A Look Back: 2019-20 USC Men's Basketball
3/19/2020
After reloading over the offseason with a top-seven recruiting class, two graduate transfers and two returning four-year seniors in the starting lineup, USC was primed to make a return to the Big Dance.
In a rollercoaster year that saw game-winners, frustrating losses, injuries and comebacks, the Trojans finished the 2019-20 regular season with a 22-9 (11-7 Pac-12) record, a first-round bye in the Pac-12 Tournament and a No. 45 NET Ranking that most likely would have sent USC to its third NCAA Tournament in five years.
Here are the top moments from USC's memorable campaign:
Oct. 18, 2019 - A preview of what's to come
The Trojans' first game at the Galen Center during the 2019-20 was a charity exhibition against Villanova that benefitted the California Fire Foundation.
Matching up against an elite team that ended up finishing 11th in the final AP Top 25, the Trojans took advantage of the opportunity to give USC fans an early glimpse of a promising season.
The newcomers made a statement in their dress rehearsal, as Onyeka Okongwu and Daniel Utomi each scored 15 points toward the Trojans' 72-61 preseason victory over the Wildcats.
Ethan Anderson had nine points and five assists, while Isaiah Mobley had eight points and four rebounds.
Jonah Mathews, postgame: "We have all the pieces this year."
Nov. 2, 2019 - A star is born
Onyeka Okongwu didn't wait at all to start making history.
In his official collegiate debut, Okongwu tied the USC single-game blocks record with eight and was just two rejections shy of a triple-double.
Okongwu, the 25th-ranked overall prospect from Chino Hills High School, also finished with 20 points and 13 rebounds as he led the Trojans to a 77-48 win over Florida A&M in the season opener.
Okongwu became the first USC freshman since Taj Gibson in 2006 to record a double-double in a debut. He also shattered Chimezie Metu's 2015 record of most blocked shots (five) in a frosh's opening game.
A 20-point, 10-rebound performance wouldn't be rare for Okongwu, as he would later achieve this statline five more times in 2019-20.
Onyeka Okongwu, postgame: "The record wasn’t my objective. I just wanted to have fun and win. Tonight felt good. It’s been a long couple months of practice."
Nov. 12, 2019 - Mathews, Rakocevic join 1K club
The career celebrations for Jonah Mathews and Nick Rakocevic began in just the third game of the season.
USC's two four-year seniors both eclipsed 1,000 career points in the same night as Rakocevic and Mathews' milestone baskets were just minutes between each other.
Mathews finished his USC career with 1,390 points (17th most in USC history) while Rakocevic ended with 1,292 (22nd).
In an otherwise business-as-usual game, the Trojans cruised past South Dakota State, 84-66.
Jonah Mathews postgame: "It’s crazy. Nick and I came in together. To have it (both get 1,000 points) on the same night is special."
Nov. 13, 2019 - Signed. Sealed. Delivered.
USC's biggest off-the-court news came when Evan Mobley, the No. 1 overall recruit of the 2020 high school class, signed his National Letter of Intent.
Mobley, a 7-foot forward who averaged 18.6 points, 10.9 rebounds and 2.7 blocks in his senior season at Rancho Christian High School in Temecula, publicly committed to the Trojans on Aug. 5. He was later named a McDonald's All-American and MaxPrep's California All-State First Team.
Mobley is the younger brother of current USC forward Isaiah Mobley and the son of assistant coach Eric Mobley.
For the first time in program history, @USC_Hoops has signed the No. 1 player in the nation!
— USC Men's Basketball (@USC_Hoops) November 13, 2019
Welcome to the #TrojanFamily, @evan_mobley7! pic.twitter.com/DAyHVwHF9W
Dec. 6, 2019 - Rakocevic's tip-in sinks Horned Frogs
The Trojans found themselves in their first of many dramatic finishes of the season in Fort Worth.
Taking place in the newly-constructed Dickies Arena just 2.5 miles away from TCU's campus, USC fended off the Horned Frogs in an 80-78 victory despite the Trojans squandering an 18-point lead.
