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Photo by: John McGillen/USC Athletics
USC Returns Home To Face Utah Wednesday
February 04, 2019 | Men's Basketball, Features
The USC Trojans (13-9, 6-3) will host the Utah Utes (11-10, 5-4) at the Galen Center on Feb. 6 at 8 p.m. USC has won eight of its last 11 games. USC has won its last seven home games and is 5-0 at the Galen Center in Pac-12 play this season. In the last 17 seasons, USC's 6-3 start to conference play has only been bettered by the 7-2 mark by last year's team (also 6-3 in 2007, 2009 and 2016).
BREAKING DOWN UTAH - Utah (11-10, 5-4) is coming off home losses to Oregon State (81-72) and Oregon (78-72), following a four-game winning streak. Senior guard Sedrick Barefield leads the Utes in scoring with a 16.3 scoring average. USC has won its last two games against Utah, winning both games last season: 84-67 at USC and 74-58 in Utah. Prior to that, Utah had defeated USC eight consecutive times. USC trails in the all-time series with Utah, 19-22.
USC ROLLS AT WSU FOR FIRST ROAD WIN - USC jumped out to an 11-0 lead and led wire-to-wire in a 93-84 win at Pullman, Wash. on Feb. 2. USC led 47-33 at halftime and comfortably throughout the second half, but couldn't quite put the Cougars away until the final minutes as Washington State made nine second-half three-pointers and 14 for the game. Nick Rakocevic led USC with a double-double of 25 points and 13 rebounds, while Jonah Mathews added 20 points on 6 of 7 shooting from three-point range. Bennie Boatwright added 18 points and Derryck Thornton 12, along with 6 assists. USC made 58.9 percent of its shots, including 55.6 percent from 3-point range, while holding WSU to 42.0 percent shooting, 34.1 percent from 3-point range. WSU matched an opponent high of 14 3-pointers made, while taking an opponent high 41 shots from beyond the arc. USC outrebounded WSU 37-32 and outscored WSU 34-18 on points in the paint. Kevin Porter Jr. scored 8 points in 12 minutes off the bench by making all three shot attempts and grabbing 5 rebounds. Robert Franks led Washington State with 25 points.
COLORADO ON DECK - USC's next game will be vs. the Colorado Buffaloes (12-9, 3-6) at the Galen Center on Feb. 9 at 7 p.m. Colorado is coming off a 73-51 home win vs. Oregon on Feb. 2 and will play at UCLA on Feb. 6 before facing USC. Sophomores McKinley Wright (12.8) and Tyler Bey (12.3) lead the Buffaloes in scoring. USC defeated Colorado 70-58 at home and 75-64 in Boulder, Colo. last season and has won its last four games against Colorado. USC trails in the all-time series, 7-9.
RAKOCEVIC CONTINUES HIS ROLL - USC forward Nick Rakocevic scored 25 points and had 13 rebounds at Washington State on Feb. 2 for his conference-leading 11th double-double of the season. He now has five games with 20 or more points and 10 or more rebounds, leading all Pac-12 players. He has scored at least 15 points in 14 games and has at least 8 rebounds in 16 games. Rakocevic is averaging 16.2 points and 9.9 rebounds per game. He currently ranks among the Pac-12's top 10 in six categories: rebounds (2nd), blocked shots (5th), scoring average (8th), field goal percentage (9th), offensive rebounds (2nd) and defensive rebounds (3rd).
THE "BOAT" SETTING SAIL - USC senior forward Bennie Boatwright has averaged 19.3 points (232 total), 7.1 rebounds (85 total) and 2.8 assists (34 total) in the last 12 games. He has also made 49.4 percent of his shots in those games (83-for-168). Boatwright scored a career-best 37 points on 14 of 24 shooting (4 of 9 from 3-point range) at Oregon St. on Jan. 10. His 37 points scored were tied for the 11th best all-time in a game by a USC player and the most since 2008. His 14 FGs also tied him for the 10th-most in a game in school history, last done by Brian Scalabrine in 2000. He is 3rd among Pac-12 players with a 20.1 scoring average in Pac-12 play.
