USC Looks To Bounce Back Thursday At Home Against Washington

The USC Trojans (17-7, 6-5) will host the Washington Huskies (12-12, 2-9) at the Galen Center on Feb. 13 at 6 p.m. The game will air on ESPN2 with Dave Feldman and Adrian Branch calling the action. USC has lost all three games played in February after not having consecutive losses through January's games. USC will play five of its final seven regular season games at home. NBA All-Star DeMar DeRozan (USC, 2009) will have his No. 10 jersey retired at halftime. The first 1,000 students in attendance will receive a replica jersey.

TROJAN GREAT DeROZAN TO HAVE HIS USC JERSEY RETIRED -- Four-time NBA All-Star and Olympic gold medal-winning guard DeMar DeRozan will have his No. 10 jersey retired at halftime of the USC-Washington game on Feb. 13. DeRozan played for USC during the 2008-09 season, averaging 13.9 points as a freshman and leading USC to the 2009 Pac-10 Tournament title. DeRozan scored 25 points in the 66-63 title game-win over James Harden and ASU and earned Tourney MVP honors. He then scored 18 points in each of USC's two NCAA Tournament games. DeRozan played his first nine NBA seasons for Toronto and his last two for San Antonio. Through games of Feb. 10, DeRozan is averaging 23.0 points per game for San Antonio.

BREAKING DOWN WASHINGTON -- The Washington Huskies (12-12, 2-9) are coming off a 79-67 loss at Washington State on Feb. 9. Washington has lost six consecutive games and has gone 1-8 since defeating USC 72-40 on Jan. 5 in Seattle, Wash. USC made only 20 percent of its shots in that game, its lowest shooting percentage in a game since Feb. 3, 1956 (15.9 percent). The day after the USC-Washington game, Huskies' point guard Quade Green was ruled academically ineligible. Freshman forward Isaiah Stewart leads UW in scoring (17.4) and rebounding (8.7). USC has lost four consecutive games to Washington and trails in the all-time series 75-72* (2 USC wins vacated due to NCAA penalty, original record 75-74).

GAME SLIPS AWAY FROM USC AT ASU -- Arizona State scored the last seven points over the final 2:22 to defeat USC 66-64 on Feb. 8. Remy Martin banked in a long two-pointer with 19 seconds remaining to give ASU the win. Jonah Mathews' contested 3-pointer at the buzzer was ruled as a block and not a foul, allowing ASU come away with the win. With USC leading 64-59, Allonzo Verge Jr. was fouled and made a pair of FTs. Following a USC turnover, Martin was fouled on a 3-pointer and made 3 FTs to tie the game at 64-all with 2:15 left. Neither team scored again until the game-winning shot. Martin's shot was the first ASU field goal since the 11:28 mark of the second half, as they had made only 8 FTs in that stretch which had allowed USC to comeback from four points down. USC held ASU to 31.3 percent shooting for the game and 28.1 percent in the second half. USC made 41.8 percent of its shots, but only 33.3 percent in the second half. USC led 40-32 at the break. Jonah Mathews scored 17 of his team-high 22 points in the first half. Daniel Utomi added 15 points and Ethan Anderson 12. USC committed 24 turnovers, its most in a game since having 25 vs. Sacramento St. on Dec. 8, 2009. USC fell for the first time this season when leading at halftime (14-1) and when ahead with five minutes left (15-1).

DEJA VU...NOT IN A GOOD WAY -- USC lost for the seventh consecutive time at ASU by a combined total of 26 points and by a total of five points in the last three games. In the last three games at ASU, USC was outscored 12-1 in the final 2:32 to lose 83-82 in 2017, outscored 9-0 in the final 2:23 in a 80-78 loss in 2018 and 7-0 in the final 2:22 to lose 66-64 this season.

WASHINGTON STATE ON DECK -- The Washington State (14-10, 5-6) is coming off a 79-67 home win over Washington on Feb. 9 and will play at UCLA on Feb. 13, before facing USC at Galen on Feb. 15. Sophomore C.J. Elleby (19.0 ppg) and junior Isaac Bonton (14.4 ppg) lead the Cougars in scoring. USC defeated WSU 65-56 on Jan. 2 in Pullman, Wash. to run its winning streak against the Cougars to seven games and leads the all-time series 76-48.

BOARD BROTHERS -- USC forwards Nick Rakocevic (8.6) and Onyeka Okongwu (8.9) are one of four pairs of teammates in Division I averaging 8.6 rebounds or more per game. The other schools with a tandem of rebounders averaging 8.6 rebounds or more per game are Eastern Washington, Saint Louis and West Virginia.

OKONGWU NEAR THE TOP OF THE CLASS -- Through his first 23 career games, Okongwu is averaging 16.4 points, 8.9 rebounds and 3.0 blocks per game, while shooting 60.9 percent from the field. His 69 total blocks are tied with Taj Gibson (2007) for the most in a single season by a USC freshman. Among all freshmen nationally, he ranks first in total blocks (69) and field goal percentage (60.9), tied for first in blocks per game (3.00), third in offensive rebounds per game (3.35), tied for fourth in double-doubles (9), tied for fifth in rebounds per game (8.9), sixth in free throws made (92) and points per game (16.4), ninth in total field goals (143) and in total points (378) .

ANDERSON MOVING UP THE USC FRESHMAN TOP 10 ASSIST LIST -- Freshman point guard Ethan Anderson had 3 assists at Arizona State on Feb. 8 and now has 109 assists, T-8th on USC's all-time freshman assist list. At his current pace he would break the school freshman record of 143 set by Burt Harris in 1993. Anderson ranks fourth in the Pac-12 in total assists and sixth nationally among freshmen (109).

USC HAVING A BLOCK PARTY -- USC has 130 blocks this season, second among Pac-12 teams and 12th nationally. Leading the way is the "Sultan of Swat" Onyeka Okongwu who has 69. His 69 blocks are the most by any freshman and ranks 7th nationally. USC did not record a block in the game vs. Colorado on Feb. 1, the first game this season and first time since Dec. 29, 2017 vs. Washington not recording a block.

MATHEWS HAS BEEN SURGING -- Senior guard Jonah Mathews was held to 6 points at Arizona on Feb.6, snapping a seven-game streak of scoring in double figures, but bounced back with 22 at Arizona State on Feb. 8. In the last nine games Mathews has averaged 15.0 points (135 points). Mathews has also made 41.5 percent of his three-point shots in that stretch (22-for-53) and 85.3 percent of his free throws (29-for-34).

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Players Mentioned

Ethan Anderson

Jonah Mathews

Onyeka Okongwu

Nick Rakocevic

Daniel Utomi