USC To Face TCU At Staples Center Friday

The USC Trojans (5-3) will face the TCU Horned Frogs (6-1) at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, Calif. on Dec. 7 at 6:30 p.m. The game begins a stretch of three consecutive games away from the Galen Center.

USC FALLS AT HOME TO No. 5 NEVADA - No. 5 Nevada used a 9-0 run at the start of the second half to take control and went on to a 73-61 win over USC at the Galen Center on Dec. 1. USC led 35-34 at halftime and by as many as seven points in the first half, but struggled with its shooting in the second half, while Nevada heated up. USC made 35.7 percent of its shots after the break, while Nevada made 48.1 percent. USC made just 23.8 percent of its three-point attempts for the game (5-for-22), including a 1-for-7 ledger each from its sharp-shooters Bennie Boatwright and Jonah Mathews. Nick Rakocevic led USC with 20 points and 12 rebounds, while Derryck Thornton added 10 points and 4 assists. USC did hold Nevada to 46.7 percent shooting and 73 points, despite it coming into the game with a 50.0 percent shooting average and scoring 90.1 points per game. The points total was also a season low for both teams.

BREAKING DOWN TCU - USC's next game will be against TCU (5-1+) on Dec. 7 at the Staples Center at 6:30 p.m. TCU is coming off an 89-62 win vs. Central Michigan on Nov. 30 and will play at SMU on Dec. 5 before facing the Trojans. TCU began the season ranked No. 20, and also has wins over CSU Bakersfield, Oral Roberts, Fresno State and Eastern Michigan, with its only setback being a 73-64 home loss to Lipscomb. The Horned Frogs have six players averaging at least 8.7 points per game. TCU reached the 2018 NCAA Tournament with its 21-12 season, and returned seven players from that team. The all-time series between the two schools is tied at 1-1, with USC winning the last meeting 83-59 on Dec. 19, 2011 at the Galen Center.

OKLAHOMA ON DECK - USC's next game will be against Oklahoma (7-1+) on Dec. 15 at the BOK Center in Tulsa, Okla. at 6 p.m. PT. The Sooners are coming off an 85-80 win over Notre Dame on Dec. 4 in New York, N.Y. and will play Wichita State in Oklahoma City on Dec. 8 before facing USC. Senior guard Christian James leads Oklahoma with a 19.9 scoring average and five Sooners are averaging at least 9.1 points per game. Oklahoma defeated USC 85-83 at Staples Center last year and leads the all-time series 7-4* (1 USC win vacated due to NCAA penalty, original record 7-5). USC last beat Oklahoma 66-55 on Nov. 29, 2007, which it later vacated.

RAKOCEVIC HAS BEEN A FORCE ON THE BOARDS - Junior forward Nick Rakocevic has averaged 11.8 rebounds per game this season, tied for fifth nationally and tops in the Pac-12. He has also averaged a team-leading 15.3 points per game, to average a double-double. He scored 9 points and had 9 rebounds vs. Texas Tech on Nov. 19, snapping a streak of five consecutive double-doubles dating back to last season (2 to end the 2017-18 season). He became the first USC player to record three double-doubles to start a season since Sam Clancy did it to start the 2001-02 season. His five consecutive double-doubles were the most by a USC player since Nikola Vucevic had eight-straight during the 2011 season. He scored 20 points and had 12 rebounds against Nevada on Dec. 1 and has had five double-doubles this season which are tied for ninth among all DI NCAA players.

ENFIELD EYES THE CENTURY MARK - USC head coach Andy Enfield has a 99-79 record in his six seasons at the helm of the USC program. He has led the Trojans into the postseason each of the last three seasons, combining to win 71 games, the most in a three-year stretch in school history. He has a 140-107 overall record in eight seasons as a head coach.

TOUGH TERRAIN - USC is in the midst of playing Nevada (8-0), TCU (6-1) and Oklahoma (7-1) in consecutive games. The three teams are a combined 20-2 with two of the three being ranked at some point this season.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Bennie Boatwright

Jonah Mathews

Nick Rakocevic

Derryck Thornton