WEATHER CALLS FOR RAINING THREES - Utah (.376) and USC (.374) rank first and second in three-point field goal percentage among Pac-12 teams this season and second and third in total makes from beyond the arc (Utah-196, USC-170). In addition, Utah's Sedrick Barefield (63) and USC's Jonah Mathews (53) rank 1-2 in three-pointers made by Pac-12 players, while USC's Bennie Boatwright is tied for fifth (44).
BOATWRIGHT KEEPS RISING UP THE USC SCORING CHARTS - Senior Bennie Boatwright missed the first two games of the season while still coming back from offseason knee surgery, but has averaged a team-leading 17.3 points per game (5th in Pac-12) since his return. He scored 14 points vs. Texas Tech on Nov. 19 to give him 1,008 career points. He now has scored 1,324 career points which ranks 17th on USC's all-time scoring list, 17 behind Lorenzo Orr (16th, 1,341) and 78 behind Elijah Stewart (15th, 1,402) . Boatwright has averaged 13.9 points (1,324) in 95 career games played, despite being slowed by injuries. Boatwright averaged 13.6 points in 23 games last season, first being slowed by a foot injury and then having his season end with a knee injury. He led USC to the 2017 Diamond Head Classic title by scoring a then career-high 33 points vs. New Mexico State on Dec. 25, making a career-best six three-point baskets. Boatwright has also made 197 career three-point baskets, 6 behind Desmon Farmer (203) for fourth on USC's all-time list.
MATHEWS THE MARKSMAN - Junior Jonah Mathews leads USC with 53 three-point baskets made this season, connecting at a 42.7 percent clip. He has made 32 of 65 three-point attempts (49.2 percent) in the last 11 games. His 53 makes from beyond the arc are second in the Pac-12. Mathews now has 153 career three-point baskets made which ranks 12th on USC's all-time list, 3 behind Phil Glenn who is 11th with 156 and 10 behind Elias Ayuso who is 10th with 163. Mathews has at least one 3-pointer made in every game this season and 2 or more in seven consecutive games. He made a season-best 6 three-pointers (out of 7 attempts) at WSU on Feb. 2.
BREAKING DOWN UTAH - Utah (11-10, 5-4) is coming off home losses to Oregon State (81-72) and Oregon (78-72), following a four-game winning streak. Senior guard Sedrick Barefield leads the Utes in scoring with a 16.3 scoring average. USC has won its last two games against Utah, winning both games last season: 84-67 at USC and 74-58 in Utah. Prior to that, Utah had defeated USC eight consecutive times. USC trails in the all-time series with Utah, 19-22.
USC ROLLS AT WSU FOR FIRST ROAD WIN - USC jumped out to an 11-0 lead and led wire-to-wire in a 93-84 win at Pullman, Wash. on Feb. 2. USC led 47-33 at halftime and comfortably throughout the second half, but couldn't quite put the Cougars away until the final minutes as Washington State made nine second-half three-pointers and 14 for the game. Nick Rakocevic led USC with a double-double of 25 points and 13 rebounds, while Jonah Mathews added 20 points on 6 of 7 shooting from three-point range. Bennie Boatwright added 18 points and Derryck Thornton 12, along with 6 assists. USC made 58.9 percent of its shots, including 55.6 percent from 3-point range, while holding WSU to 42.0 percent shooting, 34.1 percent from 3-point range. WSU matched an opponent high of 14 3-pointers made, while taking an opponent high 41 shots from beyond the arc. USC outrebounded WSU 37-32 and outscored WSU 34-18 on points in the paint. Kevin Porter Jr. scored 8 points in 12 minutes off the bench by making all three shot attempts and grabbing 5 rebounds. Robert Franks led Washington State with 25 points.