TCU's and-one opportunity tied the game with 10 seconds, but the Horned Frogs missed the go-ahead free throw. After Ethan Anderson missed a runner, Nick Rakocevic tipped the ball in with .2 seconds remaining to avenge last year's loss to TCU at STAPLES Center.
Jonah Mathews finished with 20 points and was 4-of-7 from the 3-point line.
The board on one end.
— USC Men's Basketball (@USC_Hoops) December 7, 2019
The bucket on the other.@nick_rakocevic1 sealed the win for SC! pic.twitter.com/BG0NsW1Fcs
Dec. 21, 2019 - USC gets first resume booster over LSU
Two games later, the Trojans went through another thriller against a traditional football power.
Playing on the Los Angeles Lakers' court at STAPLES Center for the annual Basketball Hall of Fame Classic, USC trailed LSU for most of the game until a 13-2 run late in the fourth quarter sparked by hot shooting from Jonah Mathews and Ethan Anderson turned the tide.
The Tigers made one more run in the final moments of the game, but Onyeka Okongwu's walk-off block sealed USC's 70-68 win.
It was a balanced team effort, as five Trojans finished with double-digit point totals.
The win over LSU, who finished third in the SEC standings and 28th in the NET Rankings, gave USC its first Quadrant 1 victory of the season.
Andy Enfield, postgame: "I feel great. To have the record that we do and playing like we are right now is big."
Jan. 11, 2020 - Trojans prevail at Pauley
Midway into the season, Andy Enfield made a change in the starting lineup that stuck for the rest of conference play.
In need of scoring after the Trojans posted just 40 points against Washington the weekend before, Enfield moved sharpshooter Daniel Utomi into USC's starting five in the first meeting against rival UCLA.
The move immediately paid dividends, as Utomi hit a team-high three 3-pointers to lead the Trojans' shooting barrage.
Despite Onyeka Okongwu facing foul trouble the entire game, USC shot 57.4% from the field en route to a 74-63 win over the Bruins, which marked the Trojans' first victory in Westwood since the 2015-16 season.
Nick Rakocevic finished with 17 points and 14 rebounds — both game-highs.
Nick Rakocevic, postgame: "I really wanted this bad. It was really important to me to get this win."
Jan. 18, 2020 - USC mounts wild comeback against Stanford
In their first Pac-12 home game, the Trojans went into the locker room down 20 points against Stanford, which was boasting an undefeated conference record. Things didn't seem much better when the Cardinal hit a free throw to open the second half. USC trimmed the deficit into single-digits before the Cardinal went back up by 15 points at the 9:19 mark.
From there, the Trojans roared back into the game with a 15-3 run.
After the two teams traded a couple baskets, USC forced two turnovers in the final 13 seconds and tied the game with Elijah Weaver's four-point play opportunity.
WHAT IS HAPPENING?! ??@___ewr drains the three with 7.3 seconds left, and we're heading to OT. https://t.co/bG6CG5DzLV pic.twitter.com/lW3Zkk2qvz
— Pac-12 Network (@Pac12Network) January 19, 2020
Though Weaver missed the go-ahead free-throw, the sophomore guard continued to will the Trojans with eight points in overtime.
USC's 21-point rally at the time became the Pac-12's biggest comeback in history (Arizona State erased Arizona's 22-point lead the following week). The win over Stanford, which finished 33rd in the NET Rankings, gave the Trojans their second Quadrant 1 victory.
Elijah Weaver, postgame: "It was a big-time crowd, a big-time game and a big-time shot. This game shows we have a lot of resiliency and we can do whatever we put our minds to."
Feb. 15, 2020 - DeMar's No. 10 goes up into the rafters
In a halftime ceremony during USC's home matchup against Washington, the Trojans hung DeMar DeRozan's No. 10 into the rafters.
DeRozan, a former USC standout who now plays for the San Antonio Spurs, returned to campus during the NBA All-Star break for the event. The four-time NBA All-Star was named to the Pac-10 All-Freshman Team and led the Trojans to their only conference tournament championship in 2009.
