pullman, Wash. on Jan. 1. USC leads the all-time series with WSU, 70-48. The Cougars won the last meeting at USC, 70-66, on Feb. 25, 2015. Forward Josh Hawkinson is averaging a double-double and leads the Cougars in scoring (16.7 ppg) and rebounding (11.0 rpg).
SC STANDS FOR SLAM CITY - USC has registered 75 dunks in the first 19 games, compared to its opponents' 31. Chimezie Metu, who leads USC with 30 dunks, had two at Oregon on Jan. 21 and has at least one in 10 of the last 11 games. Julian Jacobs, who led USC in dunks last season with 19, is second on the team with 21.
THREE AT LAST, THREE AT LAST... - USC has made 163 three-point baskets this season, tops among Pac-12 teams through games of Jan. 21. 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 16 of the 19 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 40.2 percent from beyond the arc (15th in the country), while its opponents are shooting 31.9 percent from long-range. Last season USC made a total of 170 three-pointers for an average of 5.3 makes per game.
IT TAKES A TEAM -- USC has six players averaging 10.6 or more points and eight players have averaged 3.1 rebounds or more in the first 19 games. Seven different Trojans have scored at least 19 points in a game this season. USC has four players with at least 34 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.
DOUBLE-DOUBLE FOR DOUBLE-B - USC freshman Bennie Boatwright posted career highs and his first double-double when he scored 23 points and grabbed 12 rebounds at Oregon on Jan. 21. Boatwright's previous high for rebounds had been nine twice. He has scored in double figures in 12 of the 18 games he has played. He has made 38 three-point baskets which ranks seventh on USC's all-time freshman list.
SIX-SHOOTING STEWART - Sophomore guard Elijah Stewart has averaged 13.9 points (97 total) in USC's last seven games, twice matching his career high of 27 points. He has made 50.8 percent of his shots in the seven games (31-for-61), including making 61.3 percent of this three-point attempts (19-for-31). In the six Pac-12 games, he is shooting 59.1 percent from beyond the arc (13-for-22), tops among Pac-12 players.
FOUR FROM DEEP ON THE FLOOR - Bennie Boatwright (38), Elijah Stewart (35), Jordan McLaughlin (35) and Katin Reinhardt (34) 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 46.5 points (884 total), 14.8 rebounds (281 total) and 12.6 assists (239 total) per game. Despite going 13-for-34 (38.2 percent) at Oregon on Jan. 21, they are shooting 45.4 percent (314-for-692) from the floor, 41.1 percent from three-point range (113-for-275).
J-MAC ON THE ATTACK - Sophomore guard Jordan McLaughlin, a Pac-12 All-Freshman selection a year ago despite missing the final eight games due to injury, has come back from labral repair surgery to both shoulders to average 12.9 points, 3.6 rebounds and 5.1 assists in his first 19 games. He also has 28 steals and a 35 three-point baskets. McLaughlin broke his nose late in the first half against Xavier on Nov. 27, sat out the rest of that game and played wearing a mask since Nov. 29 vs. Monmouth until playing "unmasked" vs. SIUE on Dec. 21. Excluding the game vs. Xavier when he broke his nose and didn't play in the second half, in the 13 games he has played this season without wearing a mask he has averaged 15.9 points (207 total) and in the five games with a mask on, 7.2 points. He scored 6 points in the first half against Xavier.
REINHARDT CLOSING IN ON 1,000 CAREER POINTS - USC guard Katin Reinhardt has scored 975 points in his career (355 coming as a freshman at UNLV in 2013 and 620 in two seasons at USC). He also has made 95 three-pointers in his two years at USC which ties him with Nick Young for 19th on the Trojans' all-time three-point baskets list.
MORE DOUBLE-DOUBLES THAN IN-N-OUT - USC has recorded 12 double-doubles in the first 19 games this season. USC had a total of eight double-doubles during the 2014-15 season. Nikola Jovanovic leads USC with six double-doubles, followed by Julian Jacobs (3), Bennie Boatwright (1), Jordan McLaughlin (1) and Elijah Stewart (1).
TROJANS NEED TO DO ROAD WORK - Beginning Jan. 1 at Washington State, USC is playing five of its first seven conference games on the road, with one of the home games against Pac-12 preseason favorite Arizona. USC is 4-2 in this stretch with the win at WSU snapping a 10-game Pac-12 road losing streak for the Trojans and the win over then-No. 7 Arizona being USC's first victory over a top 10 team since the 2011 season. With the loss at Oregon on Jan. 21, USC is now 3-22 in its last 25 games on the road in conference dating back to the 2013 season.
TROJANS HOSTING SEASON-LONG BLOCK PARTY - USC has registered 121 blocks in the first 19 games, fourth among all Division I schools in total blocks through games of Jan. 21. USC's average of 6.4 blocks per game ranks fifth among all NCAA DI teams. USC had a total of 133 blocks in 32 games last season for a 4.2 blocks per game average.
POWERPOINT PRESENTATION - USC has scored 1603 points in the first 19 games of the season, its most to start a season since scoring 1674 in the first 19 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 84.4 points per game average ranks 12th in the country through games of Jan. 21. USC averaged 67.0 points last season.
WHAT ANKLE INJURY? - Julian Jacobs missed most of the second half at Washington on Jan. 3 with a sprained ankle, but returned vs. Arizona State on Jan. 7 with 15 points, five assists and four rebounds. He then played a team-high 53 minutes in the 4 overtime win against Arizona, scoring 18 points, grabbing six rebounds, handing out nine assists and making a career-high seven steals (T-4th on USC's all-time single game list). He has been in and out of the lineup since injuring his left ankle on the Dec. 8 off day. He originally felt discomfort in the Achilles, but it turned out to be due to pressure from swelling in the ankle. He played on Jan. 1 at Washington State after missing the previous two games, and had 12 points, 4 assists, 3 steals and 2 dunks. He also played on Dec. 17 vs. Cal Poly and he posted a double-double with 13 assists and 10 points. The 13 assists tied for fourth (now fifth) on USC's all-time single-game list and are tied for 10th in a game this season among all Division I players. Jacobs is averaging 12.8 points, 5.5 rebounds and 5.7 assists per game this season. He also leads all Pac-12 players in assist per game (5.7), is 5th in steals per game (1.6) and is fourth in the conference with a 2.5 assist to turnover ratio.
