The Swiss Army Knife

By Jordan Moore on January 25, 2017 1:12 PM | No Comments

While UCLA's freshmen have received more acclaim this season, the Trojans will rely just as much on their rookies when the two teams square off tonight at the Galen Center. Freshman guard De'Anthony Melton came into USC under the radar, not ranked as a Top 100 recruit, because he is not an elite scorer at this point in his career, but he has a unique game which is starting to get noticed.

USC frosh De'Anthony Melton is the NCAA's only player to average at least 5.0 AST, 8.0 REB, 2.5 STL & 1.5 BLK per 40 https://t.co/YnvpcGKbOs pic.twitter.com/vfR7PMdN9K
-- Mike Schmitz (@Mike_Schmitz) January 25, 2017

Without Bennie Boatwright, the Trojans have had to resort to a small lineup, but Melton has come up big on the glass as the team's second leading rebounder (5.6 per game). The stat sheet stuffer also leads the team in steals, ranks second in assists and third in blocks.

Melton will play in his first Crosstown Showdown tonight when USC and UCLA tip off at 8 p.m. PT on FS1.