USC To Host Villanova In Exhibition Game On October 18

The USC Trojans will host the Villanova Wildcats in an exhibition men's basketball game at the Galen Center on Oct. 18 with the game time still to be determined, it was announced by head coach Andy Enfield today (July 31). Proceeds from the game will benefit the California Fire Foundation, which provides emotional and financial assistance to families of fallen firefighters, firefighters and the communities they protect.

The USC men's basketball team will have a new look for the 2019-20 season as the core four of Jonah Mathews, Nick Rakocevic, Elijah Weaver and Charles O'Bannon Jr. will be joined by nine newcomers which includes one of the top recruiting classes nationally. The 2019-20 Trojans will be a team with many interchangeable parts and feature players who can guard multiple positions. USC has won 87 games over the last four seasons, the winningest four-year stretch in school history and the 2019-20 Trojans look to continue the upward trend.

Leading the way again will be senior forward Nick Rakocevic and senior guard Jonah Mathews who were second and third on the Trojans in scoring last season at 14.7 and 12.6 points per game respectively, with both players poised to pass the 1,000 career points scored mark early in the season. They will have plenty of help from the returners and the No. 7-ranked recruiting class which includes two-time California "Mr. Basketball" forward Onyeka Okongwu and the No. 1 ranked recruit in the state of California forward Isaiah Mobley.

Villanova is celebrating its 100th season of men's basketball and returns four of its top six scorers from the 2019 Big East Champion team which went 26-10. Villanova lost in the second round of the 2019 NCAA Tournament, its 14th appearance in "The Big Dance" in the last 15 seasons. Junior guard Collin Gillespie is the Wildcats' top returning scorer at 10.9 points per game and sophomore forward Saddiq Bey averaged 8.2 points and 5.1 rebounds per game last season to earn Big East All-Freshman honors. Jay Wright was named the Big East Coach of the Year in 2019 and has earned the honor is six of the last 13 seasons. Villanova has averaged 31.8 wins over the last six seasons and won NCAA titles in 2016 and 2018.

The exhibition game against Villanova will be USC's first preseason game open to the public since 2014 when it hosted Cal State Los Angeles. The game will provide fans with a great opportunity to get a first glimpse at the 2019-20 Trojans and Wildcats, both teams which are receiving preseason Top 25 votes and feature Top 10 recruiting classes.

Tickets go on sale for this event in September. Please visit usctrojans.com/mbb for more information. New season tickets will be on sale beginning August 13. Please visit usctrojans.com/tickets to purchase or call 213-740-GOSC.

The California Fire Foundation website is: www.cafirefoundation.org.

Players Mentioned

Jonah Mathews

Isaiah Mobley

Onyeka Okongwu

Nick Rakocevic

Elijah Weaver