COLORADO ON DECK - USC's next game will be vs. the Colorado Buffaloes (12-9, 3-6) at the Galen Center on Feb. 9 at 7 p.m. Colorado is coming off a 73-51 home win vs. Oregon on Feb. 2 and will play at UCLA on Feb. 6 before facing USC. Sophomores McKinley Wright (12.8) and Tyler Bey (12.3) lead the Buffaloes in scoring. USC defeated Colorado 70-58 at home and 75-64 in Boulder, Colo. last season and has won its last four games against Colorado. USC trails in the all-time series, 7-9.
RAKOCEVIC CONTINUES HIS ROLL - USC forward Nick Rakocevic scored 25 points and had 13 rebounds at Washington State on Feb. 2 for his conference-leading 11th double-double of the season. He now has five games with 20 or more points and 10 or more rebounds, leading all Pac-12 players. He has scored at least 15 points in 14 games and has at least 8 rebounds in 16 games. Rakocevic is averaging 16.2 points and 9.9 rebounds per game. He currently ranks among the Pac-12's top 10 in six categories: rebounds (2nd), blocked shots (5th), scoring average (8th), field goal percentage (9th), offensive rebounds (2nd) and defensive rebounds (3rd).
THE "BOAT" SETTING SAIL - USC senior forward Bennie Boatwright has averaged 19.3 points (232 total), 7.1 rebounds (85 total) and 2.8 assists (34 total) in the last 12 games. He has also made 49.4 percent of his shots in those games (83-for-168). Boatwright scored a career-best 37 points on 14 of 24 shooting (4 of 9 from 3-point range) at Oregon St. on Jan. 10. His 37 points scored were tied for the 11th best all-time in a game by a USC player and the most since 2008. His 14 FGs also tied him for the 10th-most in a game in school history, last done by Brian Scalabrine in 2000. He is 3rd among Pac-12 players with a 20.1 scoring average in Pac-12 play.
WEATHER CALLS FOR RAINING THREES - Utah (.376) and USC (.374) rank first and second in three-point field goal percentage among Pac-12 teams this season and second and third in total makes from beyond the arc (Utah-196, USC-170). In addition, Utah's Sedrick Barefield (63) and USC's Jonah Mathews (53) rank 1-2 in three-pointers made by Pac-12 players, while USC's Bennie Boatwright is tied for fifth (44).
BOATWRIGHT KEEPS RISING UP THE USC SCORING CHARTS - Senior Bennie Boatwright missed the first two games of the season while still coming back from offseason knee surgery, but has averaged a team-leading 17.3 points per game (5th in Pac-12) since his return. He scored 14 points vs. Texas Tech on Nov. 19 to give him 1,008 career points. He now has scored 1,324 career points which ranks 17th on USC's all-time scoring list, 17 behind Lorenzo Orr (16th, 1,341) and 78 behind Elijah Stewart (15th, 1,402) . Boatwright has averaged 13.9 points (1,324) in 95 career games played, despite being slowed by injuries. Boatwright averaged 13.6 points in 23 games last season, first being slowed by a foot injury and then having his season end with a knee injury. He led USC to the 2017 Diamond Head Classic title by scoring a then career-high 33 points vs. New Mexico State on Dec. 25, making a career-best six three-point baskets. Boatwright has also made 197 career three-point baskets, 6 behind Desmon Farmer (203) for fourth on USC's all-time list.
MATHEWS THE MARKSMAN - Junior Jonah Mathews leads USC with 53 three-point baskets made this season, connecting at a 42.7 percent clip. He has made 32 of 65 three-point attempts (49.2 percent) in the last 11 games. His 53 makes from beyond the arc are second in the Pac-12. Mathews now has 153 career three-point baskets made which ranks 12th on USC's all-time list, 3 behind Phil Glenn who is 11th with 156 and 10 behind Elias Ayuso who is 10th with 163. Mathews has at least one 3-pointer made in every game this season and 2 or more in seven consecutive games. He made a season-best 6 three-pointers (out of 7 attempts) at WSU on Feb. 2.
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