Other former Trojans such as Jordan McLaughlin, Chimezie Metu, Bennie Boatwright and Kevin Porter Jr. returned during the All-Star break.
After DeRozan's ceremony, the Trojans took care of business on the court and defeated Washington, 62-56, in a defensive showcase.
Gallery: DeMar DeRozan Jersey Retirement Night
Feb. 27 & 29, 2020 - USC defends Galen in pivotal homestand
With USC's Pac-12 seeding and NCAA Tournament implications under heavy scrutiny heading into the final stretch, two of the Pac-12's top teams — Arizona and Arizona State — came to L.A. looking to get their own leverage over the conference. The Trojans had already lost to both schools on their desert road trip earlier in February.
With over 40 NBA scouts and executives credentialed, USC was locked into a defensive battle with Arizona until Onyeka Okongwu hit a prayer from the opposite 3-point line at the halftime buzzer to dramatically spark the Trojans' momentum.
Freshman @BigO21_ with the three-quarter court buzzer beater at the half for @USC_Hoops!#FightOn | #SCTop10 pic.twitter.com/47Wx5bHbyM
— USC Trojans (@USC_Athletics) February 28, 2020
USC held on for a 57-48 win and limited the Wildcats to their lowest point total of the season. Arizona shot just 28.1% from the field and the Trojan backcourt held star freshman Nico Mannion to just 3-of-14 shooting.
Two nights later, seniors Quinton Adlesh, Jonah Mathews and Daniel Utomi combined for nine 3-pointers against Arizona State. Despite committing 19 turnovers (14 in the first half), USC overcame the Sun Devils' pesky fullcourt press and defeated Arizona State, 71-61.
By defeating two Quadrant 1 teams in a single weekend, the Trojans' NCAA Tournament chances had seemed even clearer with one more regular-season game to go.
Andy Enfield, postgame (Arizona State): "We’ve been winning by committee. The fact that we’re 21-9 is a testament to our defense and toughness. We win ugly, we win pretty, it doesn’t matter. You’ve just got to win. You have to win with what you have. We’re exceptionally proud of our players to be 21-9."
March 7, 2020 - The grand finale
No one expected USC's story to end here.
But if you asked the players to write their dream finale, it probably wouldn't be much different than this.
After holding Senior Day celebrations for Quinton Adlesh, McKay Anderson, Jonah Mathews, Nick Rakocevic and Daniel Utomi, the Trojans immediately found themselves in a war with UCLA in the rematch at Galen. From tipoff to the final buzzer, neither team led by more than five points.
Jonah Mathews hit his fourth 3-pointer of the game with 6:52 left to become USC's all-time leader in threes, passing former teammate Elijah Stewart. But it wasn't his most significant of the afternoon.
After UCLA took a one-point lead with 10 seconds left, Mathews took the ensuing inbound, dribbled to the left wing and sank a step-back 3-pointer with two seconds remaining for a 54-52 victory over UCLA, ending the Bruins' seven-game winning streak.
JONAH. MATHEWS.
— USC Men's Basketball (@USC_Hoops) March 7, 2020
GAME. BLOUSES! pic.twitter.com/qyV4IihCQX
Mathews' game-winner gave USC its first regular-season sweep over UCLA since the 2015-16 season, a first-round bye in the Pac-12 Tournament and made the Trojans' NCAA Tournament berth all but certain.
Jonah Mathews, postgame: "Coach told me he was going to put the ball in my hands and live or die. I said, ‘We’re going to live.'
Muscle memory took over. You can only dream it like this. I actually dreamed it last night. I said, ‘What if I end it like that, what if I break the record.’ ... I knew it was going in when I shot it. All those workouts paid off. I’m happy I made it. I’m super grateful to
have gone to USC."
USC was slated to face Arizona in the Pac-12 Tournament quarterfinals on March 12, but the conference canceled the tournament that morning due to worldwide coronavirus concerns. Hours later, the NCAA canceled all March Madness events, effectively ending the Trojans' season.
In the following days, USC players reacted to the news and reflected on the season through social media.
